chatter

I don’t know if it is karma or what exactly is going on here. On Sunday and Monday I was feeling run down and had a low grade fever. My flu/sinus infection/bronchitis thing was over 2 weeks old now and I felt I was passing onto another phase. Monday morning at work I found a new doctor and made an appointment. “Bob” called in sick in which I will call the President’s day flu and Deb had the day off. I had one important task to do before I left our little group with no one around and for some reason I was having connection issues and couldnt’ get on the QA server to do this 5 second thing so I could go home. When I penned my email to my boss that I was going to go home sick my Notes locked up and I had to restart my machine. Something was trying to keep me from going home.

Eventually I went home and took a nap until my 5 pm doctor appointment. I liked this doctor a gazillion times better. She talked to me, asked questions and was very informative. Actually she wasn’t a doctor but a PA whatever that is. Anyway, she gave me some asthma inhaler, some new antibiotics and a pill for the yeast infection I was brewing over all the antibiotics.

She gave me one antibiotic to hold me over until I could get my script filled. I ran to the new CVS and filled it then took my single one. Shortly after that I broke out in hives, mainly on my inner thighs.

I already had it in my mind to make today a sick day. I was feeling ok even with the hives but I just needed the break and I already laid the ground work the day before so why not.

This is why not. Raleigh borrowed my car to go to the credit union. He had an 18 year old $500 bond that he wanted to see the value of. Well he found out the bond is worth $1464.

Then while driving home he rear ends someone, with my car. He ran it over to our neighbor’s body shop and he put the estimate to about $1400 in damage. That bond should take care of it LOL. Or maybe the tax refund I should be getting any day now which is about $1400. Of course this doesn’t bode well for him getting his CDL license. We are waiting for the call from the other person’s day to see how much on their end to decide if we are going through insurance.

UPDATE: Well maybe not an update but a new development. I just noticed one of the panes of our bay window was cracked. Upon further inspection there was a bigger crack/breakage. It looks like someone shot a bb at our window. The sherriff is here right now making a report. Who knows how long ago this happened.

UPDATE, UPDATE: Now here is an update. It is now the next day and me and RAW went off to meet with the speech evalators for Hollace. We drove my newly banged up car. We didn’t get a mile down the street when the hood let loose springing up into the windshield blocking our view. No damage to the windshield but the hood is now damaged. RAW is kicking himself over this. I am just glad it happened when it did cause I was planning on taking the car to work after the meeting and I would of been pissed as hell if that would of happened then.

Today I slept until 10 something. I was feeling run down with this cold crap moving into another phase. Today I felt thick, coughing just as much as usual, just thicker. I spent the first half of the day laying on the couch. I am not normally a couch potato. Actually laying on the couch for too long makes me nauseous if you can believe that.

Yesterday mom called. She sounded bad then we got disconnected or something. When she didn’t call right back I wondered if that was mom and she then realized her wrong number. No, she called back. I guess both she and especially dad still have it bad, the crud I got. Thanks Susie from 2 weeks ago! On Friday afternoon, Hollace came down with something. Haley was over and she came into the office where I was working and would just stare saying nothing. Finally she complains that Hollace doesn’t want to do anything. I send Haley home when I realize Hollace is sick.

Hollace had a 103 fever and was feeling tired. She took a nap on the couch. I then gave her some Advil a few hours later and she has been fine since.

Yesterday Hollace and I went shopping with some birthday money she got from Aunt Pam. On our way to Toys R Us my cell rings. It is Paula. She wanted to make sure the first week of May was when I was coming for that visit to Baltimore.

At Toys R Us, Hollace was torn between 4 things that would spend her $15. She really wanted that last Winx Club doll but they didn’t have her in stock. She also really wanted the Polly click its. Then there was a sky dancer doll that whirls in the air. Her final choice was the littlest pet shop pets. After ponder them all for awhile she went with the Pet shop which wasn’t even on her radar when we walked in.

When we got home Paula called again and this time we chatted for awhile. She just put in her order for one of those Mac minis I told her about a couple weeks before. She has been pondering getting a Mac to avoid all the viruses and crap and the announcement of the mini was perfect for her. Yea! I got my accountant sister to get a Mac.

