30 Days of Thanks - Days 26-30

Day 26) I'm thankful for the consulting nurse line. They don't always advise me in a manner I want (i.e. go to the ER) but they're there to help when problems arise at night & I want to avoid the ER.

Day 27) I'm thankful that my endometriosis is still gone 5 years after my last surgery.

Day 28) I'm thankful to have a wonderful network of doctors who provide the best of care for me.

Day 29) I'm thankful to have had Sharon in my life. I'm thankful that MCR brought us together & gave me a life time friend.

Day 30) I'm thankful to The Oregon Cat Project (TOCP) for taking my bous in as they were & Finding them new loving homes.

30 Days of Thanks - Day 25

I'm thankful that I've always been able to make medical decisions for myself. Additionally, I'm thankful I have friends to turn to for advice.

30 Days of Thanks - Day 24

I'm thankful to my Aunt Geanna who treats me as if I'm any other person & spoils me when she can.

30 Days of Thanks - Days 22 & 23

Day 22) I'm thankful to be with family & new friends on this day of thanks. Despite my blood family leaving me out of their plans, today shows family runs thinker than blood and who my true family & friends are!

Day 23) I'm thankful the root canal specialists got a new dentist so I can do my consults before January. I have an appointment Nov 26.

Thanksgiving (Cat) Pics

30 Days of Thanks - Days 20 & 21

Day 20) I am thankful to free wi-Fi in places where I have to wait. Much faster than my "4G" data.

Day 21) I'm thankful to have great health insurance to cover all of my medical bills. While I wish I had vision & dental, those are much cheaper than any of my medical bills.

30 Days of Thanks - Day 19

I'm thankful for the technology we have today. I'm sure I would've survived without knowing what it is but it plays very important roles in my life. My laptop, iPod, cell phone, TV & DVD player. All things I use daily & couldn't live without now.

30 Days of Thanks - Day 18

I'm thankful to have a dentist who is doing an amazing job taking care of all the dental work I need. Back on March 5, I had 12 teeth that needed work. I've had 3 fillings done so far, along with a repair on a chipped tooth. (You can't even tell I chipped it!) I still need 7 fillings & 2 root canals. I can now tolerate cold foods & drinks without being careful to avoid my front teeth.

30 Days of Thanks - Day 17

I'm thankful for the Internet. Without it, I wouldn't be able to communicate with certain people. Additionally, I wouldn't be able to freely speak my mind in a safe place. (I speak through Facebook, Twitter, my personal blog & my poetry.)

Health Update #2 - Getting Caught Up

Well I have all of my appointments scheduled for my gallbladder, pulmonologist & physical therapy. But first, I had a second visit to the ER.

I didn't feel good this past Sunday, so I went to bed early. My cough came back, so was taking cough syrup again. The next night, I was in the middle of Revenge & Emily just confessed to Mason that she is Amanda Clarke. It was about 9:15. I paused the DVR & called Pam, mommy #2. I told her in addition to my cough I was dizzy, short of breath and my chest hurt. She told me to go to the ER but I didn't want to go. So she suggested I call consulting nurse (who I can call now that my primary care dr is with MultiCare). The nurse called right back with the same advice - go to the ER. Pam graciously offered to get herself ready to go with me.

Once again, the wonderful staff took awesome care if me. Got me set up with pain meds, a new chest x-ray, EKG & 2 breathing treatments. The side effect if the breathing treatment made my heart rate go up & made me jittery. I got prescriptions for an inhaler, more cough syrup & steroids. I have pleurisy (an inflammation if the lungs) from the pleural effusion. I see my dr on the 21at to follow up.

I'm supposed to start PT on the 20th but I'm not sure if I can go yet while my lungs are arguing with me. I'm calling them later today to find our for sure.

My sleep patterns stink. I sleep here & there whenever I can. I'm very busy though with all of these follow up appointments & the holiday coming up. I have something every day except Thanksgiving day (I'm going to Pam's house for dinner) & Black Friday.

Today starts the follow up from the first ER visit. The hydascan (spelling?) for my gallbladder. I can't consume anything past 7:30am. I check in at 1:30 pm & the procedure takes about 90 minutes. I called & got the ok to bring my headphones to help pass the time. I was asked if I'm claustrophobic, which I am, so I'm not sure if I'm getting sedated for this or not.

Hope you're all doing better than me right now!

30 Days of Thanks - Day 16

I'm thankful again to the staff at Good Samaritan ER. The breathing treatments they gave me have allowed me to be able to take a deep breath again without coughing. (It also took away the shortness of breath I had.)

30 Days of Thanks - Days 14 &15

Day 14) I'm thankful to have clean clothes on my back, a roof over my head, food on the table and people who love & care about me.

Day 15) I'm thankful for the people who make all of my TV shows awesome. I'm a big time TV junkie & appreciate all of the hard work that goes into making these shows possible.

30 Days of Thanks - Days 12 & 13

Day 12) I'm thankful to have Roger to turn to when things are low. He helps me get through all of the good and bad times. He's always got my back and this is very important to me.

Day 13) I'm thankful for the education I have & to all who supported me through the journey to becoming a college graduate.

30 Days of Thanks - Day 11

On this Veterans Day, I'm thankful to all of our vets & current military serving our country. They deserve nothing but respect from everybody. And a HUGE thank you for putting their lives so we can live freely.

Second Attempt at YouTube Videos

Kamikaze Swimming (1)

Kamikaze Swimming (2)

Kamikaze Swimming (3)

Kegan Swimming

30 Days of Thanks - Day 10

I'm thankful to Dave for allowing my cats to stay with him after Sharon passed and for providing them with food & shelter.

