Month: June 2011

Stream of Conscious Rambling (TL;DR)

The weather in Chicago has been slowly, slowly eking toward summer. Today was the first really hot day since the Solstice, and now it’s raining, so I wonder if the heatwave will last beyond this weekend. It’s supposed to be 92 tomorrow, but I’ll be spending my entire day and at least part of the evening bogged down in the office, so it’s not like I’ll experience any of it.

Adam had surgery on Tuesday. Turns out that his sinuses were in pretty bad shape. We knew that, but really, not the extent of it. It’s a wonder he could breathe at all. He is recovering OK, though. It’s not his nose that’s hurting, even. It’s the rest of him. I took off work the past three days to make sure he and Aidan were OK. We were in the hospital for more than 13 hours Tuesday. Adam made his way home on Wednesday but he had slept so badly in the hospital that he slept all day and all night. Today he tried to get back to normal, but he’s still getting dizzy and tired. If he’s getting the dizzy spells tomorrow, I may stay home with him again.

To be honest, I’m feeling a bit down right now. It’s probably because Disney World has passed, so I have nothing really big to look forward to (except Harry Potter, but that’s the last one so there’s that), and Musecon, but that’s not til almost the end of summer, and I don’t want summer to end for many reasons, the biggest of which is that the end of summer means Aidan goes back to Columbus. I HATE THAT. So much. And I’ve used up all my time off at work so if I want to take any time off the rest of the year, it has to be unpaid. That’s actually not a problem for me, I don’t mind taking unpaid days…but I can see them denying it to me just because. And sadly, this job’s burnout rate is so high for me that I’ll NEED time off just when I can’t take it even if I am willing to take unpaid days.

Definitely needing to make changes in my life and already trying to take steps to do so. But so much of it is dependent on OTHER PEOPLE’S whims and that frustrates the hell out of me. Also, my hair feels like hay it’s so dry, and I’m not sure what to do about that, so it’s going to be braids until further notice. I miss my yoga practice–doing it at home with a DVD just isn’t the same. Plus Crookshanks insists on getting right in my way every single time. I don’t have time to write, and when I do manage to find time, I stare at the screen completely blanked out. It sucks.

Yesterday, one of my aunts passed away. She had been sick for a very, very long time. I’m glad she is no longer suffering, but it’s always sad when someone leaves the earth and their voice is silenced forever. I actually had a really good conversation about this with the part-time proofreader at work last week. Life, death, the other side, eternity, etc. He told me I was too young to be worrying about that stuff, but ever since I learned about Heaven and Hell, I kind of obsess about it. Especially with my spiritual beliefs being all over the place. But I know my aunt’s better now, and she’s no longer in pain.

I doubt we make it to Cleveland for the services. For one thing, getting time off from work at this point is like pulling teeth, Adam’s in no condition to be in a car for 6+ hours one way, it costs more than $1000 for the three of us to fly, and Amtrak is plain ole inconvenient. Greyhound is not even an option for us.

Meh. Today is just one of those days for me, I guess. Even though I had sushi.

Anyway….

Wow, major hailstorm just happened. Usually that stuff scares me, but a.) I have to be brave for Aidan and b.) It mirrors how I’m feeling right now, so I didn’t mind it.

Whatever.

I’m going to finish this off with the W.T.F. Meme. Just because.

This Thursday comes with a disclaimer

1.) These days almost everything comes with a disclaimer. Sometimes the disclaimer on TV commercials is longer than the description of the product itself. If you came with your own personal disclaimer, what would it say?
This girl is very sensitive. Tread carefully. She’s also whimsical, a bit of a dreamer, and kind of spiteful. She is also very kind and she likes to spoil her family with gifts. She rushes a lot and hates when slow people are in her way. She hates when people interrupt her or treats her like she’s stupid, so DON’T EFFING DO THAT.

2.) You can press a button that will make any one person explode. Who would you blow up?

3.) Last week the Federal Drug Administration approved new packaging for cigarette packs that it hopes will discourage people from smoking. Some of the labels are very graphic. Do you think this is going too far or do you think the FDA is doing a good thing by making these labels?
Doesn’t concern me, I don’t smoke.

4.) Many people I’ve known have lost their TV remotes only to find them later in their freezers or refrigerators. Where is the weirdest place you’ve left your TV remote?
LOL. I find ours on the floor or in between couch cushions. The kitchen table is a common spot as well.

5.) What is something you do when you’re sad/depressed that really cheers you up (or at least helps bring you somewhat out of your funk)?
Looking at my old pictures. I try not to buy stuff, because that thrill lasts until exactly five minutes after new said item has been acquired. Unless it’s a book. That thrill lasts until the book is read. Hmm, maybe I should look at some pictures now….

6.) If I asked your past romantic partners if you were emotionally open, what would they say about you?
They’d say I was TOO open probably.