I spent all weekend trying to figure out what to do with my hair. I am in dire need of a good haircut (as is my mom and Paula after talking to them yesterday). Should I go to the cheap walk in hair cut place where I found a good picture of what I want (when we were in there getting Hollace’s haircut) or should I wait for the fancier high cost place. With that place I have to find my own picture and I wasn’t having any luck. I kept debating if I should just go to the cheapo place right now and be done with it or just cut my bangs and deal with my hair at a later time and place. I finally found something tonight that I think will work. It is Susan Sarandon’s frumpy style before she chopped it to something funky in the Bangor Sisters movie.

Haley came over to play with Hollace today. Something must of clicked with Haley’s grama lately cause before Haley would just show up and hang out all day without grama knowing where she is. Today Haley called then put her grama on the phone to tell me that when she walks Haley over we can talk about how long she can stay. They came and I say she can stay until 5 which was 2 hours. Grama tells Haley to call at 5 and she will walk back over to pick her up. And she did but I got to wonder who was watching the 2 year old brother. Hopefully the mom was doing that and that grama doesn’t just leave him unattended.

Still feeling uninspired. I had great hopes that I was getting out of the funk. On Friday RAW calls to have me rescue him. His battery died and he needs a jump. He was checking into a Catholic school for next year and was stuck in their parking lot. I had just got my Photo Friday challenge which was “rural”. This school/church is across the street from a farm so I started snapping away. I only took a few pictures but I felt inspired and though I was getting “it” back. Oh how I long from spring. Everything is all gray and ugly. For right now anything I shoot will be turned to b&w until things start turning green again.

I have absolutely no initiative to do anything and something needs to be done.

I can blame it on my sinus infection of which I am still working on getting all that crap out of my head but that is not acceptable. I am in a funk and I want out, not looking for excuses.

I was all bitchy last night. I will blame that on Zyrtek withdrawl. I quit taking that Rx the lame ass doctor prescribed because first, I think the drug did nothing for a sinus infection since it is for allergy symptoms of which I had none. From what I read all Zyrtek does for a sinus infection is to make you drowsy since it is an anti-histamine. It doesn’t thin mucous to make it easier to get the crap out like I need. The fact that I was wasting my time with it pisses me off.

Yesterday at work people kept coming up feeling sorry for me about all the hacking I am doing. Paul, the boss, comes over and asks if I have been to a doctor yet. He said I should go again if that coughing doesn’t stop soon, I should be over it. Well I didn’t get the cough is a relative new development not occuring until day 5 of the crud and with me I could go on like this for months. I think today will be better but I can’t help think that lame ass doctor’s prescription is prolonging this with me.

Maybe I have the end of winter blahs. What can I do to shake it when all I want to do is climb back in bed and hibernate. I suppose RAW has the same afliction because I am begining to become resentful that he does NOTHING all day at home. He waits until I walk into the door to run the vaccuum cleaner so it can bug me and Hollace. I have a long list of things that need to be done with the house, I suppose I should give it to him but I am mad that he isn’t taking any initiative himself. He knows what needs to be done. Aside from that I gave him the green light to find a truck. I would like to have one for our end of March vacation but he doesn’t seem to jump to the occassion. It is also time for him to get a job but I am sure that won’t happen cause of his age and work history.

What I need for my state of mind (and ever expanding ass) is a nice long walk, with my camera, to clear my head, get creative and some initiative. Come on spring, I need you!

I have been through the wringer starting with that last post and continuing today.

Thanks to Susie, no doubt, I got the flu. I stayed home from work for 3 days but wasn’t really well. I had a stuffed head and sore throat until Friday when the sore throat went away and I got a wicked cough. I now had a sinus infection and it was going bronchial as well.

On Friday I had to give a short presentation about a project I did for the CN all employee meeting. People probably thought I was nuts and inconsiderate (passing around my germ). At least I could blame by bad cold on my bad presentation which ended with “uh, thats it”. Oh well, whatever, I was sick.

On Saturday I told RAW to call the doc to see if I could get in. Not initially but they did call back and got me in at 11:30. I still need to find a real doctor but these guys are real close. They don’t really talk, just write a script and send you on your way. I got something for the sinus infection and some antibiotics for the bronchial thing, I think.

Feeling much better even though I am still blowin and coughin. I still don’t feel like doing much or eating dinner. I have been living on toast this last week.

