2011 Goals

Goals Logo overlay by 2 Twisted Sisters

As the year winds down, and on the last day of the year, it’s surely wound down, I like to write down and even publish my goals and projects for the coming year as my personal affirmation, my promise to myself to work on them! Notice I called them goals and projects, not resolutions. Resolutions are somewhat cliché. People, myself in the past included, make bold resolutions at this time of year that are often the discarded ideas of last year by the end of January. That started bugging me back in my early 20s and I decided that I needed to change the language a bit if I wanted to take myself seriously.

Yes, I talk to myself often, especially when I’m making plans about me! I read on a Facebook status a fitting quote for that. It was something like, “It’s okay to talk to yourself and even to answer yourself, as long as you aren’t saying, ‘what??’” I don’t make myself incredulously angry often!


So, here is my plan for 2011:

Medical Project

Okay, the “project” here is just to get whatever needs done done so I can move about with at least some reasonable stability and pain maintenance. My physical therapist did some strength measuring and is a little befuddled by the fact that my right side just seems to be a little weaker all the way down. I’m right-handed, so it should be the other way around. I feel like my right hand is stronger since the doctor cracked out what he called “the mother lode” in my back in November, but we’ll see what he says next week. My PT sent him a note on it. I might end up with an MRI on my back before my knee. --sigh-- But, ya know, I’m not the doctor, right? I’ve been feeling better and like there has been some movement in the right direction, so for now at least, I’m beginning to trust those medical folks a bit more. My immediate physical therapy goal is to get back to pool therapy by the end of January.


Weight Loss & Exercise Goal

Well, on my anniversary day, December 23, I’d lost 40.4 pounds since the end of April. Okay, I’m probably back at 35 now, but I’m going back to my diet plan 100% on the 3rd, I’m on a way cut-down number of Holiday Treats from the three days of Christmas feasting which included UNO and the Fabulous Dessert Bar on Sunday. I’ll be back to control of intake, including a 12-glass a day minimum of water and I plan to add 10 minutes on my recumbent bike every day I don’t have therapy. I am very satisfied with my weight accomplishment from last year and I feel better, my knee is happier with me, without looking too bad. I’ve seen people who lose a lot really fast, I’ve had relatives that did that, and the face gets so drawn and sick-looking. My face is a little drawn. I look a little older. But, I’ve always been told I look younger than I am anyway and besides, if looks were that important to me, I never would have let myself become overweight, right? So, I’ll keep doing what I was doing in 2010. The people who love me for me won’t care if I look a few years older and we’ll all be happy that I’m healthier and feel better, right?


Scrapbook goals

2010 was a great year in getting my scrapbooking caught up! The goal was to have 2007 done by the end of the year and 2010 done by the end of January 2011. Well, the 2 books that are 2007 are sitting on my shelf and have been there for a while, all finished and printed! I still have an ambitious chunk of 2010 left, but I don’t think it’s an unreasonable thought that I’ll be done at the end of January. I still have 10 days before the semester starts too!

So, for 2011, I’m sticking with the formula that worked. I’ll have 2008 complete by then end of 2011 and 2011 will be done by the end of January 2012. I also have a gift project that I’m working on, but I have been working on that one since 2009, so it’s not an overwhelming amount of work to add.


House Uncluttered Project

This is the biggie for the year. We have 2 rooms that are essentially storage rooms right now and I want to claim them as rooms again!

One room is “The Train Room.” It used to be a bedroom. In fact, there’s still a bed in it behind and under boxes of model train stuff and old photos. My shelving unit with my scrapbooks is in there too. The other room, “The Office,” has piles and boxes of my files, paper scrapping supplies and some boxes I never put away from moving. (in 2007!) That room also has the two desks with our desktop computers on them. Both of the desktops are old. Mine is only used to read emails in the morning and occasionally to write during the night if I’m having trouble sleeping, writing helps me sleep. The other computer is really just not used. It’s older than my Mac and David and I both have much newer laptops.

