chatter

The day before the weather was perfect with the temps in the 60s. There was a dance at the school we went to. Halloween night however, the cold front went through. Hollace was a witch this year. I just didn’t feel like going out. Usually both me and RAW take turns going out each hitting half the neighborhood. For candy this year I had what I thought was enough Tootsie Pops. Since I have been buying the big box of them at Sam’s regularily and pulling all the grape and cherry ones out, I had lots of other flavors. I ran out so I went to my cherry stash. I finally had to turn the lights off when it came down to the grapes. No one gets me grapes!

My favorite song today is I Can’t Decide by Scissor Sisters. I am not sure why I felt the need to write that right now. I guess I had to tell someone.

One thing most people know about me is that I am picture taking nut and that photography is my passion. I think there are a handful of people who also know that music is a big deal to me too.

Today I got to play photographer at work. Jon was doing an e-newsletter and the photo of two guys that he had sucked so he suggested to the project manager that I should go and get a better photo of them. The next thing I knew I was scheduled as the photographer. I guess our normal photographers weren’t around. I felt stupid and am glad I don’t have to do that for a living.

This week was a nutty one at work. It started with a crazy rush deadline for a fairly indepth Flash file. By Wednesday the client realized they needed to think this project out a bit more and it was shelved. The 2nd half of the week I felt I was in meetings more than at my desk doing actual work.

We put down some earnest money for the camper we hope to buy next spring. Probably not a great idea as I don’t really want another payment.

I subscribe to way too many magazines. I can’t keep up. I am 2 months behind on my Real Simple magazine. I hardly ever read Family Fun. Lots of good ideas in there that I never get to. I will probably ditch the 2 photo magazines when they come do. I think I am 2 months behind in my mindless reading of Redbook. I think I am keeping caught up with MacAddict but am sure if I really need that one. And for some stupid reason I signed up for 4 free issues of People. I got my 4th issue yesterday. Thank God that is over 😉

I need to ditch all the magazine reading and focus.

Went camping with the camping club last weekend. The weather was perfect.

Chuck, one of the club members is giving up the camping and selling his 2 year old trailer. It is niiiiicccceeee. We have had the pop-up for nearly 5 years now and the set up, put down is getting old. We avoid doing any one night trips because of the set up. Chuck’s camper is not a pop up, well only the beds. But it has a kitchen with microwave, a full bathroom and the dining room and couch expand out to give lots of room. Like I said it is nice.

And the price isn’t too bad really. Chuck said we can buy it in the Spring and it might be cheaper. I found the same exact deal on line from a guy in New Hamshire for the same price and same amount of times used. Chuck only used his for camping club which is about 12 times.

Tonight we went to the camper store Chuck bought his to see them and ask questions. Felt a little sleazy since we were just getting info with no intention of buying.

Well, the 2006 of the model is priced $3000 more than what Chuck is offerieng and because they are anxious to get rid of the 06s he will work with us on price. Neither of us are good at haggling, I just want to know what his bottom line is, get right to the point. We told him we wanted to see this model cause we knew someone who had one. Yes he bought there. I wanted to pretend I couldn’t remember his name but we told him and of course he remembered the guy especially since Chuck was just in this week to get the unit winterized. Then he asked if Chuck tried to sell it to us. Dang the gig is up. But that could work in our favor if he really wants us to buy his new one.

We will see

Last weekend we skipped our camping trip because of the threat of tornados and a generally rainy day. Sunday was beautiful as so not to waste it, I suggested a hike around the forest preserve. R

AW gave me grief over that most of the week over missing camping. Hey, at some point you got to make a decision and stick with it. We will try again next weekend. Well the weatherman is again forecasting rain. This time however it is RAW who doesn’t really want to camp. We got a little bit of rain (generally we aren’t afraid of a little rain) but for the most part Saturday was a nice day.

Instead we decide to go to the Lake County Discover Museum. They had a show of Pulizer Prize winning photos. Interesting show but probably not the best place to take Hollace. Some pretty intense gory images. Hollace didn’t really pay attention anyway.

Before we could go though, Cloudy had freak out moment. She apparently got herself caught in a large paper shopping bag handle. She tore through the house at break neck speed crashing into Hollace’s legos, bouncing off the walls then off to the computer room where there was no noise and no sign of her. Finally I found her hiding behind the printer cart. I have no idea how she got back there but she isn’t budging. She was finally free of the bag but still freaked out. We crawled under the computer desk to check on her. She hissed everytime RAW touched her. We were worried that she got hurt bad during the rampage. Was it her paw? Was it her back? She wouldn’t move or come out.

RAW got out an ice pack, I got out Cloudy’s blanket and her favorite bowl of water. Between all of that she eventually came out. It looks like she hurt her paw but not too bad.

