The Productive Week - So Far and a Rant About Dial Up

I'm so tickled because I've been incredibly productive this week - or at least I feel like it. I have only two things on my To Do list at work. Okay, I moved three things to next months list, but it was necessary. The funny thing is that I couldn't tell you what those two remaining things are. I'm clueless.

Monday we had a training day at work - Department Of Transportation, Safety, Cost Containment, etcetera. We fit it all into a day long meeting where everyone is in the building and we're not making any money. The upside? We only have to do two of these meetings a year because I'm anal and have managed to require monthly, weekly and tailgate meetings that we document. Yea, ME! I had this meetings lunch catered. I used a great company, Sackits Hot Shot Catering, and they did an excellent job. We will be using them again.

Tuesday we had a company-wide CPR/1st Aid Training. Okay, so I lied about having only two huge meetings a year, every other year we have these CPR things so nobody dies on the job (or at home). That's stretching it a bit, but it's good for us. This meeting is held off-site and when I didn't show up with the usual breakfast goodies - danishes, bagels, cinnamon rolls, fruit, coffee - they were all very disappointed. The boss didn't approve continental breakfast in the budget this year. Too bad, I like to be the hero.

Today I was really busy at work. Go figure, I hadn't really done any work all week. I caught up on projects that were coming down to the wire - did I mention that I procrastinate? There was a Safety Qualification Questionnaire package that had to be in Massachusetts tomorrow or we'd be taken off their approved vendor list - I waited until the very last second to send it FedEx.

I had lunch with Crystal, it was fun and seemed longer than the hour we both have for lunch. I was so busy this afternoon that when 3:30 came around it felt like I'd just gotten back from lunch. I LOVE days like that. I called C and the very first thing she said to me was, "You did not get off work early, did you?" and then she looked at her caller ID and saw I was calling from work. We talk at work a lot. She used to work for a big company here in Fort Collins, that's now closed, and her bosses (yes, as in more than one!) never paid any attention to when she was on the phone or who she was on the phone with since she wore a headset. We'd call each other when we got bored or when my boss was out of the office (I have a very boring job most of the year) and laugh about whatever was going on.

Now we email - yep, I moved into the 21st century - kind of. I have dial-up at work and broadband at home. The dial up is out of necessity since we have a 13 year old phone system that makes connecting my computer to the DSL that my boss has on his computer kind of tricky. Hopefully this is the year that he replaces the phone system and puts me into the electronic age. I've been hinting about it for two years now and about six months ago the phones gave me an advantage. I'd answer line 1, have a call come in on line 2 and when I'd put them on hold lines 1 and 2 would then have a conversation. The whole thing is screwed up. Thank Heavens.

I have to do lots of things online at work and it's really annoying for my computer to tie up one of the lines. Did I mention that it takes forever to download software updates for our accounting program, or to send a document to a client - which I don't do often but could if I had a DSL connection. My boss and I share files on CD's and we use different programs to write the files so we can't both write to the same disk. I don't know why we're so out of sync on this but we are. One day I'll be able to just shoot him the document in an email and make corrections easily. Yea! And maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to have a business email account so I don't have to use my personal account for work!

Sorry about the rant - I guess it's been coming for some time. The rest of the week should be mellow and I'm looking forward to that.

Friendship

I was having a lazy Sunday, trying to figure out which movie I was going to watch next, when my phone rang. I happily jumped up to get it. I didn't recognize the number but it was local so I figured it was one of the kids friends.

The very beginning of the conversation is still a little fuzzy for me, I remember the woman saying her name (but I couldn't say what it was) and then said that my friend and neighbor Elle had been in a car accident. I screamed "What?!" at the poor woman. I didn't mean to scream, it just came out that way. She told me to calm down and then explained what she knew, which wasn't much, and near tears I asked if her kids were in the car with her. Thank God they weren't.

To make a very long story short, I made sure that Elle's kids were okay, called her boyfriend and explained what had happened and asked if he could come to Fort Collins since he lives four hours away, and went to the hospital to see how she was. Shortly after I was allowed in to see her she was released and I brought her home, got her settled, and offered to stay until the boyfriend made it down - she declined.

She is okay, just shaken and scared of the repercussions. I feel stupid because my whole body hurts and I wasn't the one who was in the accident. I must have been so tense for the five hours I was dealing with everything that I ended up stressing myself out.