What I’d really like to do is make a “man cave” and a “woman cave,” both with small desks and futons. That would give us both work/storage areas and two usable guest areas. Tori was skeptical, but pleased with that thought. The girls are both at the point of too tall for the loveseat for sleeping when they stay over now and there's only one couch!

I’m going to start with the office and sorting, throwing away or shredding all of my stuff that’s in there. That room will end up being the woman cave. My Mac and the photos to be scanned will live there with my scrapbook shelves and I’m going to get some organizers for the other craft and office supplies. The office supplies will be a central location for the whole house too. A futon in the corner where David’s desk and chair are now would be a nice place to read too!

The Train Room will be the man cave. We can put the organizer shelves in for David’s slides and train gear. If he wants to keep the old computer available we can put that on a desk and replace the old bed with another futon for optimizing space.

My biggest project on this is to be able to paint the picture well enough for David to share my vision. I’m really excited about having the space and two great rooms for our personal interests. I haven’t been able to bring him with me past the, “Oh my lord, so much cleaning,” part. No one enjoys cleaning, but the end is so worth it, in my mind anyway. I’m going to get started in the computer room with filling the bags to pitch, recycle or shred. Maybe some progress with make my vision believable!


Okay, now I am feeling a bit geeky about the coming year and seeing that slimmer and better moving me putting the 2008 scrapbooks on the shelf in my woman cave! Stephen Covey said, in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, “Begin with the end in mind.” Visualize reaching the goal and understand what you are earning by doing the work to attain it. I have always loved that book!

So there is my game plan for 2011. As always, I add one line to the end of my goal planning: THIS OR SOMETHING BETTER.

I hope everyone has a fantastic New Years Eve, and may 2011 hold all you want it to – OR BETTER!

Christmas Hangover

Detroit’s Eastern Market

It’s been a fun and busy time since I last blogged! On Christmas Eve David and I stopped at McDonald’s in Romulus, Michigan and had a quick hot breakfast before Dave and the gang met us. I had the fruit and maple McOatmeal. Never had McOatmeal before but it was GOOD! When we’re railfanning, that may step in as my go-to breakfast! The Indy fam and Pop picked up McBreakfast to go and I switched into their van for our trip to the Eastern Market. David had some other errands, which I think included the last of my stocking stuffers. He commented about the selection of lip balms at Claire’s at the Mall in Ann Arbor.

Eastern Market this year was a bit of a dissappointment. Some of the shops were open, but the main vendor area and Rocky Peanut Company were closed! There were signs telling of the big Christmas day there being the 23rd this year. That was a bit of a disappointment, but we still did some meat shopping and I got a chunk of imported parmesan cheese, which was grated onto Christmas Day pasta at home and a small bag of Chocolate Cherries that were my selfish sin of the day! In years past, when I used to go with my Mom and Dad, we went on the Saturday before Christmas, which was of course only Christmas Eve when Christmas was on a Sunday. They’d gone last year and found many of the holiday vendors selling wreaths and centerpieces and the shops open, but no produce vendors were out. That was my bad. I‘d remembered the produce vendors on the Saturdays and had actually not done my produce market shopping for the week, planning on stocking up at the farmer’s market stands. So, the veggie for Christmas ended up being salad this year, but we had good pasta and sauce and some excellent wine leftover from our anniversary dinner.

By the way, that anniversary dinner was outstanding! We got to Ciao after David got off work Thursday and were seated pretty much immediately, a sweet table for two right by the fireplace. The baked Asiago that I was looking forward to for an appetizer was a little less than my brain was geared up for, but oh the basil tomato soup was so much more! I had the mahi-mahi dinner, which I decided was a manly enough fish to stand up to the red Tuscan wine we ordered. That was a good choice. The wine was excellent! For dessert, David had a molten chocolate cake and I had tiramisu. It was a wonderful evening! My pocket-size party camera died about month ago, so I didn’t get any photos. I think I need to replace the little party camera.