30 Days of Thanks - Day 9

I'm thankful to Cherie who kindly took in my boys as fosters, cared for them & helped get them to TOCP. Im also thankful for her hospitality when I came to visit my boys for a final goodbye. And of course, thank you for being a friend. (Ok, that sounded so Golden Girls. LMAO!)

30 Days of Thanks - Days 7 & 8

Day 7) I'm thankful for my second mom, Pam. She's always there for me & taking care of me. I love you!

Day 8) I'm thankful to my grandparents, Mima & Papa. They're always around to support me & help get me through some tough times.

Health Update #1 - Will I Ever Catch a Break?!?

First it was my teeth. I had a front tooth with a hole in it exposing the nerve. It caused an infection that was pure torture. I was maxing out on Advil in less than 24 hours. The antibiotics the dentist gave me were too strong and killed my stomach. When I called for something different, he said to see my family dr or go to the ER. I tried to go to my family dr and found out the clinic was closed. I had just called one week before! So I arranged a ride to urgent care. They were going to have to bill me, because my insurance wouldn't pay. So I called for a ride to the closest ER and was denied a ride there or home because I wasn't treated. I started to have a panic attack, because it was dark, I was alone and I didn't know where I was. I had to call my mom to get me. The ER got me squared away with antibiotics. Although the last dentist I saw said that tooth needed a root canal, the next dentist I saw medicated the nerve and put in a permanent filling. He also fixed the chip that fell out on that tooth 2 days before. The 2 days after the work was done had me in agony again, but it resolved itself and now I can now tolerate cold again.

Here are the before & after pictures of my cracked tooth:

I had a cough for about 5 weeks that was getting worse. I finally caved in & saw a dr. They did a chest x-ray which looked clean. My lungs sounded good. They also tested my for whooping cough at the time. They made a preliminary diagnosis of whooping cough. A positive result would have required my mom, dad, brother & sister in law to get tested. Luckily it was negative.

I saw my new family dr who said it might be acid reflux and put me on meds. Well, the meds gave me physical symptoms of acid reflux. So, I took another one. The cough and reflux persisted so I was referred to the Digestive Health Specialists.

In the mean time, I finally had my blood drawn. I told the new dr my cholesterol would be high. It was, so back on a cholesterol med. What I didn't expect was to find out one of my sleep meds was poisoning me! The dose was lowered from 800mg to 600mg. I re-tested the levels 11 days later & they're within range.

Then I hurt my right shoulder. Advil wasn't cutting it so I scheduled an appointment to see my dr. I changed my number the day before the appointment. When my ride came, despite having the right number, he left because he couldn't get in the gate. He never called me to tell me he was there. So, because the driver didn't do his job, I got a no show. If you get too many no shows, they stop giving you rides.

Anyway, went to the dr 2 days later. She gave me a couple if exercises to do. And we discussed physical therapy. I decided if I wasn't better by the time I followed up, I'd do physical therapy. She also gave me some muscle relaxers to help.

Last Friday, I was in Target when I got a severe sharp pain in my lower right abdomen. It was coming in going in waves that made me think of contractions. Since I couldn't sleep, I went to the ER. I was poked 7 times & wound up with 2 IV's. I had a x-ray & 2 CT scans. The first was my abdomen. They saw a pleural effusion (that explains my long lasting cough) & did the 2nd CT on my lungs. The CT on my lungs was the reason I needed so many sticks & a 2nd IV. From the ER visit, they suspect my gallbladder. The CT was clear so I need a hydascan. (spelling?) I was given a medication to help with the abdominal cramping. I also have to see a pulmonologist. I'm scheduled for a pulmonary function test Nov 20 & to follow up with the pulmonologist on Nov 29. I'm taking antibiotics for the pleural effusion.

After my 7 hours in the ER, I slept most of Saturday. Still didn't feel well Sunday. While running up the stairs (with my milk) to get back to my TV show, I fell, twice while rushing up. I not only spilled milk but I stubbed my toe badly & woke up everybody.

Monday, I realized the muscle relaxers weren't helping despite taking the max dose of 2 pills, every 6 hours. I asked for something else but what I'm taking is apparently strong so I have to be seen to get something different. And they are booked solid for at least 3 weeks. I also had to call because the medication for the abdominal cramping gave me a rash, which is an allergic reaction. But I have to be seen for a different med & to get the proper referrals for the hydascan & pulmonologist.

Will I ever catch a break? What's in store for today?!?

30 Days of Thanks - Day 6

I'm thankful to my mom, Vicky. She continues to provide a roof over my head & allows me to keep my little angel, Princess. She does more for me than most parents would do for their adult child. I love you mom!

30 Days of Thanks - Day 5

On this day in 1985, my baby brother, Mathieu was born. As such, today, I give thanks to him for everything he's done for me. I know we've always had our ups and downs (what siblings don't) but when all is said and done, I do love him. So, Mathieu, here's thanks to you on your 27th birthday!

30 Days of Thanks - Days 1, 2, 3 & 4

Day 1) I'm so blessed to have had Sharon in my life. She will live in my heart forever.

Day 2) I'm so blessed to have the BEST friends in the world. You know who you are.

Day 2) I'm so blessed to have the BEST friends in the world. You know who you are.

Day 3) I am thankful to the amazing staff at Good Samaritan Hospital for the high level of quality care they gave me while in the ER for 7 hours.

Day 4) I'm thankful for my last gift from Sharon, my Princess. It was Sharon who suggest I take Princess over any of my boys. I'm tankful to have the most amazing & well mannered cat. She is my little Angel.

It's Been a LONG While...