I realized today just how much my friends mean to me. I have six or seven girlfriends that I call or spend time with on a regular basis. Three of those are extremely close to my heart and Elle is one of them. I also realized what a rock the hubby is for me. When I screamed at the poor woman on the phone, the hubby came out of the bedroom and asked what was wrong (the kids also gathered in the kitchen and hall to find out why Mom was being psycho). When I walked outside to escape them (and strangely, the bad news - but it didn't work) the hubby followed me and got the gist of the conversation. When I was off the phone trying to get dressed (because today was turning into a pajama day) he told me to calm down and told me I couldn't talk to her kids while I was crying and he insisted on going with me when I told them. I love him.

The good news is that no one died and no one has major injuries or even had to stay at the hospital. Also, Elle and I both learned that we depend on each other for more than an ear while having a Friday night drink. More - it's okay to depend on each other for those things.

Email Amusements

I thought I'd share some witty banter the hubby and I had on Valentines Day via email.

Me: I found your Christmas present from your dad… gift card to JAX?

Rob: Yep that would be the Christmas present from dad

Me: Did you even know it was missing?

Rob: Where did you have it hidden?

Me: Hey, knock it off! I found it in a box on the kitchen floor. Totally not my fault. And I’m guessing one of two things here… you knew it was gone but weren’t going to say anything. Or – you totally forgot about it and didn’t give it a second thought once we left the cabin… Of course, those are the only possibilities, right? :)

Rob: No there are other possibilities,

a) You hid it waiting for me to complain
b) Matt hid it waiting for me to complain (better fun than homework)
c) Jake hid it waiting for me to complain (teenage hormones will do things like that)
d) Lindsay hid it waiting for me to complain (not very likely, SHE loves her Papa)
e) I thought it was in a box on the computer and had not had a reason lately to look for it
f) Aliens took it and would give it back after the studies where finished
g) The cats thought it would be fun to play with and just didn’t put things back where they found them (that would HAVE to be one of the girls because the boy would not do a thing like that. He would put things back.)

I am fairly certain that there are other possibilities of how this could happen but these are the most likely.

Lovely Lady Parts

I feel like I'm falling back into the pattern of pain I had before my surgery in November. The good news is that the pain and cramps aren't constant, they give me every other week off. How nice of my body to give me two decent weeks a month! The bad news is that the cramps and pain seem more severe than before surgery, which makes sense to me if I have adenomyosis.

I don't want to bring anyone down, including myself, but I've decided that having ovaries and the resulting hormonal impact on ones uterus twice a month is overrated after your done having children. Yes, there definitely is a bi-weekly problem. Once when I ovulate, another when I'm on my period. I've done research into the various permanent solutions to my problem.

• oophorectomy without hysterectomy (removal of ovaries without removal of uterus)
• partial hysterectomy
• radical hysterectomy

Turns out that my doctors think a radical hysterectomy would be best, "But let's not go there just yet." If I just have my ovaries removed I'll have to go on hormone therapy for a while and the artificial hormones will still cause uterine cramping and pain. The partial hysterectomy makes doctors nervous - if they leave the ovaries and cervix you can still get cancer in those parts. A radical hysterectomy literally empties you out but takes all the potential of cramping and pain out of the equation. Again, there are hormones to take, including testosterone!

Oh, what to do? Well, my doctor would rather I go on the NuvaRing for the next year and then see how I feel. Honestly I felt great on the NuvaRing but here's the thing. I'm thinking that my insurance copay on that drug is $60 a month and the cash price is $49. Hmmmm, kind of pricey, especially when you consider that I don't actually need birth control! Oh, and did I mention that the surgical procedure I had will likely not last longer than five years? I could wait until next year to reevaluate but then I'll have to wait another six months before I'll be able to take the necessary time off work. Or worse, I'll be starting a new job, not have insurance and have to wait another year. There is that other option... do nothing, deal with the pain and take lots of 800mg Ibuprofen and 10mg Vicodin. While functioning every other week on daily doses of Vicodin sounds like fun, I think I'd rather have surgery.

This summer.

While I have a window.

While there are children home to help me out.

While I still have insurance.

Now I just have to convince my doctor. I guess I'd better make an appointment with her.

Books

First let me say that lots of books sound great after you've shared a pitcher of sangria at lunch, but the truth is that your judgment may be a little off. Take my purchase on Monday. I bought The Complete Idiots Guide to a Healthy Relationship. It sounded like a great idea, but it was, as the name suggests, an idiotic choice. I returned it today and got my $20 back. My suggestion: be very careful choosing a book when you're tipsy, and always keep the receipt.

Books are really important to my sanity. If I haven't read one for pleasure in some time, I tend to get a little nuts. Last summer I was so sick of school and reading for others that I decided I'd read ten books by the time school started in the Fall. I read more than I'd planned. I'm hoping to have that same great experience this coming summer. I'm not going to count cookbooks, books on organizing, cleaning or parenting.

