November 2007 Archives

Fun with Needles
Flounder's trip to the allergist with Josie yielded a bag full of hypodermic needles and three vials of vacine. Last night was the first time he and I gave Josie the dreaded injection. Amazingly, she only flinched a little, and never stopped purring! This was MUCH easier than giving her liquid meds or pills, though we had finally gotten pretty good at getting the pills in her. You see now why we say we have the greatest cat in the whole wide world?

Test Time
I took my second test for my Politics on Tuesday and I am pretty pleased by how it went. I felt confident while answering the essay questions and was only unsure about one or two of the terms I was asked to define. This success has boosted my confidence and given my pursuits to write the dreaded paper new vigor! Also next week we don't have class, so I can concentrate on my research topic instead of meterial for class.

Shopping Blitz
Yesterday I attacked Amazon.com with my shopping guns blazing. I managed to make 75 percent of my Christmas gift purchases which makes me very happy. This year I am vowing to keep track of all the little purchases I need to make as well (like filling Mom's stocking) so I am not running around last minute. Really I am pleased as punch! Now what am I going to get the in-laws that have everything?

Hunting a Theme Song
After talking to Red about the power of a motivational theme song, I have been scouring my music collection for songs that make me feel good. While that perfect theme song is still out of reach, here is my current playlist:

Chicago by Sufjan Stevens
Flathead by The Fratellis
No Bad News by Patty Griffin
The Underdog by Spoon
Versatile Heart by Linda Thompson (Mother of Teddy, who often tours with Rufus)
California by Rufus Wainwright
Pushover by The Long Winters
Kissing the Lipless by The Shins
and....
Taking Chances by Celine Dion

Before you write me off as officially lame for loving this new Celine Dion song, please give this it a chance, because it's awesomness can't be denied. Somehow Celine has busted out of her trite mold. Trust me it's good. If you listen and don't agree, well we will just have to agree to differ.

Quote of the Day:
"A woodland in full color is awesome as a forest fire, in magnitude at least, but a single tree is like a dancing tongue of flame to warm the heart."
-Hal Borland, Sundial of the Seasons, 1964

Sometimes it is hard to admit that you need professional help. I am not usually one who avoids getting medical help. But I wasn't sure what I was going to do when I developed some pinching pain in my lower back. After a stern "don't be a hero" talking to from Flounder, I decided to bite the bullet and go see the Chiropractor. Now, I knew I had nothing to fear, really since Mi Mama, Micah, and Flounder have all seen this chiroprator. I hated taking a day off when I knew we were short-handed at work, though I knew riding the metro for forty minutes to getto the office would have been a special type of hell. So off I went, co-pay in hand to get adjusted. I learned that my hips were out of alignment, causing one of my legs to seem 3/4 of an inch longer than the other. Alarming, no? Yes, but much better than other back-related problems. I will admit that after my appointment, I actually felt worse! But the pain subsided over the weekend, and after my second adjustment this morning, I am feeling much better. Hurrah for voodoo science! A double Hurrah for my medical insurence who is paying for it!

I wasn't the only one seeking help from a professional today. This morning Flounder took Josie (the greatest cat in the whole wide world) to the allergist. For Reals. We have been in and out of the vets office for a few months now dealing with her excessive itching, bacterial infection and occassional cold. After being advised by our primary vet to see the allergist more than once, we finally caved. It turns out that our poor Kitty has multiple allergies to irratants such as dust, spores and pollen. But it's super allergist to the rescue with a vacine that will cure all of her woes. Unfortunatly will need to deliver this vacine to her via hypodermic needle. Injections everyother day for a few weeks, and then once a month for the rest of her life. All I can say is this stuff better really work, or we will all be pissed! Josie most of all. Here's hoping!

One of the things I really love about November is the arrival of the Starbucks Red Cup. Today is Red Cup day at my local Bucks in our new downtown neighborhood and I can't stop smiling! Not just because of the cheery festive cup but because this year they have introduced someting new: SUGAR FREE Gingerbread syrup! And all I can say is thanks be to God! Perhaps the Gingerbread Latte (GBL) won't be my undoing this holiday season as it has been in seasons past. It's a pre-Christmas miracle!