I can’t believe how long it’s been since I’ve posted. So much has happened. I’ll start my comeback with November’s 30 Days of Thanks. It’s 9:30 in the morning & I know I shouldn’t be getting ready for bed, but I am. I took the time last night & early this morning to reflect on days 1-3. I posted them to Facebook. I will post them on here later today. G’night for now!

Princess Dental 03.29.11 (03.31.11)

So, Princess has her first dental thank you to the help of IMOM (In Memory of Magic, www.imom.org). She had two teeth on the bottom re-sorbing into her gums that needed to be “crowned” as they were very painful. I was a very nervous/anxious mom the night before and the day of. I got the call that she was waking up and feeling much better. All in all, she had 4 teeth taken out, 2 on the top (which also had lesions) and 2 on the bottom, 2 on each side.

She got home and walked (while shaking her paw with the bandage) straight to her food bowl. She ate her hard kibble with no issues. As soon as she stopped eating long enough, I took her bandage off. At 9pm she was still loopy from anesthesia. She finally settled in for sleep with me around 2am.

She’s doing great! No pain meds needed at all. Eating hard kibble with no issues and taking her antibiotics well. This is the best possible outcome. I was told she’s been eating in pain, so she’s used it it. I just don’t want to see blood in the bowl!

Pics here

Honor Societies (03.09.11)

Day I'm already a member of Alpha Sigma Lambda, a national honors society for "non-traditional" students with a GPA of 3.2 or higher. On Thursday, March 8, I will be inducted to Sigma Beta Delta. This is a national honors society for business students with a GPA of 3.2 or higher. This will look lovely on my resume.

Mentoring Via icouldbe.org (01.19.11)

Well, right now I have 4 mentees with www.icouldbe.org. 2 are active (I just got 1 of them today!) and 2 are not. The two who are active are doing a great job so far. And I even gave the one I've done the most work with a gold star last night for kicking butt and getting the work done in a timely manner. They appreciated it - but really it's all them and well deserved. For each assignment the mentee does, I give feedback and sometimes have an assignment of my own to do. I'm done with school, but still get homework. But I'm not complaining! The 2 that aren't active, I'm trying to find out why. I'm not one to give up, but I may have to. :(

About www.icoudlbe.org - it's a mentoring program for high school students who would like to go to college. And we go through a series of "assignments" to figure it all out. I am really enjoying this program! I've always wanted to mentor, but most of the time it's during school hours and at some point I need to work. This is done 100% online and is very confidential - I don't know the names, ages, locations or even gender of my mentees, though some screen names give you an idea about their gender. And they don't know any of that information about me, though I do have a pic from graduation in my profile so they can see I'm a female. I'm glad that mentoring and working with high school students is as rewarding we I'd hoped.

I'm a Godmother!!! (01.19.11)

Today I officially became the Godmother to a 2 year old purebred Maine Coon, named Cooper. Copper recently had to go in for a dental and they extracted 8 teeth! A 2 year old kitty shouldn’t need a dental, let alone 8 extractions. So I did some homework to see if I could get a list of possible underlying causes.

Here are a few pics!

Calling Your Bluff (01.18.11)

A quick post – don’t you just love it when you call someone out to the point that they realize not only they’ve been caught in their lies, but that there is absolutely nothing in the world they can say. How is it that I’m good at this and having the last word?!?

Finally a College Graduate!!! (01.18.11)

Now that I have a blog I can update – I can finally say that I’m officially a college graduate! On October 22, 2010 I graduated from DeVry University with my Bachelor of Science in Technical Management and a specialty in Computer Forensics. I thank all of those who supported me in my decision to return to college and as I completed my work. I also thank Grandpa “D,” my mom, step-dad, Mathieu, Ashley, dad, Kathi, Summer & Chris for joining me in celebrating at my graduation ceremony. I would also like to thank everybody for the amazing gifts!

On December 21, 2010 – I received my Christmas gift to myself – my actual diploma. Though I went through the process of a graduation ceremony, it felt even more real once I had that diploma in my hands.

Graduation Pic

Diploma Pics

Update! (01.12.11)

Well, I have gotten the lyrics blog and life blog transferred over to this name. I still need to transfer over the poetry. Since I don’t have the domain name anymore, my website doesn’t function. I have the kamikazekahlua for my pics, kamikazekahluacats for the cat pics and kamikazekahluablogs for the poetry, lyrics and life stuff. It’s confusing, but this way it’s all free for me. I haven’t worked for so long and right now had to stop my job search for my health, yet again…but sometimes you have to put yourself first! Plus, I prefer to be in good health with a new job so they don’t have concerns about me early on and so I can put my best foot forward, so to speak!

***UPDATE 11.05.12***

I transferred everything on to Blogspot from Tripod. Still free, but more space. Pics are all on Flickr for the same reason.

Jeff Foxworthy: Living in WA State (07.13.09)

THIS IS WHAT JEFF FOXWORTHY HAS TO SAY ABOUT LIVING IN WASHINGTON STATE: 

If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you live in Washington.

If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you live in Washington. 

If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed the wrong number, you live in Washington...

If you measure distance in hours, you live in Washington. 

If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you live in Washington.

If you have switched from 'heat' to 'A/C' and back again in the same day, you live in Washington.

If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you live in Central, Southern or Eastern Washington. 

If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over 8 layers of clothes, you live in Washington.

If the speed limit on the highway is 55 mph -- you're going 80, and everyone is still passing you, you live in Washington. 

If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow and ice, you live in Washington.

If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction, you live in Washington.

If you actually understand these jokes and forward them to all your WASHINGTON friends, you live or have lived in Washington...