Back to Christmas Eve, we all gathered at my cousin, Lisa’s, house for Christmas Eve dinner. The long-standing tradition in our family has been a huge fish dinner on Christmas Eve. I’ve heard that’s a common Italian tradition. I’ve never liked the meal because it was always fried. In more recent years they’ve added some not fried fish, usually salmon or tilapia, neither of which I care for, and at least one plate of shrimp that’s boiled or done scampi-style. I don’t go for the food. I go for the people! I usually get a snack before dinner. This year it was a big McLatte, lots of milk – filling and healthier than the fried stuff too, although I wasn’t thinking heavily about healthy for Christmas.

AS and Tori may not have matched their own twins,
but they complemented each other perfectly!

After dinner was sweets, cookies and cakes and such and some photo time around my aunt’s story time with the kids, including the story of the first Christmas, and presents time for the kids. One of the fun photos was Tori and AS. The girls are both twins and while they didn’t dress matching their own twin, they had matching color choices for their dresses. They made a cute pair! (I also got a nice shot of me with the girls.

Nana and the Niecii

After the party at Lisa’s, we went to Pop and Aunt Judy’s place for gift exchanges ad a little Pop-time. Then, with thankfully the bad weather taking a pass on us this year, we made our way south, back to Ohio and our kitty-kids to have a quiet just-us Christmas Day.

I’ll expound a little more later. On Sunday, we met the Indy gang for breakfast and brought Rina and Tori home with us for UNO and the Fabulous Deseret Bar Sunday night and a few days with us. We’ll make our way back into Michigan this afternoon, after my therapy, to stay with Pop for New Year’s Eve festivities in Frankenmuth. I love when they are here and I kinda mss them already!

More to come…

Break Time

New this year - ornaments to represent all our kids!

I think the most frustrating thing about my ailments is that they slow me down! I SO hope that therapy and getting a start on fixing my knee in January get me moving and in the right direction! My arm is on the mend from that post Thanksgiving fall. I think that’s one of the more pleasurable parts of physical therapy. The first thing we do is I lay down and my therapist stretches and moves my arm, gently, but it really helps it loosen up! There’s still some pain, but I’m back to doing my normal stuff. I drive, lift, well lisftish, wash dishes and do laundry. I can lift up my text books for next term, as long as it’s one at a time! What is rough this week is that I have limited stirring capacity before I need to take a break. Yeesh! Who ever heard of getting worn out making a batch of candy?

But here I am, break time again! It’s not even a sore knee! THAT will come this afternoon when I am doing Mr. Goodcookies because tat takes a lot of walking back and forth between the counters and oven. SO far today I’ve done the Krisp Kringles and a small batch of diet peanut butter cup crisps. Normally I don’t make anything diet in my Christmas baking but I won’t serve these for UNO. I’ve been very, very good and dropped a few pounds of me. Now, I just want to not gain for the rest of the month with the intention of losing again starting January 3. But I will diet carefully for the days leading up to the 23 this week. That means I will only sample little pieces of my creations for quality control and the diet candies, made with reduced calorie chocolates and fat free peanut butter, will be my snacks. See? I’m learning how to plan ahead to save temptation for when it feels really good to be bad!

The diet break will begin with dinner on Thursday. David and I will have been married for 2 years and we’re going out to Ciao, in Sylvania. Then Christmas Eve will be an all day family day, Christmas will be just us and the kitty kids and Sunday will start with brunch out in Fort Wayne when I pick up Rina and Tori before UNO and well, desserts a plenty! I’ll go back to a sensible but relaxed food attitude after that.

We got the tree up finally. I tell ya, my pains, David’s nasty cold and the sheer fact that Christmas on a weekend is essentially everything a week short this year, it’s no wonder we’re behind! Right now, it has no garland. I have that gorgeous plush garland that Mom had talked someone at Bronner’s into selling her years ago. I didn’t want to put it on the tree this year, because we’ve reached the point where we have so many ornaments of our own that there would definitely be some trapped behind the thick garland. I got a great tip from The Fabulous Adventures of Listgirl’s blog for making simple paper garland but there might not be time for that this year. I thought maybe I’d see if I could find some skinny garland or bead garland when I’m out this afternoon for therapy.