Now it is unfortunate that my new local Starbucks is one of the worst I have ever visited in terms of speady service and organization. Their product is still standard-Starbucks, but it just takes forever to get through the line, pay and get your coffee. Far too long. Also, the way the space is laid out, it is impossible to move around without being in someones way. It seriously doesn't help that the store is always clogged with out-of-towners with tons of bags. Our little corridor needs another shop stat!

Quote of the Day:
Many people claim coffee inspires them, but, as everybody knows, coffee only makes boring people even more boring.
-Honore de Balzac

I would call today a classic late Autumn day. It rained in the early morning, leaving the ground wet and soaked leaves sticking to every surface in sight. The temp will over in the 50s all day and a light wind is whipping around the streets blowing hair, scarfs and skirts around. Days like this make me think of A Wrinkle in Time and the Hundred Acre Wood. It would be a perfect day to play hookie. Unfortunately, we are short handed here in the office and I have class tonight, so I can't stay home in my jammies. Oh, how I wish I was!

Flounder is headed out of town today for a few days. He is traveling for work, and will be back on Thursday which isn't so bad. Generally when Flounder is gone I eat way too much Mac and Cheese, watch movies he doesn't want to see and sleep with the cat cuddled up next to me. This time around I will be spending my time in class and studying, so no movies. I am sure I will find some time to cuddle with the cat and eat pasta. Because that's how I roll.

I am still living with a large amount of anxiety about all the topics I have already outlined for you so I won't go through it again. Although all this worry has pointed out an underlying issue I have -- self confidence. At my core I don't think I can handle it all the things life throws at me, even though I have proven that I can't. I just don't trust myself to achieve my goals. It's not a wonder I don't set more goals for myself.

Quote of the Day:
I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.
-Michael Jordan

Last Friday Flounder and I winged it out to Wisconsin to visit jords for the weekend. What a lovely time we had! The weather was crisp and clear, the company was terrific and our accommodations were top notch. Jords hosted us at her new (ish) home and she has really made her mark on the place. With the help of the 'rents, she has painted and redecorated every room, including the very spacious and luxurious guest room. If it sounds like I am describing an amazing hotel room -- good! That's how it felt! We even had out own bathroom. But on to the company...it was really great to see jords especially since the last time we had a chance to see one another was at a funeral. We knew we wanted to do something Fall-y and probably pumpkin related. Jords provided with a haunted corn maze. Unlike the mazes that Flounder and I have visited in the past, this one isn't a "maze" in the strictest sense. It was a very long path through a corn field, dotted with horrible scenes aliens, spiders, scary clowns, monsters of all types, a haunted pirate ship and much more. The whole thing was enhanced with sound effects (pirate chanting, monsters moaning, clowns laughing), and if we were traveling the maze at night we would have also encountered lighting effects and actors. All I can say is that I am glad we were not there at night!

Later that day we enjoyed the pleasures of Wisconsin cheese and watched a heart warming (and wrenching) documentary called Paperclips. It's about the students in a tiny Tennessee town and their drive to understand the scope of killing during the holocaust. The middles choolers start collecting paperclips, one each to represent those Jews killed in the holocaust, 6 million and end up doing much more. Grab a box of tissues first, but please ad this film to your Netflixs queue! We also got to spend some time with Lanie, Jords splendid cat who is as lovely as they come and so very silent. I knew Josie (our cat) is a chatter box but Lanie barely made a peep.

Finally I have to give a huge thumbs up to Midwest Airline! Every seat they sell is first class, the planes seat less than on hundred people, so deplaning was a breeze and the flight staff was honestly delightful. Is it possible for a flight to be a pleasure? That might be going a bit far, but I do give this airline my full endorsement.

Now that I am back on the ground this week I am back to fretting over just about everything! Will I get my paper done, and will it be any good? When will we get the Christmas cards out? Shop? Prepare for Thanksgiving? Now that I settled into going to school is it time to pickup the pace? Declare a major or set a career path? These are among the issues swirling around in my head. At least I am not actively freaking out this week the way I was last week. This week I am merely overwhelmed.

Quote of the Day:
What we have inherited from our fathers and mothers is not all that 'walks in us.' There are all sorts of dead ideas and lifeless old beliefs. They have no tangibility, but they haunt us all the same and we can not get rid of them. Whenever I take up a newspaper I seem to see Ghosts gliding between the lines. Ghosts must be all over the country, as thick as the sands of the sea.
-Henrik Ibsen, Ghosts