The last few days, I've been having some obscure symptoms - and I can't put my finger on what they mean... or if they are even connected in the slightest way.
Before I even start to tell you about them - can I just say that I am SO incredibly tired of feeling like I'm 112... and when someone asks me how I'm doing... I want to tell them my laundry list of problems. Thank goodness - my shyness helps me filter that down into the one word... "Fine." John, however, (poor guy) does get to hear about all my issues... it's a wonder that he didn't invoke some sort of "lemon law" and send me packing years ago.
So... you want to hear what is going on? Hopefully you said yes... because otherwise - you might want to shut down the computer... nothing really graphic though - just weird.
Lets start with my never-ending nausea... and I'm talking about debilitating nausea... like literally on Saturday night - during our neighbor's fireworks extravaganza... I literally wanted to fall asleep with my head in the toilet... because I wasn't sure what I was suffering from more - nausea or exhaustion. Weird thing about this nausea though - is that it really hasn't effected my appetite in anyway... which seriously, I could use a little appetite suppressant right now!
Second, we come to plain old exhaustion... beyond your everyday normal tiredness. I mean, I've said before that I needed toothpicks to hold my eyes open... but I don't even think that would help right now. I'm delirious at times... and every night this week - I've totally crashed on the couch at like 6:00... unintentionally! What is that about?!
Thirdly, is my body temperature... it hasn't gotten back to normal since before I was sick. My normal is about the temperature of your average corpse... literally - normal for me is 96.1. So when I was running a steady 100.4 fever for several days - you can see my concern and why I couldn't really get out of bed. The odd thing though is that it is still running at least at a 98.5... so what is up with that? I also have to sleep without the covers on me for the most part - because I get so hot - I break out in the sweats. Which as a downside... means dehydration... and mosquito bites from the renegade mosquitoes that ride into the house on my dogs. (So, yes... that is why there is a tube of Benadryl cream next to my bed.)
If I didn't know better - I'd consider these to be symptoms of pregnancy... but I've been on continual therapy birth control pills since the beginning of May... so unless something totally bizarre happened while I was on antibiotics... it's not even possible.
Even at that - I am so convinced that I'm just insane... I can't even consider the real possibility of that... because honestly - I'm so scarred from all the years of negative pregnancy tests - I don't even WANT to take one. I loathe them... and would avoid them at all costs. Not to mention - I don't even think they are that accurate. UGH!
What's wrong with me!? And it's not vitamin related... because believe me - that is checked MORE than it is for any other human on the planet.... except my other Cut & Paste girls that see Dr. Weinstein... and even still - probably more than theirs too!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Neighbors
I'm still struggling to find some balance... so please do bear with me. Not only have I stopped using the computer at home, but for some reason this week has been extremely busy for me at the office - I've had to design a new report for my boss to use to meet with some of our board members... and lets just say that I've needed to learn some serious accounting skills for this one!
It's no secret that we have some bizarre neighbors... and for the price we paid for our house... it's a little bit concerning to me. I mean we bought this house in THAT neighborhood to avoid people like this... ugh!
The people across the street - the ones with the kid that thought his fireworks show should go from 2AM to 3AM... are just the worst possible scenario when it comes to neighbors. They are the ones that - shortly after we moved in - had one of their dogs try to attack us... which of course started a war of words. Their other dog is a pitbull that would kill anything just walking down the street if it could get to it.
When the dog in question tried to attack us... it wasn't like he was out just in their front yard... they are on the corner - and this dog was in their back yard... when we heard a huge crack - and a fence board flying... he literally ran at the fence and busted through with his HEAD! I just keep waiting for the news trucks to come out because these dogs have hurt someone. The scariest part for me is that the corner of their house happens to be the bus stop for all the kids on our street as well... the kids have moved to the other side of the corner... but still - it is just too close.
We've lived in our house for almost two years now... the dog incident happened maybe a month after we moved in... and since that time - the kid seemed to have become a decent human being - that is until the 4th of July... but we do have a theory that he might have been drunk... who knows.
He has come over and helped John put mulch out in our yard... and offered to help with the lawn... neither of which will ever happen again... but just made us think that they were becoming normal members of society.
That is until I started noticing something...
You see in Houston right now - the temperature is roughly hanging in around 106 degrees everyday... which means to all of you that haven't experienced the heat and humidity that we have... it is MISERABLE. HOT. STICKY. All of which makes you seek air conditioning... I mean it's like a race to figure out exactly how quickly you can get from one air conditioned place to another... with as little time in between as possible.