Website Updates & Life (06.16.09)

Today I have started to update my website. Right now I'm just finishing a class where most of the course grade was based on a group project. This project included a 20 page paper as well as an oral/online presentation in PowerPoint. We got a 90% on the paper and a 94% on the presentation. It was quite the experience. I'm starting a new job next week after a year off from work. The training program is 10 weeks long and I'll be starting at 6AM (only during training). This will make for a rough start to get back into the working world, as well as to the course I'm about to take. But I'm sure everything will work itself out in the end. I haven't written any new poetry since September. Maybe I'll find my muse and write again. I don't have a good muse right now. Enjoy the new pics with my hair chopped off!

Too Much to Ask? (02.21.08)

Given that my past relationships didn't work out in the end, there were obviously some problems and things that both parties were doing wrong. Here is what I feel about relationships & how they should be.

First and foremost, I feel that a good relationship takes work to succeed. It may sound like a bad thing to say one has to work at a relationship for it to be good, but it's really not a bad thing. Relationships are about give and take on both sides. However, I do feel that there comes a point when one just doesn't have anything left or more to give. For me, this is when said relationship hits a crossroad and decisions need to be made on both sides. Decisions that need to be made together, not individually. I believe that if both sides want a relationship to work, it will. If a person wants something bad enough, they make it happen. It's not always easy and there are times that it may be difficult and/or trying, but often times the reward is well worth it.

What is it that I want? What am I looking for? I'm looking for my "person." The one that I come home to after a long, short, good or bad day at work. The first person I share all of my news with – whether it's big, small, good or bad. The person I share my life with and give my all. The person I can count on through thick and thin. The person that I enjoy spending my time with no matter what we do. It's not about going out and spending money, it's about the quality of time with the person I care about (and hopefully will one day love). The person I sometimes will only see long enough to crawl into bed with and cuddle. The person that I have the level of comfort with that I can just crawl into bed with them and not have to share words with for each other to know how we feel care. The person that understands I want to make the best of what time we have together – even if it's not as much as we'd like. Someone who will understand that sometimes there just isn't time for going out or even a movie at home, but wants to enjoy my company as much as that little time will allow.

I've managed to work two jobs and hold a relationship down. I've managed to work the opposite schedule as someone else and hold a relationship down. Both situations took some work and effort. It got frustrating as hell that there wasn't as much time as I wanted. But I was always able to make the best of what little time we were able to share. That was and is all that I can ask of a person.

America's Drunkest Cities (12.04.07)

I guess I should have copied the part about how these statistics came to be, but that takes the fun out of the list. I don't think I want to live in CO!!! 

Most Dangerously Drunk
100. Denver, CO F

99. Anchorage, AK F

98. Colorado Springs, CO F

97. Omaha, NE F

96. Fargo, ND F

95. San Antonio, TX F

94. Austin, TX F

93. Fresno, CA F

92. Lubbock, TX F

91. Milwaukee, WI F

90. El Paso, TX F

89. Spokane, WA F

88. Washington, DC F

87. Columbia, SC F

86. St. Louis, MO D-

85. Bakersfield, CA D-

84. San Diego, CA D

83. Cheyenne, WY D

82. Aurora, CO D

81. Houston, TX D

80. Portland, OR D

79. Seattle, WA D

78. Boise, ID D

77. Tucson, AZ D+

76. Dallas, TX D+

75. Jacksonville, FL D+

74. Toledo, OH D+

73. Madison, WI D+

72. Oakland, CA D+

71. Modesto, CA D+

70. Billings, MT D+

69. Fremont, CA D+

68. Oklahoma City, OK D+

67. San Francisco, CA D+

66. Sacramento, CA D+

65. Los Angeles, CA D+

64. Phoenix, AZ D+

63. Albuquerque, NM D+

62. Chicago, IL D+

61. Providence, RI D+

60. Fort Wayne, IN C-

59. Manchester, NH C-

58. Charleston, WV C-

57. Burlington, VT C-

56. Lincoln, NE C-

55. Corpus Christi, TX C-

54. Des Moines, IA C-

53. Indianapolis, IN C-

52. Pittsburgh, PA C-

51. Honolulu, HI C-

50. St. Paul, MN C

49. Tampa, FL C

48. Greensboro, NC C

47. Las Vegas, NV C

46. Baltimore, MD C

45. Riverside, CA C

44. Norfolk, VA C

43. Detroit, MI C+

42. Arlington, TX C+

41. Grand Rapids, MI C+

40. San Jose, CA C+

39. St. Petersburg, FL C+

38. Nashville, TN C+

37. Charlotte, NC C+

36. Wilmington, DE C+

35. Orlando, FL C+

34. Minneapolis, MN C+

33. Kansas City, MO C+

32. Fort Worth, TX C+

31. Tulsa, OK C+

30. Anaheim, CA B-

29. Wichita, KS B-

28. Lexington, KY B-

27. Philadelphia, PA B-

26. Montgomery, AL B-

25. Rochester, NY B-

24. Raleigh, NC B

23. Cincinnati, OH B

22. Louisville, KY B

21. Bangor, ME B

20. Memphis, TN B

19. Boston, MA B

18. Hartford, CT B+

17. Sioux Falls, SD B+

16. Birmingham, AL B+

15. Baton Rouge, LA B+

14. Columbus, OH B+

13. Cleveland, OH B+

12. Atlanta, GA B+

11. Newark, NJ B+

Least Dangerously Drunk
10. Jersey City, NJ B+

9. Richmond, VA B+

8. New York, NY B+

7. Little Rock, AR A-

6. Salt lake City, UT A-

5. Yonkers, NY A-

4. Jackson, MS A

3. Buffalo, NY A

2. Miami, FL A

1. Durham, NC A+

Emotional Affairs (08.03.07)

Affairs, flings, one night stands - call them what you want, but we've all heard of times they happen outside of a marriage. I came across a new term on an MSN article today - emotional affair. And apparently no men do this outside of marriage, because the article only talks of women potentially destroying their marriage. That doesn't mean that the man on the other end isn't married, but not as invested emotionally? I'm not sure since the article didn't go there, it can only leave me to wonder. BTW - I love the comment from "Allie, 29, Yonkers, NY." I'll tell you that when I made the wrong choice, I lost a good friend because of it. It's not something I'd do again. I'll leave it at that. View the full article on my old blog here.