On Sunday we took advantage of the perfect weather and took the train into Chicago. For 4.5 hours we walked and walked, stopping at Millenium Park and tried to make it to the lake (but didn’t). Me and RAW were hobbling around, sore feet all around.

My heel spurs were really hurtin

Today I woke up as usual unable to walk to the bathroom (the time heel spurs hurt the worst) and went to work. I realized my feet felt pretty good so I had the bright idea of taking a walk during lunch, you know to keep with the momentum of yesterday’s walk.

Bad idea. Half way around my 1.5 loop my feet started hurting again and they haven’t stopped 10 hours later. I can barely move my feet let alone walk. Idiot!

Tonight we have been having thunderstorms. According to the blinking clock over there the power flickered 2 hours ago so that is as long as we have been hearing the thunder. I haven’t investigate it too much yet but I suspect my monitor bit the dust. Since I am on a laptop with the monitor as a second monitor I can still see stuff, just not on the bum monitor.

I am proud of Hollace. She went to bed during that thunderstorm without any problems. This has to be the first in her 7.5 years that a thunderstorm was happened during bedtime. Once she is asleep, thunderstorms don’t phase her.

I heard from the GI doc on Wednesday on my results. I told them to call me on my cell so I could walk away from my desk away from co-worker’s ears but he called me at my desk phone.

He said I did great. I have a hietal hernia which he seemed to imply that that is no big deal and that I had some irritation that checked out ok. Nothing to worry about, just keep taking the Prevacid indefinitely. He said my insurance might want to pursuad me to take Priolec OTC since it is over the counter. I told him that wouldn’t be cool since the company I work for makes Prevacid.

After we hung up I remembered a few questions I had so I went out to my car with the cell and called him back. He doesn’t think I need to come back for another GI for at least 10 years. The irritation will go away if I keep taking the meds.

I got up the nerve to ask him my wacky question about the fact I haven’t thrown up in nearly 25 years and that I suspect that my throw up thingy is broke since the times I was sick with the stomach flu I couldn’t bring anything up just dry heaved. He seemed a little annoyed with my question and said that was nonsense, if the body needs to vomit it will. I must of had an empty stomach.

I don’t believe that this is case, I still think something is broke and I will get it figured out.

Well today was the day I was really working hard to not freak out about. Everytime I felt myself panic over the thought, I would change my thought that it really is no big deal. It always worked.

I was able to see Hollace off to the bus which I normally don’t get to do. Then we headed out to Lake Forrest Hospital. I still was ok albeit hungry and I wasn’t sure if I had a nervous stomach or was just starved.

Another couple show up the same time as we do and register right after us (we got to the door a split second before). When it was time to go to “holding” we were both called. I was nervous there for a moment when the tried to get straight which one of us was which. She was going in for a colonoscopy. Nope, nope, nope, not me. She was younger than me so obviously she was in because something was wrong and not a routine after 50 type procedure.

Because I was just an upper one, I got stay dressed for the most part. They put in an IV which as far as I am concerned was a first for me but I guess I did get one “after” Hollace’s rush delivery. The worst thing about all the prep was that darn blood pressure cuff. I have marks now from that thing. Anyway, you wouldn’t think this would be the case but I registered my lowest blood pressure so far at 107/50. My oxygen was at 100% (lady next to me was only 98%).

Time to wheel me down to the procedure room. They give me a hit of demerol and a sedative for some consious sedation. They tell me to turn to my side and that is the last thing I remember. Next I knew I was in a recovery room an hour later telling me that they will tell RAW to bring over the car.

What a freaky thing, that consious sedation. As far as I am concerned I took a nap but who the hell knows what was going on at the time. Did the doctor come in and say hi?. Did I say hi back? With the sedation it is suppose to relax you but at the time what was going on through my head. Did I see the tube they feed down? Did I really go “oh shit” or “whatever”. It was kind of like a when-a-tree-falls-in-the-woods-and-noone-is-around-does-it-still-make-a-sound type thing. Did I really freak out but have no clue of it now? You sure I wasn’t just sleeping? Sure seemed like it.

I felt totally normal afterwards. Me and RAW went to this restaurant I have always wanted to go to and had french toast with strawberry bread and strawberries and sliced almonds on top.

Oh and what they found…a little constriction that they opened up, some small pockets and a little red irritation that they biopsied. I will find out more on Wednesday.

We are getting to that time of the year where nice warm weekends are numbered and we have lots to try and do with them. This weekend we were suppose to go camping. All week they said, rainy weather was coming. Sue, who we were suppose to go camping with already bailed on us based on those forecasts. We were still trying to hold out.