7.) Sonic Drive-In has created a bunch of theme hot dogs for the summer (including a Chicago Dog, an All-American Dog, Baja Dog, New York Dog, and Chili Cheese Coney). With the Fourth of July coming up, surely many people will be eating hot dogs. What toppings do you eat on top of your hot dog?
I like ketchup and cheese. I don’t care if the Chicago laws say no ketchup on hotdogs. Hmph.

8.) If Love Potion #9 is an elixir for love, what is your potion for moving on and dating again after a bad breakup?
Chocolate. Lots of chocolate. I guess?

9.) You have been given the opportunity to create a TV show of your own design — any genre, any demographic, limitless budget. What is it called and what’s the premise?
Remember how I said I’ve been blanking on writing? That pretty much goes for anything creative. So I have not one clue about this one.

10.) Last week a 14-year-old female Chinese Crested and Chihuahua mix named Yoda won the 2011 World’s Ugliest Dog Contest. Do you think she’s really the world’s ugliest dog or do you find some cuteness in her?
She’s OK.

Time for a bath, a cupcake, and some reading of Harry Potter. G’night.

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Vacation Highlights! (Pictures)

Guess where I just was (again)! πŸ™‚

Cinderella Castle

I might be just a little bit obsessed.

Anyway, here are the major highlights (copied from my Disney blog):

+ Boat ride to Downtown Disney. It was beautiful.
+ Magic Kingdom Rope Drop.
+ Star Tours 3D. Holy crap is that ride awesome now!
+ Garden Grill. I think they outdid themselves this time. Everything was delicious, and as usual, the character interaction was top notch.
+ Kilimanjaro Safari. There were TONS of animals out!
+ A gorilla strutting out, squatting in front of all of us spectators, and proceeding to show us how he does #1 AND #2. Quite entertaining!
+ Festival of the Lion King. It was fantastic as always. And I was FINALLY in the giraffe section.
+ Dancing with Phineas and Ferb! The line to meet them was long and hot, but we were entertained! And when it was finally our turn? Rock on!
+ Seeing the Torch Lighting ceremony at the Polynesian. (I am determined to stay there someday. I love that place.)
+ Chocolate-covered marshmallows rolled in mini Reese’s Pieces. YUM.
+ Aidan and me finding reasons to laugh hysterically in the hotel room, probably driving poor Adam crazy.
+ Living With The Land. Always a neat ride, and we had an entire boat to ourselves.
+ PeopleMover. So relaxing. I’m always sad when it’s over.
+ The Memories castle show. OK, they could do without the pictures. Just show us the effects on the castle. So awesome!
+ Aidan falling in love with Pirates of the Caribbean.
+ Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (always awesome).
+ Surprising Aidan with a trip to the LEGO store in Downtown Disney.
+ Meeting nice people in line or on the bus.
+ Liberty Tree Tavern. Good food. Very busy, though.
+ Soarin’. Always a good time.
+ Weather. It was hot, but we had plenty of water and one of those spray fans. We were OK.
+ Watching Aidan enjoy Mission Space: Green, and Test Track.
+ I am not as obsessed with getting character photos anymore, so a little less standing in line for that. It made the characters we DID get more special.
+ Sitting in one of those little side streets off of Main Street and discovering a few secrets. πŸ™‚
+ No rain!
+ Seeing Space Mountain with all the lights on. WEIRD!
+ Naps in Hall of Presidents and Carousel of Progress. I KNOW, but believe me, I needed them!

It's Us! YAY We're Here! In the Animal Kingdom

Wishes Safari!

Us With the Boss! Epcot

Aidan's Yummy Dessert Catch Ya Down in New Orleans

Rockin' Out With Phineas and Ferb

Aidan is Hula Hooping and Clapping! Pretty Birds Aidan and Duffy

There’s plenty more where that came from, right here: [LINK]

‘Til next time! πŸ™‚

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Friday Five

FRIDAY FIVE: What Goes In (5)

It feels weird to have been home on a Friday for most of the day. Weird in a good way.

What goes into your coffee or tea?
I rarely drink coffee, and when I do, it’s a white chocolate raspberry mocha from Starbucks. I am a more frequent tea drinker, and I like to add a bit of honey and a lot of sugar or Splenda.

What goes into a good omelette?
I haven’t eaten many omelettes, but I’m going to go with ham, cheddar cheese, and spinach. NO onions or mushrooms, please.

What goes into your ears on a good morning?
Good music to get me happy and ready to face the day. Some Ginger Doss, SJ Tucker, or Girl Talk. Foster the People also.

What goes into a healthy but yummy lunch?
Turkey sammie on wheat, celery sticks, fresh fruit. Some sort of corn chip or those “popped” potato chips. Yummy.

What goes into a productive evening?
More hours for once. But… a workout, completed freelance work, a nice shower or bath, and some time to read and play on the computer for fun.

Vacation highlights and pix coming soon! πŸ™‚

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