Our neighbors though - spend literally ALL of their waking time in their garage... they have it set up like a freaking living room. They keep the door halfway open... and sit in there all the time. What is up with that?! Are they living so far outside of their means that they can't afford to turn on the air conditioning? Are they pod people? How can they stand it?
This isn't the first time we've experienced something like this either - we once lived across the hall from some people in an apartment that had literally 10 kids... a Cadillac Escalade... and ZERO furniture in their apartment.
Are we just crazy neighbor magnets? I mean I haven't even TOLD you about the people around the corner... that HAVE to be renters... because I can't imagine paying $200,000 for a house... and letting it look like that... I mean literally everything in their front yard, side yard... and probably back yard too has died. Not just browned because of the heat - like the rest of us... but literally DIED... like crispy - snap it in two - died. We've been meaning to call the Home Owners Association... but haven't gotten around to it yet.
So that's our neighbors in a nutshell... what are yours like?
It's no secret that we have some bizarre neighbors... and for the price we paid for our house... it's a little bit concerning to me. I mean we bought this house in THAT neighborhood to avoid people like this... ugh!
The people across the street - the ones with the kid that thought his fireworks show should go from 2AM to 3AM... are just the worst possible scenario when it comes to neighbors. They are the ones that - shortly after we moved in - had one of their dogs try to attack us... which of course started a war of words. Their other dog is a pitbull that would kill anything just walking down the street if it could get to it.
When the dog in question tried to attack us... it wasn't like he was out just in their front yard... they are on the corner - and this dog was in their back yard... when we heard a huge crack - and a fence board flying... he literally ran at the fence and busted through with his HEAD! I just keep waiting for the news trucks to come out because these dogs have hurt someone. The scariest part for me is that the corner of their house happens to be the bus stop for all the kids on our street as well... the kids have moved to the other side of the corner... but still - it is just too close.
We've lived in our house for almost two years now... the dog incident happened maybe a month after we moved in... and since that time - the kid seemed to have become a decent human being - that is until the 4th of July... but we do have a theory that he might have been drunk... who knows.
He has come over and helped John put mulch out in our yard... and offered to help with the lawn... neither of which will ever happen again... but just made us think that they were becoming normal members of society.
That is until I started noticing something...
You see in Houston right now - the temperature is roughly hanging in around 106 degrees everyday... which means to all of you that haven't experienced the heat and humidity that we have... it is MISERABLE. HOT. STICKY. All of which makes you seek air conditioning... I mean it's like a race to figure out exactly how quickly you can get from one air conditioned place to another... with as little time in between as possible.
Our neighbors though - spend literally ALL of their waking time in their garage... they have it set up like a freaking living room. They keep the door halfway open... and sit in there all the time. What is up with that?! Are they living so far outside of their means that they can't afford to turn on the air conditioning? Are they pod people? How can they stand it?
This isn't the first time we've experienced something like this either - we once lived across the hall from some people in an apartment that had literally 10 kids... a Cadillac Escalade... and ZERO furniture in their apartment.
Are we just crazy neighbor magnets? I mean I haven't even TOLD you about the people around the corner... that HAVE to be renters... because I can't imagine paying $200,000 for a house... and letting it look like that... I mean literally everything in their front yard, side yard... and probably back yard too has died. Not just browned because of the heat - like the rest of us... but literally DIED... like crispy - snap it in two - died. We've been meaning to call the Home Owners Association... but haven't gotten around to it yet.
So that's our neighbors in a nutshell... what are yours like?
Sunday, July 5, 2009
John's Journey Update
If you happened to notice - over the weekend, John has surpassed my weight loss number! He's at 98 pounds lost... and I couldn't be more proud of him. He's also lost 56 inches... amazing work for his 4 month anniversary!
I asked him to do the comparison photo today so that I could update you on his progress. For the first time, he actually saw the difference in himself. There aren't words that truly can tell you how deceiving the mirror can be... if you haven't been through a journey of this type... you just can't understand.
He opened his before picture - and just said "WOW... I've lost a LOT of weight." I remember the first time that I saw a photo of myself after getting a good way through the journey - and having a hard time wrapping my head around the difference. You can't deny what you see in the photos... and I'm so glad that John can finally see how far he's come in such a short time.