Miss Edna's gift makes a festive Mantelpiece Yard!

I got a surprise in the mail last week. A box I didn’t order, but addressed to me! It was from Edna, a sweet gift from her Christmas collection! She needed to find a happy home for three HO gauge freight cars in Christmas paint. The mantel on our fireplace is known as “Mantelpiece Yard.” There is track there and David keeps model cars he’s working on up there. David put the cars Edna gave us in the middle of the front track for the holidays. The fireplace is right next to where the tree is, so it’s a gorgeous festive addition!. Again, thanks SO MUCH, Edna!!

Okay, now break ends, it’s time for laundry and getting ready for therapy ad errands before I come home to more cookies later on!

Links:

Ciao Ristorante

The Fabulous Adventures of Listgirl

Miss Edna's Place

Soap Box Between Cookies

I was having my morning multitask, coffee and a banana nut muffin, reading news stories and making Krisp Kringles, well, okay I made and poured to set the Kringles before coffee and news. One story I read was about the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Gay Rights stories often get my dander up.

I have had friends and good acquaintances that are gay over the years, but there’s not anyone that I am aware of in my family, relatives and friends, who is gay. Still Gay Rights issues are a huge deal to me. I’m not sure why, other than the fact that I can’t stand the government or ignorant special interest groups stepping on another person’s rights “because you’re not like ME!” I was a girl who played ice Hockey in the 70s and a woman in sports production in the 90s. I guess it’s just that I know a thing or two about being told I’m not enough like someone else. NO ONE has a right to tell ANYONE that, EVER.

I am so happy that Rina and Tori, kids in high school in general, are becoming more understanding and accepting. I am proud that the girls find those who bully, abuse and inflict violence and murder for those insecure excuses to be the deviants and worthless members of society. Human morals and values are becoming more normal in that area.

It does pain me at this time of year to think that any kind of discrimination is still in the news. Not in MY world. In my utopia it’s not even a hot topic. It just doesn’t exist.

I look at our Christmas card this year and think, if I was a lesbian and David was a woman and my partner, that card would be the same. I still would have written the sappy verse, still would scrapbook and have designed the card, the cats would still be there on the rumpled comforter on our bed and there would still be a photo of us at someone’s wedding. The difference would be that we wouldn’t be married living in Ohio. Somehow, there are people who think that would be wrong. Since we don’t have kids, I don’t get what the difference would be. It’s not like we took advantage of the ONLY thing a marriage can do on its own exclusively with opposite sex partners.

With the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the haters will hate louder. The supporters of equal rights for human beings, need to support louder too.

Stepping off soapbox now. Gotta start another batch of cookies. :)

Crunch Time

Can you believe Christmas Day is a week from today? So much yet to do!

First of all, the biggest road bock to celebrating this year has not only been taken down, but turned into a cause to cautiously celebrate. My cousin’s daughter, Kendal, has been in Minnesota, with her folks, getting some aggressive chemo for leukemia. That has been a scary and overwhelming story in our family this year. Kendal is only 16 and it’s her second time battling this damn disease. Yes, I said damn disease. Cancer took both of my grandparents on my Dad’s side, our Dads' side, so it’s a scary, haunting disease, I don’t know that John, my cousin, remembers Nono but he and Noni were very close. Kendal beat leukemia at 4 years olds and no one, especially a kid, should ever have to beat it twice. After a few very scary weeks, the word from John and wife, Heather, on their updates is that the cancer is in remission! It was a happy day yesterday. John’s title on his update post on the Team Kendal website yesterday was “Tears of Joy” and you can believe I was crying them with him as I read the optimistic news! Kendal is truly an amazing and strong young woman!

My cousin and his daughter, Kendal.
She's one of the srtrongest people I know.

I think the good news yesterday just charged my Christmas spirit. I had been going through the motions as far as cleanup and getting ready for the holiday. Yesterday I got some actual work done and put together my scheduling lists for baking. I usually have that ready weeks in advance!