The forecast for Friday night is heavy and severe storms and Saturday is a wash out. Yep, we finally admit defeat and stay home. I call Cindy to see what is going on in Sheboygan, maybe we can cross a visit to them off for this weekend. Pam, Shelby and Tim were all heading down to Kentucky to finish up the final stuff before they close on the house. Cindy was gong to be home alone with all 9 kids.

Around 6, it gets dark and thundery. Then it clears up with no rain, the sun comes out and it is now a clear night. Elsewhere in the Chicago area wasn’t so lucky. They had bad storms with tornado warnings though none touched down. The sirens in downtown Chicago went off which is rare.

But back to our neck of the woods. The weather is now perfect for camping. The forecast for tomorrow is now a chance of thunderstorms but not as heavy as tonight for late in the afternoon. No wash out like they kept saying and chances are we wouldn’t get the thunderstorms either. If we did, we could always just drive the 12 miles back home to weather it out.

I am never going to hear the end of it from RAW, that we should of just went camping.

Still don’t know what we are going to do this weekend.

Tuesday was open house at school. Hollace’s teacher seemed alright. She tells us that Hollace had a melt down that day. I guess Hollace was sharing with the class the two kiwi postcards she got from Sandie in New Zealand and according to the teacher Hollace just bursted into tears and went to the back of the room claiming that no one was paying attention. Nothing the teacher could do would get her back up there. The teacher said it was a good class and that everyone was paying attention. I asked Hollace later and the teacher didn’t have it right. I think the class paid attention too well and Hollace freaked out with stage freight all of a sudden and forgot everything she wanted to say. Poor thing.

After we left the class room we walked to the social workers room and waited forever so we could talk to her about some of Hollace’s imaginary friend issues and help her deal with real people. Come to find out the social worker lives two doors down from us in Haley’s old house. Once Haley moved, the imaginary friends really came out. I found it ironic that is where she lives now. We will see if she can help Hollace or not.

This week we had to go in and get Hollace her chicken pox vaccine. We were really trying to resist this and flew under the radar for a long time but finally we were caught and had to get it. I am really against this vaccine as unnecessary but my convictions weren’t so strong that I found it was something worth to fight for. All I knew was that I was getting Hollace scheduled with a different doctor in that practice so I wouldn’t have Dr. Sharon leering at me.

Hollace lately has been into doing these comic book type stories. She has 12 of them now and they are all kiwi stories. They are very detailed stories of varying topics. They started with the kiwi for president story. She puts in speak bubles but for the most part the story comes from her. I video taped her telling these stories last week. I just need to edit them now.

Last weekend the weather was perfect, what should we do with it? We could either go up to Sheboygan to see the family, move our camping the next weekend to then since the weather was good. Visit RAW’s mom. Go to Chicago.

RAW fondly remembers the Johnny Appleseed festival in Fort Wayne but was pretty sure it was already over with. I go to the internet to see what is going on in Fort Wayne for the weekend. Well wouldn’t you know it but it is Johnny Appleseed fest time. So there are plans are made.

I don’t know why after all these years going to Fort Wayne, I have never heard of this annual fest. It has been going on for 32 years. It was quite impressive and big. It seemed to go on forever. We walked around for 3 hours and probably didn’t see half of it. It was a perfect thing to do that weekend, the weather was perfect and we were past due for a family visit to see RAWs mom

Music is really driving me lately. Well, maybe not driving me but touching me. I doubt I can put it in words but I guess I am going to try anyway.

Thank God for Christina, my music buddy. She turned me on to Zero 7. We went to the concert on Saturday. She also gave me my first Elliott Smith CD, the one finished up after he died. That was a while back but I always loved it. Everytime I listened to it, I got an emotional reaction. Just recently it occurred to me that I should look up some of his other stuff. I started with Figure 8. OMG, that album is blowing me away. I can not stop listening to it.

I found an interesting connection between the Diane Arbus stuff I have been reading lately and the Elliott music. Sounds like I am in a meloncholy mood wrapping myself up with all these great artists that eventually killed themselves. Don’t worry, I am not susicidal. I think this stuff is touching me like this at this time so I can get deeper with my photography, I feel so shallow.

I am now thinking my obsession with square crop isn’t a coincidence either. Diane is known for her square crop but I got excited over squares before I started reading her story or even thinking of her.

There is a photoblogger that I use to frequent her site, but hadn’t lately (Flickr has a way of sucking time away from other things). Tonight I remembered she went through an Elliott Smith thing. I just googled her and ES and the first entry I found where she mentioned the music was one where she also mention Diane Arbus! And she exclusively shoots square format. Weird. Maybe I am trying to be her!

Whatever is going on, I feel like I am metamorphing and that can only be good. I hope.