He still has a way to go to reach his goal... but BOY... he's come so far. I don't even think that I realized how much of a difference there is in him. I mean, I know rationally that he's lost 98 pounds - and that it is a HUGE number for 4 months... but I don't know that I truly realized the difference in the pictures.
I couldn't be more proud of him, and I'm so excited for the journey that is still to come. Things have changed for him in so many ways... this weekend... we went out for lunch, and for the first time that I can remember in recent history - we didn't specifically ask for a table. We both fit in the booth without a problem - and with room to spare... and I know that it is such a relief to not have to worry about making special requests to accommodate our weight.
I'll have him update his photos again in a month or two... it is an amazing transformation!!
I asked him to do the comparison photo today so that I could update you on his progress. For the first time, he actually saw the difference in himself. There aren't words that truly can tell you how deceiving the mirror can be... if you haven't been through a journey of this type... you just can't understand.
He opened his before picture - and just said "WOW... I've lost a LOT of weight." I remember the first time that I saw a photo of myself after getting a good way through the journey - and having a hard time wrapping my head around the difference. You can't deny what you see in the photos... and I'm so glad that John can finally see how far he's come in such a short time.
He still has a way to go to reach his goal... but BOY... he's come so far. I don't even think that I realized how much of a difference there is in him. I mean, I know rationally that he's lost 98 pounds - and that it is a HUGE number for 4 months... but I don't know that I truly realized the difference in the pictures.I couldn't be more proud of him, and I'm so excited for the journey that is still to come. Things have changed for him in so many ways... this weekend... we went out for lunch, and for the first time that I can remember in recent history - we didn't specifically ask for a table. We both fit in the booth without a problem - and with room to spare... and I know that it is such a relief to not have to worry about making special requests to accommodate our weight.
I'll have him update his photos again in a month or two... it is an amazing transformation!!
Fireworks
So, okay... it's been a while since I've posted... basically - lets just say that I needed a break. I've been feeling like the computer was sucking me in more and more... and this week I've felt more like it was the enemy. My desire to use the computer when I'm at home in the evenings has completely vanished... because I want to be present and fully aware in my time that I have to spend with John.
Our 4th of July was good - we spent a good portion of the day with his family cooking and watching Fireproof. Susan, my sister-in-law, made a 7 layer dip decorated with a flag on top. It took a while, and I did a lot of heckling... but in the end it was very cute. Sour cream made the white stripes, tomatoes and salsa made the red stripes, olives served as the background for a sprinkling of cheese for the stars.
We made it home before dark, so that the dogs wouldn't freak out over the fireworks... at which point - our neighbors go COMPLETELY nuts. Since we're dealing with a SEVERE drought - you'd think people would be smarter than they are... but at least in our neighborhood - they aren't. We went to bed around 10:30... and by midnight the fireworks had slowed enough for us to doze off a little bit. There was the occasional firework between then and 2... at which point the kid across the street from us went crazy.
We're talking about fireworks beyond anything that I've ever seen or heard before. Long obnoxious strings of blackcats that would continue popping for a couple of minutes at a time. I mean just one right after the other... John went outside to ask him to stop - since we had to get up for church at 5:30 this morning. The kid was his typically rude self - so we ended up calling the police. We finally went back to bed at 3... for what could only be called a nap.
At that point John got up for church... and I got up to get some things done around the house. I knew that if I didn't try to focus my energy right then - I'd end up getting absolutely nothing done all day today. I opted to attend the second service at church... and surprisingly got quite a bit done. Which awarded us the ability to lay around and relax for the rest of the day.
So lets just say that if fireworks were to never exist... I'd be okay with that. I don't need to explode things in the air to honor the Independence Day for my country - and show my patriotism. Unfortunately, the fireworks make me NOT look forward to this holiday... and New Year's is even worse. UGH! I mean people ought to save their money instead of spending it on something so silly. Why don't they just take their hundred dollar bill and light IT on fire?!
Hopefully I'll be back this week blogging more regularly... whatever I can get done during the day at the office will have to suffice - because I'm sticking to the extremely limited (if at all) use of the computer in the evenings.
Our 4th of July was good - we spent a good portion of the day with his family cooking and watching Fireproof. Susan, my sister-in-law, made a 7 layer dip decorated with a flag on top. It took a while, and I did a lot of heckling... but in the end it was very cute. Sour cream made the white stripes, tomatoes and salsa made the red stripes, olives served as the background for a sprinkling of cheese for the stars.