David has a cold and when he came home from work, late as is often the case on Fridays, he was just beat. We were going to finish the living room cleanup and put up the tree last night, but that got postponed to hopefully a healthier David, or at least until I can rest up all the stuff that was pretty sore by the end of the day. My list includes baking two of my traditional threats, Krisp Kringles and Mr. Goodcookies, macaroons and a reduced calorie chocolate-peanut butter crisp candy for this year.

One of last year's crostadas.

Of course, I’ll be doing crostadas. One for my cousin, Lisa, who hosts the family party on Christmas Eve, one for Dad, 2 for Dave so he can take one to the family party on Christmas Day for Laura’s family and they can have one at home (apricot, which Tori says she’ll eat all of) and 2 that stay here for UNO and for David and me. I’m trying a couple “just fruit” spreads this year and a chocolate hazelnut one with Nutella spread.

Tori and Rina will be here for UNO this year! I’m happy about that and I know they’re excited too. I’m meeting Dave in Fort Wayne for breakfast on the 26th and bringing the girls home with me. Then the UNO party is at 5. They are excited to see friends they haven’t seen in a few years. Friends who have known them since they were babies who said, “What? Sixteen, not possible!” last year when I was taking about their birthday bash. I’m also planning some other fun stuff while they’re here before I take them up to Pop’s for their annual trek to Frankenmuth for New Years Eve

I slipped on my scrap page a day yesterday. I got the last pages for Summerail stared, so maybe if I finish the 2-pager tonight, I’ll have 2 done. I’m in August now, so I’m in decent shape to meet my end of January goal to have 2010 finished.

Okay, now I need coffee and to get this day started!

Links:

Team Kendal

Davinities recipes at Simply Davlicious

Lights Christmas

I’m dreaming of a lights Christmas
Just like the ones without the snow
Where the trees all twinkle
But no sprained ankles
From slipping on ice out when you go

I’m dreaming of a lights Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
May your days be warmer, yet bright
‘Cause my all your Christmases have lights

Yeah, maybe I’m getting old, or maybe it’s just the common fear of one who walks with assistance, but the snow can go away any time. I don’t need Christmas snow, just give me the lights and I feel merry and jolly!

I have some totally cool people around me. We have David’s Mom’s wheelchair and David and I have already discussed the possibility of using it when Rina and Tori are here to go to the lights at the Zoo. I hope it won’t be too cold, but I do have plenty of regular and Splenda hot drink mixes. I have never been to the lights at the Zoo and have really wanted to.

Also, I’ll get to use the chair for Christmas before that. I have an awesome baby brother! Dave and fam get up to Dad’s the day before Christmas Eve and go to the Eastern Market in Detroit on Christmas Eve morning. We always used to go to go the Saturday before Christmas, but I haven’t been in years. David and I usually go up later in the day, after he gets off work. I’ve really missed the Eastern Market during the holidays and I lamented not being able to go. Dave said, “Well Sis, you can go with us, just like old times!” When I reminded him of my knee and not being able to do it, he said he’d push the chair so I could go.

Now, when my brother is pushing a wheel chair with me in it, there is some teasing that goes on in the form of how fast he can get me going. David does it too. But it’s all good. I kind of enjoy it, but he needs to remember he’s setting that example for the girls. If the day comes that he is old and can’t do the walking, they’ll be pushing him – in the way he taught them! Hehe

Now I take this all in stride and with a smile because I’ll get the MRI on my knee in January. Maybe next year I’ll be able to do the walking? I’m going to take advantage of the seat for the events this year and being able to take lots of pictures! One of the parts of the holiday season I love is reminiscing…and making new memories to reminisce about in the years to come.

Cold Feet!

The photo that starts this blog is two things. First it’s a celebration of being able to lift my foot up to the tabletop in a sitting position. Okay, I didn’t just lift it there, I had to help it up, but that’s my right foot, so the foot below the bad knee and the sore arm, so a lot had to be a little better to make it possible. I don’t NOT hurt yet, but I sure don’t hurt like I did the past few days today! But the main reason for the photo is the sock!