Tummy Update #1 (07.18.07)

As I suspected, the results from my endoscopy were not helpful. Everything looked normal and the biopsies they took were normal. I still had to go in for a follow up, only to be told that there is nothing more they can do for me and come back if needed. (Geez...I knew that with the endoscopy results being normal that there was nothing else they could do. Why waste my time and theirs to tell me that in person

Since my appointment with the RE was scheduled for July 27 I made an appointment with my family doctor to help with short term management of the pain. I went in with a game plan in mind to take a daily anti-inflammatory (similar to Bextra, which was pulled off the market) and use pain meds as needed. My doctor hates giving pain meds to people. Even more so people who have been having stomach problems like mine, because "it can make those problems worse." I did address this with the the specialist and was informed that I don't use enough pain meds to cause the extent of problems I am having. She did give me some pain meds though (probably against her better judgment).

Luckily, my appointment with the RE was later that day. At this point with everything that I've had done in the past for my edno, my options are limited. I can try Lupron (a hormonal treatment) or have surgery #4. Given my past history with using Lupron before surgery and the success in using it after my last surgery, I opted to have surgery #4. The doctor is amazing and impressed me a great deal. He will be taking over managing my pain until I have surgery on August 9. He wants to work in correlation with my family doctor so he had me leave her a message about having surgery and taking over my pain management.

In the meantime I still have a big tummy, I'm tired, nauseated and hurting. I have good days and bad days, though lately it seems that I am having more bad days than good. However, I am done with work so I don't have to worry about how I am feeling. I am still very frustrated that I saw my doctor at the start of June and she dismissed the notion that my endo could be back. She said that because my tummy is big in the wrong place and the medication I take, there is no way that it could be endo. When my surgery is done and I know how bad my endo is, I will be paying her a visit to show her not only was she wrong, but thanks to her I have accumulated over a thousand dollars (just a guess) in bills for tests that were unnecessary and could have been prevented had she acknowledged me at the start of June. I have resumed my job search, though I am not sure I will have much luck finding a company that will be willing to accommodate the time off for surgery.

Intro Programming - Final Grade (07.18.07)

It's about time I posted a new blog. I finished my first "real" computer class. It was called Logic & Design - basically an introduction to programming. Going into the class I was very nervous, especially since I am in the accelerated program and I had only 8 weeks to learn all of the material. I was doing pretty well on the assignments and quizzes until the midterm. It was my "favorite" kind of midterm - one that had nothing to do with the material covered up until the exam. Just after that was when my health was starting to really kick my behind and I was having a hard time understanding some of the concepts. But I spent lots of hours and worked hard. I had a solid B when it came time to take the final. Once again, the exam had nothing to do with material that was covered in the course. Well, very little to do with what had been covered in the class. That exam took me 3 hours to finish and until I got my final grade I was very anxious. I did get an A in the class, but it took a week after seeing my final grade before I got to see how I did on the final. I got a B on the final and once that score factored into my grade, I saw that I got my A on a technicality...my final score for the class was 89.6% which my teacher rounded up to an A. Whew! Except for my C, I have straight A's and a cumulative GPA of 3.67. Yeah me!

My Tummy (06.19.07)

So, some of you know what's going on. For those who don't, feel free to ask.

Here's the latest: my gallbladder test was normal. Taking dairy out of my diet does nothing. I go in tomorrow for my endoscopy. If that's normal too (at this rate, I wouldn't be shocked) I am going into a reproductive endocrinologist in July 27 (sooner if there is a cancellation). I am going to see the RE regardless of tomorrow's test results, because it is a good move to make to ensure my fertility. One of these days *when I have a rock on my left hand* I am going to want children. :)

In the meantime I am still swollen, sore, tired and unable to eat much. I have a new pic for the collection to add on here. I am still in good spirits, though it is hard at times. There are many times during the day that I'd rather be in bed than work, but I trudge through. Vicodin is my clutch if I need it, but I try to avoid it, because I either get tired or can't sleep. I never know which way it will go and I have enough problems with sleep as it is.

~*Mariesa*~

(Note - there were pics, but I don't seem to have them anymore...)

Taiwan Souvenir (06.13.07)

So these are my "hunny bunnies." Sharon's son spent about a year in Taiwan. He recently came for a visit and gave Sharon a souvenir - which you can see is for the cats! As you can tell they are so happy in the pics, which makes it even more fun! Kamikaze, Kegan & Colby reluctantly agreed to be photographed.

School Update (05.17.07)

I swear I just started this class and my mid term is next week. And I really did just start the class. Sunday marks the start of my 4th week. That’s one of the strange things about accelerated classes – you only get 8 weeks and they fly by. Well, they usually fly by. My last class sucked big time so it dragged on and on. Plus I didn’t like the teacher…she seemed very snobby to me. Not only do I not like snobby people – I can’t stand snobby people who are too good to use spell check. In an e-mail she sent me there were words misspelled – and one of the words was a day of the week! She didn’t know much about school policies, but she sure knew what she was teaching. And she lied to me. Or the school lied to me. Honestly, I believe she was the liar. Plus, she dinged me a point on a quiz. She put 9/10 in the grade book, but I really got 10/10. I didn’t bother to waste my time or energy to get my point and it’s not like it would have made a difference in my grade anyway. I did pull a C out of the class, which wasn’t bad considering the issues I had.