Currently I'm reading a decent book on blogging and have found that several of the blogs that I read on a regular basis have a huge audience and are written by some pretty powerful women in the blogging world. I also now have my books for my criminology and Ethics in Public Administration classes. They are not quite as interesting.

If you want to try something fun and easy to read, Janet Evanovitch writes the Stephanie Plum novels. They are definately worth a read. The first one is One For The Money. I also like the "...In Death" books by J.D. Robb, they are murder mystery/romance woven together in an amazing way. What do you read?

Drinking and Shopping

Crystal and I had a very laid back lunch on Monday, drank a pitcher of sangria, ordered desert and then she went shopping (yeikes) and I went to an eye doctor appointment with a plan to meet up afterwards at a bookstore because, you know shopping for enlightenment should always follow drinking and shopping.

We both bought books, she picked up a "...For Dummies" and I caved to a "Complete Idiots Guide…" There's no hope for us.

If you have the chance to play hooky for an afternoon, I would highly suggest spending it with a friend. It's relaxing and rejuvenating.

Michael

Today is our son Michael's birthday; he would have been 19 today. Michael was our first child, born when we were too young to have a clue, but we loved and cherished him for the 11 weeks that he was in our lives. He died of SIDS in April of 1989.

Jake came up and gave me a hug this morning and I thanked him for being sweet and said, "I love you too. What was that for." He told me that he loved me and that it was the 11th. I'd forgotten - I would have remembered in an hour or so, but for that moment, I'd forgotten.

My goal is to survive the day without becoming a sobbing mess. I'm going to have lunch with my friend Crystal. (the didn't-get-to-go-to-Holland friend) and we're going to drink cosmopolitan's over a long lunch at the Olive Garden - although I'd have chosen Ruby Tuesday's because their salad bar is pretty good and we could still drink.

I'm supposed to be pursuing a contract job opportunity today, but I don't think I'd have my heart in it. To explain: I had an eye appointment on Wednesday of last week and during my visit the eye doctor and I discussed his use of an accountant/CPA for bookkeeping tasks, then he offered me a job. Kind of weird, but I could make another several hundred dollars a month working a few hours a week - from home. Not a bad opportunity.

I'm adding another link to the Colorado SIDS Program. (LINK REMOVED) The money raised by these organizations - and nearly every state has one - goes not into research (the feds supply SIDS research money), but into counseling and education programs. The counseling offered helps families to cope and is invaluable. If you are a SIDS parent, you know this. This is my cause, this is what's important to me. If you support a charity or make various charitable donations, consider your state's SIDS Program.

Oh, Damn

As it turns out, you don't always see the camera flash when you're getting a ticket for speeding. I had no idea I'd gotten this ticket last Tuesday as I (quite literally) raced to pick up the hubby from the mechanic while I was supposed to be at work. No idea, that is, until the hubby got the mail today and, with a proud note said, "I bet this isn't my picture." Thanks for the news flash.

My advice, don't speed. If you do it will cost you either time, money, or both... or worse. Lesson learned, now I have to go write a check out to my insurance company before they figure out I got a ticket!

Eating Healthy?

I am a fraud. There, I've said it. First let me say that I went to Sunflower Market after I got off work today, bought some of their glorious meatloaf (again), fingerling potatoes and some miniature zucchini squash - all for a great dinner. I say I'm a fraud because I don't generally shop at Sunflower Market and, while I really like the place, it's just not my thing. I normally shop at Safeway. They have a minuscule organic section and I never buy any of it. I don't care for most whole-grain, organic, really-good-for-you foods. I buy Hamburger Helper for those nights that are going to be absolutely insane because it's quick and easy. I normally buy 70% lean beef in big packages because it's cheaper that way, I buy iceberg lettuce, for heavens sake because it's cheap! Even though I normally buy wheat bread and deny my kids sugared cereals, I'm not a health nut. I only made the bread and cereal switch a year ago because my daughter was getting a little belly on her and I was trying to make small changes towards healthy eating. Healthy being - pop tarts and donuts aren't supposed to be breakfast foods (that doesn't mean that I don't buy them), soda does not have to be stocked regularly, chips are not an after school snack.

My parents are vegetarians; they made the switch from carnivores when I was between the ages of 13 and 15. My mom never really taught me how to cook meat so I struggled through the first few years of marriage to figure out how not to make leather out of steaks or hockey pucks out of hamburgers. However, my parents' health kick didn't rub off on me. Not that I'm a meat and potatoes only person, I like hummus and sometimes I'll even eat tofu.

I think lots of people are like me. We want to eat healthy, but either don't have the money or time to devote to organic, made from scratch, back to basics cooking.