I have a nice collection of festive Christmas socks, like those ones that I’m wearing today. They are fun and while I don’t like shoes at all, I LOVE socks! I buy a lot of my own Christmas socks, but I’ve received some as gifts too. One pair I really love, and although they are a bit worn and have some holes in the heals, I won’t part with, are my “bearing gifts” socks.

Back, way back, 1988, I was working as an accounting clerk at a condominium complex. I jokingly called myself the “File Bear,” since I had started as a file clerk in 87. The joke of the name was that if the construction superintendents didn’t get their invoices and paperwork in to me, I could turn into a grizzly bear, but it was better to keep me a teddy bear. In 88, we had a “Secret Santa” in the office. No one knew who it was until later, but someone was leaving random Holiday gifts for their coworkers, a different person got a gift every day from December first. I was the first one! The small, soft package was left on my chair, no tag. It was a pair of Christmas socks with a polar bear holding a present in his mouth. They said “Bearing Gifts” on them. So perfect! So sweet! Such a mystery!

In a couple of weeks, many gifts came from the mystery Santa and it was a fun buzz in the office, trying to figure out whom they were from. It turned out the boss’ assistant and her husband, one of the superintendents, were the ones to credits for the gifts and the fun they brought.

Today I still have those socks in my drawer, although they get maybe one wearing a year now. But I have a collection of red and green stripes and bears, candy and footies with Christmas trees on the back and a pair with gingerbread men. The problem with socks priced low enough that I have a collection of them is that in order to price them that reasonable, they aren’t thick socks! I usually wear my holiday socks over thicker socks. Today, however, I have just the very festive nylon socks with the starlight mints on them, thus, I have cold feet!

Keep warm, everyone!

Can We Say “Pier UNO?”

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Pier 1 Imports. All opinions are 100% mine.

Okay, it’s more like can we bring the UNO Party to festive glory at Pier 1!

I took a look at their positively magical website in the “Tasting Party” section. Isn’t that what Holiday entertaining is anyway? A taste of this, a taste of that, if I serve the sweets as tastes, I can offer many wonderful flavors without them feeling like I’m forcing huge amounts of food. Of course, I’ll happily offer seconds or thirds on their favorites. I know Tori, my foodie, would go nuts in the store on just checking out the website.

David and I have chuckled at the Pier One commercials with the critical carolers complaining about the décor at the houses where they stop. Now granted, critical caroling won’t earn a lot of holiday cheer in the tip cup, but as I’m looking at the whimsical decorations and holiday gifts, it might not be that bad. The prices are so reasonable!

Ornament Bubble Bath, Glitter Paper Soaps to keep in a purse or pocket and a Vanilla Bath Fizz are just a few great stocking stuffers for under $10! There are so many decor items from ornaments to paper stars and festive candles. It only takes a few décor items to turn your living space into a warm holiday wonderland!

Okay, so for me, I’d love to get any of the tasting party dish sets as a gift…Well, okay and maybe some candles. There are gorgeous pillar candles and tea candle holders! To give, well, not to let out secrets where they might be seen by the receiver, but I mentioned that my foodie, who is an all out party hostess foodie, would love the party dishes, another on my list would probably love to meditate into the calming flame of the pretty holiday candles, or that gold Christmas Tree tea light cover. I can imagine that flickering the filigree shadows on a table. MMM!!

I’ll mention one more thing about Pier 1 Imports. Like all the rest of us, they are on Facebook too! Stop by and “like” them the next time you log on to Facebook. Not only will you get updated with the latest Pier 1 information on your home page, but for every new fan they get, they’ll donate a dollar to Toys for Tots. It’s a company that doesn’t need a lot of encouragement to give back, but you get to be part of it by giving a quick click when you’re enjoying social networking!

So check out Pier 1! A little bit of cash will give your holidays a big amount of class!

Plasma…. Cat Plasma!