Anyway, back to my current class. It’s CIS 115, which is Logic and Design. Basically it’s an introduction to programming. When reading the syllabus before starting I was lost. I was even more lost after the first week. And nervous as heck, because this is my first “real” computer class and because our weekly quizzes are only 6 questions worth 30 points each. I figured I’d gage the class on my first week and if I whether or not I understood the concepts or not. I got 25/30 on my quiz and 35/40 on my assignment. Not bad for my first week. I got a perfect score on everything last week and so far this week I got a perfect score on my quiz. Somehow I am totally lost and yet it makes sense. For now, I am happy to be pulling a solid A in this class. Especially because of how worried I was going into the class. And because it makes me proud!

Another thing I don’t really like about cramming everything into 8 weeks – I don’t really know if I am learning anything or not. My first session I took 3 math classes and a computer class that taught how to use Windows, Word, Excel and PowerPoint. I didn’t learn much in the last class. And I have no clue if I am learning in this one. I guess I will find out when I move on to the next class…which I still need to register for!

Baby J's 2 Year Anniversary (05.07.07)

Today marks the 2 year anniversary since I’ve lost my Baby J (Jules). I always get sad thinking about him and his story. He was sick when I got him and the best and only thing I did was love him. Prior to taking him in I made the decision to not be aggressive in treating his CRF. His heart murmur had always been slight and never a real issue. I took him in wanting to give him unconditional love until the end. Sadly, the end came only 6 months after I got him. When his health started to decline, I did consider treating him. However, when it came down to it, I knew that the stress of the treatment would cause him to stop eating which would then affect his liver. I knew that no matter what I did, his health would continue to decline whether it was his kidneys or his liver. Just a month before, I watched Smokey slowly decline with some sort of liver problem. While I went to visit him at the vet hospital I realized that his body was alive, however, his soul was already gone. I didn’t want to see that happen to Jules even though it was hard to watch him start to decline. But when he wouldn’t move and sat growling for a day, I decided that his time with me had come to an end. He died peacefully in my arms the next day. In the 6 months I had him he finally got to know unconditional love. That’s all I ever wanted for him. He was a special cat who was able to teach me and give me very fond memories. To this day he still has the best beg I’ve ever seen. I remember the first time he did it. He brought tears to my eyes even though I had no clue what he was doing at first. It made me so happy – it made me realize he was finally comfortable with me. Here’s to my Baby J – I miss you and I love you!

Eugene's Quirks (04.27.07)

So, this car has been driving me nuts. I drive past it at least once a day. It’s the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. Even funnier to me is that this hideous thing is actually for sale. It’s called a Zap Car and the colors are that of a zebra – literally. I usually have my camera in my purse so I should take a picture of it one of these days when I drive by. For now, I have the link with info about the car from the maker Zap World. The concept of the car – electronic and running on solar power is cool. But this thing is just hideous – and looks like a death trap to me. Not to mention, the price is outrageous! They do have several other models that look a lot more like a normal car – those are the ones that would be worth considering. This morning when I drove by I thought I was nuts, because it looked like the car was plugged in. Now seeing that it does charge that way, I know I’m not losing my mind…well not as bad as it seems.

http://www.zapworld.com/ZAPWorld.aspx?id=3804

P.S. I just got done with my final. It took me 3.25 hours, but I am officially done with the class from hell!

Joke #5 - A Virgin's Worst Nightmare (04.23.07)

Virgin girl asks her boyfriend to come over Friday night and have dinner with her parents. Since this is such a big event, the girl announces to her boyfriend that after dinner, she would like to go out and make love for the first time.
* * * * * * * * *
Well, the boy is ecstatic, but he has never had sex before, so he takes a trip to the pharmacist to get some condoms. He tells the pharmacist it's his first time and the pharmacist helps the boy for about an hour. He tells the boy everything there is to know about condoms and
sex.
* * * * * * * * *
At the register, the pharmacist asks the boy how many condoms he'd like to buy, a 3-pack, 10-pack, or family pack. The boy insists on the family pack because he thinks he will be rather busy, it being his first time and all.
* * * * * * * * *
That night, the boy shows up at the girl's parents house and meets his girlfriend at the door. "Oh, I'm so excited for you to meet my parents, come on in!"
* * * * * * * * *
The boy goes inside and is taken to the dinner table where the girl's parents are seated. The boy quickly offers to say grace and bows his head.
* * * * * * * * *
A minute passes, and the boy is still deep in prayer, with his head down.
* * * * * * * * *
10 minutes pass, and still no movement from the boy.
* * * * * * * * *
Finally, after 20 minutes with his head down, the girlfriend leans over and whispers to the boyfriend, "I had no idea you were this religious."
* * * * * * * *
The boy turns, and whispers back, "I had no idea your father was a pharmacist."
* * * * * * * * *

Joke #4 - Hotel Bill (04.23.07)

Next time you think your hotel bill is too high you might want to consider this...

A husband and wife are traveling by car from Key West to Boston.

After almost twenty-four hours on the road, they're too tired to continue, and they decide to stop for a rest. They stop at a nice hotel and take a room, but they only plan to sleep for four hours and then get back on the road. When they check out four hours later, the desk clerk hands them a bill for $350.

The man explodes and demands to know why the charge is so high. He tells the clerk although it's a nice hotel, the rooms certainly aren't worth $350.