On Thursday, the 10th, Amy had her baby. You can only imagine how high Sherry is flying over this. She even got to cut the umbilical cord. Mike didn’t want to. Welcome to the world Jillian.

I started coming down with a bronchial thing yesterday afternoon. I was chilled all night trying to sleep. This morning I couldn’t walk a straight line going to the bathroom. Needless to say, I stayed home from work.

Now RAW has it and it will probably drive me crazy cause he is a typical male when he is sick moaning and groaning and complaining how sick he is.

Hollace is now coughing a bit too but for the most part feels fine. It seems like we are on a 12 hour delay so we will see how she wakes up.

Hollace turns 6 today. Yesterday was her party. The weather was too perfect at about 55 and sunny. They were even playing hopscotch outside there for awhile.

Half way through singing happy birthday I remembered that I didn’t get the camcorder out so this is her first birthday with no video. I thought for a moment that maybe I should stop everyone and have them start over.

Mom, dad and grama came as well as Cindy and kids. Three little girls from Hollace’s school came too as well as Haley. There were 15 kids in total.

Susie, my college friend came via the train with Chloe who doesn’t turn 6 until July 31. I mention this because we were in awe of Chloe. I put the cake on a plate, RAW, a scoop of ice cream then Chloe would take out the plate to someone. Sometimes she would come in and say, “only ice cream on this one”. She was like a little waitress. Last week when I talked to Susie, Chloe was in the background making her mom a sandwich and salad. I can not imagine Hollace doing this at all. Susie says this is the result of being in a single parent house.

After viewing last years video I noticed Hollace wasn’t the most gracious gift receiver. I think it was mostly a little bit of uncomfortableness at being the center of attention. This year I told her that even if they give you a stinky sweat sock, to at least appear gracious LOL. Then Sharon told me she had to wrap her gift in a garbage bag box. An unexpected test to see if Hollace listens to me. Hollace looked quizzical at first but didn’t put on her sour face.

After the party, Cindy and the kids came over to spend the night and we never seen the girls again after they went in Hollace’s room for a marathon play session. RAW fed the 5 year olds and 18 month old Mac then said he would watch them while me, Cindy, Jeff (13) and Sarah (10) went to Chilis. They told us it would be a 35-40 minute wait so Cindy ran to Jewel to pick up an iPass while I waiting with the kids. I took out my cell phone and had them play (fight over) Yahtzee then used the picture phone to amuse ourselves. Then 15 minutes later they called our names. Cindy wasn’t back yet. Glad we didn’t go with her.

As if the party wasn’t enough, Hollace knows her actual birthday is today and was excited that she would get more of the same today. I told her that was what the party was for and she kept saying “but that was Feb 5”, not her birthday. We did hold one gift for her to open today but geez, can we say spoiled?

Cindy seen one of my books about beating shyness and admitted to me that she is scared of everything. I couldn’t believe this from her of all of us. I am the same way of course but she is an ex-Marine. Anyway I wanted so much to talk further about this with her but RAW has a way of dominating the conversation and I couldn’t never get it brought up.

Sherry called. She couldn’t come to the party because Amy is due any time with her baby and Sherry is a wreck waiting for her first grandchild. No baby yet.

I talked to Paula today and actually set a date for me to go to Baltimore to hang out with her in May. I can’t wait it will be too fun.

Me and RAW had some money discussions today. He got a nice lump sum from his mom. I got a little bit of which I am grateful. I have no problem with his sum because it is his mom and his money. My thing was that I wanted to keep my total tax refund. It isn’t even close to the money he got from his mom. He said ok, then came back and tried to get $500 of it. We both got defensive then kind of stopped talking. I was worried because we might start stewing over this then we just kept hanging out in the kitchen until we started lightening up and working it out.

In the end I agreed to buy him a new truck. Huh? I think we should of stopped talking a lot sooner. LOL

All the doors around me aren’t functioning right.

Our aging dishwasher was the first to go. It has been funky for awhile but all of a sudden we couldn’t get the darn open or at least it took a big effort for it to open. We started to contemplating a new dishwasher. A month later for some reason doing the dishes by hand wasn’t getting old and we hadn’t started shopping for a new dishwasher. RAW decided to take a look at the old one. It works fine. He fine tuned it further and now it opens better than it ever has.