Do you remember that old cartoon? Okay, a lot of people don’t. The guy and his dog get run over and the ambulance guy asks for “plasma” and looking at the dog “dog plasma.” Then he confuses the two and the man and dog take on each other’s tendencies, to the chagrin of the wife and French poodle at home who finally say “we’re leaving,” get run over and the same attendant makes the same mistake and they all live happily ever after.

Here it is: Crazy Mixed Up Pup

That didn’t happen to Carla and me at all, but two doctors visits in one day and, well, I like that cartoon!


Okay, you might look at the time stamp and wonder what I’m doing blogging at barely Wednesday in the morning. I grumble and ask that too! I couldn’t sleep, well, not true. I wanted desperately to sleep, but this arm, grrr…

I had an 8 AM doctor’s appointment today… yesterday, um, Tuesday. My arm is still hurting a week later. Actually, it’s reached the healing point of muscular exhaustion. It’s like the nerves are re-meeting or something and I get spasms between my shoulder and elbow ranging in intensity from annoying to scare the cats. I just had one of those scare the cats ones in bed before I got up and decided to blog. Carla was under the covers next to me and David was asleep already. If I had screeched like I wanted to, I’d have awoken him in a panic for sure!

So the outcome of the doctor’s visit is that my physical therapy is being updated. No pool for a few weeks because with the arm pain, I can’t get the walker in or out of the car. I have to have the walker after I get out of the pool! Now my arm is being added to my PT roster and the bad knee is being added back on too. Seems the wonderful insurance company regards the initial therapy on my knee as no longer valid since it was a year ago and I have to do it gain. The doc’s not happy about the way they do it either, but he doesn’t want me to empty my savings account to get the MRI without their blessing. I have to agree. Empty savings account means school is done, and school is NOT done yet!

Insurance pays for 30 therapy sessions per calendar year. This is actually the perfect time for this. I considered the math. 30 sessions at 3 a week is 2 and a half months a year. If we do it their way and attend a month of therapy before they’ll let me get an MRI, if I need surgery, which it won’t surprise me if they say I do, it only leaves a month and a half of recovery therapy. I really do prefer my doctor making my medical decisions because my doctor has a CLUE. The insurance company just has a budget.


I ended up running to the Vet’s office this afternoon with a carrier of meowing Jell-O! When Carla got up from her nap this afternoon she was sneezing, repetitively and frequently sneezing. Remembering her respiratory infection last year, I was concerned. When I talked to David on the phone, he mentioned that she was sneezing like that in the morning when I was at the doctor’s office too. I called the Vet and they had nothing until Thursday, unless I could get her in in a half hour. They had one spot open. I was pleased that I could get her in that quick. Carla wasn’t so pleased.

Her doctor thinks it is either a cold or the very beginning of an infection. See? Waiting until Thursday wouldn’t have been good. She got a shot of antibiotic and we went home. She’s still sneezing, but already not as much.


Okay, I think the Vicodin is kicking in now, so I’m gonna try to get some sleep!

Cup of Coffee? Seriously?

Okay, first off, there is gloominess in the world of the Cincinnati Reds today. A limited-time marriage of number-one nemesis, the St. Louis Cardinals, and he who owns Great American Ballpark, Lance Berkman, was announced today.

No, I’m not writing to make a big worrisome, or not, statement about that, not today. I’ll have to digest that first. But I’m writing to complain about how I heard about it.

I was in Connecticut this morning. I head a about the signing of Berkman by St. Louis on New York’s WCBS radio. “After a cup of coffee with the Yankees,” Berkman is going to St. Louis. “A cup of coffee?” What? Oh, the Yankees ego!

A “cup of coffee” is a term used to describe a short stint in the major leagues, NOT a short stint with the Yankees. I wonder how Mets fans feel about that in their own city. It makes me wonder if the ugliness in bandwagon Yankee fans is their own attitude or a product of the team’s ownership or even the media in New York. I mean come on, for a news station to infer that the Yankees are the big leagues and 29 other teams are not? Please!

As I recall, the Yankees were not even the American League team that lost the World Series this year. Oh yeah, the Yankees had their cup of coffee in the playoffs earlier, before Texas cut them from October.