When the clerk tells him $350 is the standard rate, the man insists on speaking to the Manager. The Manager appears, listens to the man, and then explains that the hotel has an Olympic-sized pool and a huge conference center that were available for the husband and wife to use.

"But we didn't use them," the man complains. "Well, they are here, and you could have," explains the Manager. He goes on to explain they could have taken in one of the shows for which the hotel is famous. "The best entertainers from New York, Hollywood and Las Vegas perform here," the Manager says. "But we didn't go to any of those shows, "complains the man again

"Well, we have them, and you could have," the Manager replies. No matter what facility the Manager mentions, the man replies, "But we didn't use it!" The Manager is unmoved, and eventually the man gives up and agrees to pay. He writes a check and gives it to the Manager. 

The Manager is surprised when he looks at the check. "But sir," he says, this check is only made out for $50." "That's correct," says the man. "I charged you $300 for sleeping with my wife." "But I didn't!" exclaims the Manager.

"Well, too bad," the man replies. "She was here and you could have."

Joke #3 (04.23.07)

The Smiths were unable to conceive children and decided to use a surrogate father to start their family. On the day the proxy father was to arrive, Mr. Smith kissed his wife goodbye and said, "Well, I'm off now The man should be here soon."

Half an hour later, just by chance, a door-to-door baby photographer happened to ring the doorbell, hoping to make a sale.

Good morning, Ma'am", he said, "I've come to...''Oh, no need to explain," Mrs. Smith cut in, embarrassed, "I've been expecting you." 

"Have you really?" said the photographer. "Well, that's good. Did you know babies are my specialty?"

"Well that's what my husband and I had hoped. Please come in and have a seat" After a moment she asked, blushing, "Well, where do we start?"

"Leave everything to me. I usually try two in the bathtub, one on the couch, and perhaps a couple on the bed. And sometimes the living room floor is fun. You can really spread out there."

"Bathtub, living room floor? No wonder it didn't work out for Harry and me!"

"Well, Ma'am, none of us can guarantee a good one every time. But if we try several different positions and I shoot from six or seven angles, I'm sure you'll be pleased with the results."

"My, that's a lot!" gasped Mrs. Smith.

"Ma'am, in my line of work a man has to take his time. I'd love to be in and out in five minutes, but I'm sure you'd be disappointed with that."

"Don't I know it," said Mrs. Smith quietly.

The photographer opened his briefcase and pulled out a portfolio of his baby pictures. "This was done on the top of a bus," he said. 

"Oh my God!" Mrs. Smith exclaimed, grasping at her throat.

"And these twins turned out exceptionally well - when you consider their mother was so difficult to work with."

"She was difficult?" asked Mrs. Smith.

"Yes, I'm afraid so I finally had to take her to the park to get the job done right. People were crowding around four and five deep to get a good look".

"Four and five deep?" said Mrs. Smith, her eyes wide with amazement.

"Yes", the photographer replied. "And for more than three hours, too. The mother was constantly squealing and yelling - I could hardly concentrate, and when darkness approached I had to rush my shots. Finally, when the squirrels began nibbling on my equipment, I just had to pack it all in."

Mrs. Smith leaned forward. "Do you mean they actually chewed on your, uh...equipment?"

"It's true, Ma'am, yes.. Well, if you're ready, I'll set-up my tripod and we can get to work right away."

"Tripod?"

"Oh yes, Ma'am. I need to use a tripod to rest my Canon on. It's much too big to be held in the hand very long."

Mrs. Smith fainted

Joke #2 (04.23.07)

Three Nuns Were Attending A Hockey Game. 

Three Men Were Sitting Directly Behind.
Because Their Habits Were Partially
Blocking The View, The Men Decided To Badger The
Nuns Hoping That They'd Get Annoyed Enough To
Move To Another Area.

In A Very Loud Voice, The First Guy Said, "i Think
I'm Going To Move To Utah . There Are Only 100
Nuns Living There."

Then The Second Guy Spoke Up And Said, "i Want To
Go To Montana . There Are Only 5o Nuns Living
There."

The Third Guy Said, "i Want To Go To Idaho . There
Are Only 25 Nuns Living There."

One Of The Nuns Turned Around, Looked At The Men,
And In A Very Sweet And Calm Voice Said, "why
Don't You Go To Hell? There Aren't Any Nuns
There."

Joke #1 (04.23.07)

Last year I replaced all the windows in my house with those expensive double-pane energy-efficient kind. Yesterday, I got a call from the contractor who installed them. He was complaining that the windows had been installed a whole year ago and I hadn't paid for them yet.

Now just because I'm blonde doesn't mean that I am automatically stupid. So I told him just exactly what his fast-talking sales guy had told ME last year..namely, that in just ONE YEAR these windows would pay for themselves! Helllooooo"! ! (I told him). "It's been a year"!

There was only silence at the other end of the line, so I finally just Hung up..he hasn't called back, probably too embarrassed about forgetting the guarantee they made me.

Bet he won't underestimate my intelligence again.

Class is Almost Over & Other Crap (04.22.07)

Today marks the last week of my class from hell. I have a 3 ½ hour final to take, but being that I’ve done so well on the quizzes and midterm without any preparation or studying, I suspect I should do well on the final. I have to get an A or high B in order to pull a C out of the class. I think I was labeled as a slacker early in the class and don’t feel I’ve been getting fair grades as a result. Plus on Easter night I was so pissed off about something that happened I missed an assignment. I layed down for a few minutes and woke up several hours later and missed the deadline to turn it in. A bit pissed at myself for that one, but it was 100% my fault.