We made it home before dark, so that the dogs wouldn't freak out over the fireworks... at which point - our neighbors go COMPLETELY nuts. Since we're dealing with a SEVERE drought - you'd think people would be smarter than they are... but at least in our neighborhood - they aren't. We went to bed around 10:30... and by midnight the fireworks had slowed enough for us to doze off a little bit. There was the occasional firework between then and 2... at which point the kid across the street from us went crazy.
We're talking about fireworks beyond anything that I've ever seen or heard before. Long obnoxious strings of blackcats that would continue popping for a couple of minutes at a time. I mean just one right after the other... John went outside to ask him to stop - since we had to get up for church at 5:30 this morning. The kid was his typically rude self - so we ended up calling the police. We finally went back to bed at 3... for what could only be called a nap.
At that point John got up for church... and I got up to get some things done around the house. I knew that if I didn't try to focus my energy right then - I'd end up getting absolutely nothing done all day today. I opted to attend the second service at church... and surprisingly got quite a bit done. Which awarded us the ability to lay around and relax for the rest of the day.
So lets just say that if fireworks were to never exist... I'd be okay with that. I don't need to explode things in the air to honor the Independence Day for my country - and show my patriotism. Unfortunately, the fireworks make me NOT look forward to this holiday... and New Year's is even worse. UGH! I mean people ought to save their money instead of spending it on something so silly. Why don't they just take their hundred dollar bill and light IT on fire?!
Hopefully I'll be back this week blogging more regularly... whatever I can get done during the day at the office will have to suffice - because I'm sticking to the extremely limited (if at all) use of the computer in the evenings.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Q&A Wednesday
Does anyone remember this feature that I seem to have forgotten over the last few weeks?Whew... I know I've been absent the last few days, but it's been a rough few days at our house. We've been struggling with some very personal things that I won't be splashing all over the internet... prayers for John and I are always welcomed.
My health is getting better - FINALLY... last night was the first night in a week and a half that I haven't had a fever. So praise God for that!
I'd love to get Q&A Wednesday back going again - so submit your questions for me in the comments section and I'll be back to answer them within the next week.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Can't Stop Laughing
Life with a 16 year old intern is quite humorous at times. My co-worker happens to be a little bit older than I am - I'd say mid 30's... and is the intern's backup supervisor. She has projects for him to complete, but for the most part - he sticks with me.
Anyway, this morning she had some stuff to do with him - which was a fairly mindless project of stuffing envelopes for a mailing. While stuffing, it is only natural that you'd chat about anything and everything that comes to mind.
So she asked him how he felt about the recent slew of deaths in the celebrity world - mainly Michael Jackson - because I don't think a 16 year old even knows who Farrah Fawcett was or has much connection to Charlie's Angels.... and Ed McMahon wouldn't have been on his radar much either. I'd bet that Michael Jackson and Billy Mays are the only two that register for him.
They start talking about it and how he felt... which on a side note - I'm not sure why people react so strongly to deaths of people that they've never even met. I mean sure - be sad that someone out there lost a family member, but I wouldn't say that I'd be in mourning over the loss of a celebrity.
Anyway, so after a few minutes of chatting about Michael's recent passing - the kid looks at her seriously and asks: "Well, I mean, how did you feel when JFK was killed?" PRICELESS!
She looked at him and asked: "How old do you think I am?! I wasn't even born when he died."
Hysterical!
Anyway, this morning she had some stuff to do with him - which was a fairly mindless project of stuffing envelopes for a mailing. While stuffing, it is only natural that you'd chat about anything and everything that comes to mind.
So she asked him how he felt about the recent slew of deaths in the celebrity world - mainly Michael Jackson - because I don't think a 16 year old even knows who Farrah Fawcett was or has much connection to Charlie's Angels.... and Ed McMahon wouldn't have been on his radar much either. I'd bet that Michael Jackson and Billy Mays are the only two that register for him.
They start talking about it and how he felt... which on a side note - I'm not sure why people react so strongly to deaths of people that they've never even met. I mean sure - be sad that someone out there lost a family member, but I wouldn't say that I'd be in mourning over the loss of a celebrity.
Anyway, so after a few minutes of chatting about Michael's recent passing - the kid looks at her seriously and asks: "Well, I mean, how did you feel when JFK was killed?" PRICELESS!
She looked at him and asked: "How old do you think I am?! I wasn't even born when he died."
Hysterical!
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