I Do Have Lots of Things To Talk About

but I had to get up at 5:30 to go to Parents' Day at early-morning seminary.  Then I worked until 7:15 pm, fueled on a donut and pizza.  No, not good.  It's 9:30 pm, and I have to take a hot bath and go to bed.

Lock up your daughters!

Happy birthday, Pancho Juicebox!  I love you!

Inside, I'm Still Six Years Old

aka "Really, lady?"

Today, I received a message on FB sent by a relative of someone who I am not FB friends with but who is linked to me through other avenues.  The person scolded me for a comment I made expressing my feelings about an event I had just witnessed.

Thin skin?  Yes, that's me alright.  I do not have good coping methods when I feel like I've been yelled at or disapproved of or disliked.  It would be nice just to say, "Okay.  Thanks for your opinion and input," or say nothing at all and just continue along my way.  I find it very hard to change the response pattern of a lifetime.

You'd think that my sensitivity would lead me to be more sensitive to others, but I don't think that's the case.  I don't like to hear other people being berated, but do I stand up for others as much as I should?  Hmmm....

I'm thinking, more spine, less raw nerves.  Better, more-refined behavior on my part will also lead to less scolding.

Blergh

After a poor night's sleep, I woke early to run with my team.  We were running out at Harbor Island, which is a new route for me.  I was so excited, so when I started to have an earache and nausea I figured that I should just keep going.  You know how, when you're a kid and you feel ill before school, sometimes just getting up and getting out there makes you feel better?

Yeah, no.  By the time I got out to Spanish Landing (it's out by the airport and next to Harbor Island), I thought I was going to puke and my brains were going to blow out of my ear.  So I turned around and went home.  Since I really can't just let stuff like this slide, I made an appointment with Urgent Care and was seen in just a couple of hours.

My mom reminded me of how she would warm a washcloth in the oven and have me lie with my infected ear on it when I was little.  I think that I will heat up the corn bag in the microwave and lay my head on it.

Fall Evenings

When it starts to get dark early, all I want to do is stay home in my jammies and curl up on the couch under a blanket.

For dinner tonight, we had baked yams, salad and pork chops that I pan-fried with just a little salt and pepper.  Divine!!!  I love colorful meals.

Last night, I took Rowdy on a field trip to watch a jiujitsu class.  It was his first real foray out of the house in about a month.  There was lots of good energy there, and he lapped it up.

I'd like to go see a movie, but there's nothing out there right now that really grabs me. 

With a Little Help From My Friends At Target

"Pony hair" finish

Suede

I Really Dislike This Part of Being Female

Yup.  You guessed it--PMS.  I have this very annoying free-floating anxiety that I know is just hormonal, not related to anything else in my life.  It doesn't matter what I'm doing--working (not a fun feeling when I am dealing with my patients), driving, watching TV.  Doesn't matter.  Arrrgh.  It makes me super-sensitive and super-critical of everything I do.  Ugh. 

You Can't Keep a Good Rowdy Down

Saturday Libations

A real Diet Cherry coke, complete with three cherries nestled in the bottom of the glass.

Hot white chocolate with starlight-mint infused Cool Whip.

Sunday Summation

I bore my testimony in church today.  It is very annoying to me that the Spirit causes me to feel nauseated and weak kneed and to cry.  Those things make it hard to walk up to the pulpit and then say something intelligible.  I think I should feel strong and clear-eyed and clear-voiced instead.

This was a call week for me.  I was at work for almost seven  hours yesterday and an hour and a half today.  The extra money is good, but I felt like I was beaten repeatedly by a big stick yesterday when all was said and done.  On top of that, I had to run for 70 minutes yesterday as part of my half-marathon training.  So, yeah, it was:  run 70 minutes, change, work non-stop, grocery shop, cook dinner, clean up, put away laundry.  I was completely done by eight o'clock.

Rowdy and I are getting better at changing his ostomy appliance (makes it sound like a mixer or blender or something).  We were able to do it today with little muss or fuss.  Our last attempt, on Thursday, was such an ordeal.  We're just getting more used to it, I think.  His midline wound is looking a lot better, too.

Jordan will be here for a week-long visit, starting tomorrow.  Everyone is looking forward to seeing her.  I want to hear all of her stories about university life.

Retail therapy is looking pretty good right about now.  I do need some new, black pumps.  I would like some taupe suede pumps, too.  My SIL, Tory, recommended strongly that I buy myself some expensive jeans that will fit just right and last forever.

My favorite MotoGP racer won at Sepang today.  It made me nostalgic for the trip that Rowd and I took last year, where we saw Vale win the World Championship and got to meet several riders.  That was a great trip all around.

Nhe's Sineteen

When I was nineteen, I was a junior in college.

Many young men of my acquaintance left on missions at nineteen.

When one of my sisters was nineteen, she got married.

When he was nineteen, Rowdstar became a daddy...

to this beautiful creature, who turns 19 today.  Thankfully, she has no plans to be married and/or become a mother this year. 

We love you, Jo!  This is going to be an amazing year for you!

Ow

Two months ago, I made the mistake of changing my running shoe brand.  I bought these:

Notice where they ended up

Immediately, I was having right hip pain consistent with piriformis syndrome.  There was localized pain in my right buttock and sciatica.  My feet and lower legs were vaguely achy.  I having stretching and massaging and soaking, taking anti-inflammatories and Rowdy's prescription pain reliever.  Sitting is totally obnoxious.

Today was just the limit, so the Nikes hit the trash, and I went back to Saucony.

I also bought a foam roller.  I'm rolling my feet right now.  Ahhhh.

Life As We Know It

16 hours of TPN

Some of our supplies

The cabinet that will eventually contain the supplies

Just add vitamins, and you have breakfast, lunch and dinner

The TPN pump makes a "whirr-whirr" sound every five seconds.  Noises, particularly repetitive noises, really bug me, but this doesn't.  It's a very quiet, purring sound.