4 weeks ago I missed turning in another assignment – not sure if anybody remembers that I slept for 48 straight hours about a month ago. I have been jumping through hoops like you wouldn’t believe to get that assignment turned in. I’ve been given the run around from both the school and professor – one of which is lying to me. I have yet to figure out who the liar is…I suspect the bitch of a professor though. She says the school hasn’t talked to her, they claim she’s making me jump through the hoops. I’ve submitted notes from two docs now who confirm that the problem was caused from a medication. Ok, enough on that topic, because I can go on and on about how pissed off I am with this entire situation. I’ll leave the topic with: they gave me a list of excuses for not accepting the note from my primary doctor, so my neurologist wrote a note that I dictated. They asked what I wanted the note to say and wrote exactly what I wanted – and I was a bitch and made it say I couldn’t attend class for a week. The best part (well, only the best part if I get to turn the assignment in) is that it wasn’t medication that caused me to sleep for 48 hours straight. I took that medication a couple of weeks later and had no issues at all. However, it didn’t help my head either. The bad news is that I slept for 48 hours straight and have no clue as to why.

Ok – I am done rambling on for now and going to try and get some sleep. I have to work tomorrow, well tonight. And as soon as my drug screen results get in, I start my new job on Monday. Wait – I forgot I haven’t told many people yet. I have a job at a windshield manufacturing company as an accounting assistant while one of their employees is out on maternity leave. So, it’ll only be for a couple of months-ish, but it will keep me from being so freaking bored.

P.S. I got my tail light replaced and the dent popped out so my car looks much better. I’ll post a pic with this blog once I get one.

Good Effing Morning to Me! (04.19.07)

So, I was on my way to Safeway this morning to get some milk for my cereal. But I decided that pancakes sounded better, so I went to Glenwood. While backing into my spot I smacked something. I looked behind me, but couldn't see anything that I would have hit. When I got out, there was this little pole, not even taller than my trunk, so I didn't see it. I knocked it out of the ground. And freaking a that my new damn bumper now needs to be replaced again! Luckily, I won't get pulled over for that, just the taillight - which is getting fixed tomorrow. If I don't get it fixed and get pulled over, I will not only get nailed for the taillight, I'll get nailed for not having an OR license or OR plates. Good thing the pancakes were good, they cost me $130! (Well $530 once I finally replace the bumper.)

Work in Progress (04.17.07)

I will continue my blog on myspace. I will be posting to both blogs - most likely the same topics. The myspace blog may include more, because you have to be on my friends list to read it. As you can see, both the website and this blog will be a work in progress. In time, I will transfer my blogs from myspace on here. This is the best way to keep updated on what's going on as well as the best place to see my latest poetry. (Though I am posting some older ones too.) Have fun, because some of my blogs are quite random. BTW - the kitten on my blog reminds me of Princess.

Is it Time to Go Home Yet??? (09.19.06)

So, my laptop is on a UPS truck as we speak and will get delivered today. Can I go home now to play with it? Or last least bring it to work so I can sit at my own desk? (My work computer has been having issues and yesterday it went blue screen on me.) It's a good day - I'll have a laptop when I get home - and I quit my volunteer work. It's so liberating!

Laptop Has Shipped (09.16.06)

Apparently it takes two days to box and ship a laptop once it's been built. It will be here sometime between Wednesday and Friday. I have a feeling I'll be in for a long night once it's here. Oh - and I got my new digital camera last night. It's a Nikon Coolpix L2. It's awesome - and takes short videos too!!!

Finally - Some Rain (09.15.06)

New Laptop - WAHOO!!! (09.14.06)

So, I ordered my laptop from Dell last night. The expected ship date is a week from today, but it looks like it's been built already. I've been waiting for this for a long time, so I am so excited. My desktop is 5-6 years old and I can't work in more than one window at a time or it freezes. How I used that thing through half of college is a good question. Since I am going back through DeVry's online program - and because I am in the CIS program, an update computer is a must. And really, laptops aren't much more than desktops. I suspect my laptop could create laziness, like doing too much in bed, but oh well. It'll be nice when I go home, so I can have something to do on the train or plane - and still have my own computer for classes. With the exception of my car, this is the most money I have spent on a single item. It's well worth it though. Next up - a new digital camera. I have yet to figure out which box it was packed in. And it's getting outdated, as I purchased it in November 2001.

Just a Cat - Not to Me! (09.13.06)

My oldest cat is only 6 years old, but he's had some issues in our four years together. If I would leave him for too long (about a week and a half) he'd get so stressed, he would make himself sick. This pattern of illness when stress continued and we finally found he has FUS. Well, he's been stressed this last month or two since I moved to OR and haven't unpacked. I noticed he'd been having problems for about 2 weeks, so he went to the vet again (his auntie took him for me). I get home to see how he's doing – to find that he's on 5 different medications a day! Poor guy has to have mom cram two pills a day down his throat and two liquids that have the powder from another pill in it. One of the pills is just an antibiotic, so it'll only be 5 days. One of them is twice a day. And I'm not sure about the pain meds. One of the things he gets to take is Amitriptyline to help reduce anxiety. Oh – and I have to start thinking about feeding him a special diet too. I'll get to talk to the vet about that more on Friday when Kegan and Princess go in.

The Downside of College (09.12.06)

Well, not really a downside, but filling out financial aid forms is not fun. They want so much information, even though I am trying to pay for it as I go. It has to be done regardless to see if I have actual financial need or not. At least this time, I don't have to include my parents income...maybe I'll actually get some help this time around...or at least better types of loans if I must go that route. Let's hope not! In the meantime, I got the course catalog and need to take a look and decide what I'll be taking. That can be fun. And later, the fun of shopping for supplies...one of my favorite parts of going back to school. Right now, I am going to configure my laptop and get it ordered - yeah laptop!