Our main entry way. That door which RAW installed years ago never shut right. He put shims at the top because he thought it was leaking cold air cause it didn’t shut right back then. Lately the door has been shutting too tight and with a loud squeek. Then it took all of your weight to open it but the final straw came when I went to leave for work and it wouldn’t shut. Something was keeping it open 3″. It was the shims. I had to get RAW up and he fixed it but now it won’t latch meaning all you needed to do was to push the door and it would open. Deadbolting it was our only option. Then RAW fixed it again and it worked for a day. Then he left for Indiana. Me and Hollace went to the grocery store and when we got back the door was open, I mean open by an inch! It is back to deadbolting it until he gets home.

A couple months ago on our way to Indiana we noticed the hood wasn’t completely latched on the car. I noticed this while we were going 80 mph. We pull into an oasis on the toll road and RAW spent 10 minutes slamming the hood. It wouldn’t latch. Fast forward to today. I am tapped out of windsheild wash. I don’t dare open that hood to refill it. I won’t be able to shut it.

RAW now has to come home and fix the front door and fill my washer and get the hood shut. Today while driving around I ran over a large plastic bag, couldn’t avoid it. It stayed with me for awhile. I finally pulled it off while at a gas station (filling up and cleaning that windshield) when I thought I smelled melting plastic. Probably not a good idea because I probably just ripped it off leaving the offending piece still stuck under the car cause now the plastic smell is stronger whenever we drive.

Now RAW has to fix 2 doors, fill the washer and get under the car and get that plastic out of there.

Sorry for anyone reading this entry. It appears my ability to string two words together and convey a cohesive thought isn’t working today. I think I just wanted to get this entry in when I really wanted to work on the numerous project I got going so I just typed something out to get it out and don’t care if it makes any sense.

I am always so pleased with myself when I discover new music that I really like. I haven’t even listened to the whole album I just downloaded but I am hear to report that the Ditty Bops are too cool. I have stopped everything I am doing (contemplating making a book through iPhoto and putting together my first DVD with iDVD) to concentrate on listening to this music.

Late night TV + iTunes means I discover then purchase then listen to new music.

and I don’t know why. I got this new kick ass laptop sitting here all set up and ready for me to play with Garage Band and iDVD. There is a bunch of stuff I can do. My photoblog needs work. I am even uninspired to take any new photos for the blog. Ug

Today I was thinking that I got ripped off for $50 extra when I bought this machine. Now I am pretty sure I saved a few hundred dollars when compared to the Apple site. I have nearly $200 in rebates to send in.

I need to focus. I miss my lunch time mind clearing walks. I wonder if a treadmill would do the trick.

Today I got a call as a reference for Kathy. I hope I did ok for her and she gets the job. I was going to call her and tell her about the call but she beat me to the punch and called me about something else.

Time to unfunkify!

On the eve of receiving the new computer I ordered (it is coming today), all that ailed my old 4 year old machine mysteriously fixed itself.

Last week when I tried to work from home I was unable to launch Macromedia Dreamweaver, my main tool for work. I also couldn’t print, and use VPN that logs me into the network at work. I was unable to reinstall any of my software nor could I seem to fix any of this with my diagnostic utilities. My Norton antivirus seemed to quit working too calling for a reinstall (which I couldn’t do). I was in the market of replacing the old thing in March hoping to time it with the new OS that is coming out. Because I now couldn’t work at home if I needed to, I went ahead and ordered a new beast.

Yesterday at work on my PC, I discovered that my personable website was hacked. My anti-virus at work spewed out viral errors. Then right after that my Dreamweaver (on the PC) quit working. I found it interesting that the exact same problem was happening on my PC version as it did at home on my Mac…it tries to start up then goes away. Corey reinstalls me and I avoid swardraws.com just in case there was a connection.

Back at home on my Mac, I replace my index.htm page and fix the website hack.

Then I try to launch Dreamweaver to look at the code of my hacked page and lo and behold Dreamweaver launches! And I can now print…and I can now log into the work network and I am getting no more errors from Norton.

WTF? My own little swardraws brought me down to my knees, on both platforms with anti-virus protection. I didn’t know this could happen just looking at a webpage, well at least a page like my own.

If I could of waited to get my new computer when I wanted I could of saved $130 for the OS upgrade and $20 for the iLife upgrade that just came out that would of already been on my new machine had I waited.