I've written about my health and constant, chronic pain before. Today, it is reaching new heights. I slept about 3 hours, then I woke up to go to the bathroom and then I was hitting that period of the morning where different alarms go off every so often, my attempt at keeping my body waking up at around 5 AM when I go back to work tomorrow. So I was in serious pain when it was time to get ready for church, and I decided not to go. I didn't really want to miss church, but I sure didn't want to stand in the choir loft (or in the congregation) or sit in the pews while my feet were aching like sore teeth.
If you want to think I'm Miss Cheerful and never complain about anything... stop reading now, because it's gonna get hateful in here. I hate dealing with chronic pain. When I was in 3rd grade, I got to know a girl who was diabetic and I wanted to learn all about her. I was a little jealous because she had a mid-morning break when she went to the teachers' lounge and my suspicion was that she had a snack (I was usually hungry before lunch so this seemed positive) and had to test her sugar... which was all by urine at the time, no sticking. I thought it was a built-in diet trick to always drink diet sodas, I thought that would keep her from being a fat adult. (It didn't. She's not huge, but has never been thin.) That was very important to me at the time. She did have to get insulin shots, but they didn't seem to bother her like shots bothered me. I thought, the worst thing that can happen is that old people with diabetes sometimes lost toes, and I wasn't sure why that happened, but her 11-year-old toes seemed to be in decent shape. I also thought if shots were the worst thing... well, let me assure you, they are not.
The neuropathy started sometime around November, 2008. I'd been diabetic for at least 2 years before that, and it wasn't too long after my diagnosis. I was insulin resistant for many years, since at least 1985 and probably a few years before. I thought it was just a genetic thing, most of my mom's family dealt with it. I didn't realize what that was doing to my body, and I didn't realize that the way I ate was making it worse. I had gestational diabetes in my first pregnancy, and though I didn't the second time, I did have a nine pound baby that time - both risk factors for developing diabetes later in life. Even that didn't scare me. I thought because I had low blood sugar that I wouldn't become diabetic, just like I couldn't starve myself because my sugar would dip too low. Honestly, if my blood sugars hadn't been so wild, I probably would've been anorexic because food was always the enemy. But I'd let them drop too low and then stuff some carbs down to get me through. Carbs couldn't be too bad, right? After all, they were low in fat and fat was the problem, right? I ate more complex carbs, like pasta and potatoes, because they weren't simple sugars like candy that would run through me quickly. I began to realize that I could eat sugars IF i ate something with protein first, so I did.
When I was diagnosed, I thought if I took my meds, I could still eat what I wanted, within limits. I didn't really want as much sweet stuff, but I did still like it. I thought I would never be able to cut carbs out completely, and I was eating so much less sugar than I used to, but eventually, they had to stop one of my medicines because of the liver function tests going haywire, so I just gave up and threw all caution to the wind. For a year or so I ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted it. Eventually I did attempt to cut out carbs, and I'm still pretty good at that, but I do eat some. Like I had a hot dog, and instead of carb-laden side dishes, I had - sit down - a BUN! Oops. Flag on the play. The touchdown will not count.
I've been thoroughly disappointed with the inability of modern medicine to cure my pain. Doctors say, "You've got to have better control of your sugar." I'm like, it's 3:00 pm and all I've had all day was a protein shake that says it contains 25 carbs. How could my sugars be high because of that? So why are they hurting? Well, lots of things can make them hurt... but only keeping my sugars low is the only relief I can get???
I would try medical marijuana, but I live in a non-legal state. I'm told my state representatives share the Attorney General's belief that marijuana leads to harder drugs. I went to college. I tried "weed" back in the day. I never did any stronger drugs, and I was offered cocaine more than once. For the record, I didn't try marijuana the first few times it was offered either. I guess I did do "harder" drugs at times... I had morphine after surgery. Once in awhile I'd have a prescription for an opiate, when I had broken bones and migraines and toothaches. The medicine would help with whatever pain I was in at the time, but that wasn't because I smoked pot in college. I could understand how people got hooked on opiates, because after surgery, it was a little scary to think about the pain without the drugs, but I was able to go longer and longer without them and substitute Tylenol for doses during the day until I could easily wean off the "hard stuff." Nowadays I can't even get the doctors to write me a prescription for pain medicine, because it's taboo to prescribe opioids. Oh, and by the way, I live in the number one opiate-prescribing state according to this study. Not surprising, considering we are a long way from a medically-legal marijuana state. I think in a few years our neighbor Arkansas will have it. That's only three hours from me... certainly not convenient for moving. Oh, if Kentucky would allow it, I'd probably move the 13 miles due north for that.
So i am left to my own devices to drown out the pain. I'm gonna try turmeric. Hell, what do I have to lose? I go to bed terrified of what the next day is going to bring. I have no guarantee that a night's sleep will allow me to wake up feeling energetic and pain-free. (Occasionally, it happens.) If I have to work, will I be miserable all day? Maybe I'll have a good day and it'll feel better. But after I stand a lot, what will my night be like? If I can't sleep, I'm guaranteed a day of intense pain. I have to check all the boxes: a good night of rest, all medications taken on time, all meals at the correct time (which doesn't happen often in my work), no carbs (even on Christmas! Diabetes doesn't take a holiday), a good balance of sitting and standing and walking (something else I can't always control in my job). Now, who among us can check all those boxes every.single.day? Maybe I am a loser because I screw up on that list on a pretty regular basis. Then there are the matters none of us can control, such as weather. Did we get a cold front? Count on extra pain. Rain? Probably. But it's the way I eat that's the problem. RIGHT. Too cold in the room? Better cover those feet, but socks are usually too tight, exacerbating the pain.
It's a vicious cycle. Sleep late and take meds late? Ouch. Work to make money and, let's face it, to keep me on my feet... and pay for it later with sleepless nights. It's driving me insane. I've tried B-6, B-12, biotin, evening primrose oil, alpha-lipoic acid, multi-vitamins, Metanx, and using a TENS unit... ice, heating pad, more water, liquor, prayer (begging), and acupuncture. While the latter can be helpful, it can also be useless. I've experienced more movement after a treatment, but also experienced more pain after one too.
If I get a lot of negative comments on today's post, I'll just shut down the comments on it. So, if you have a suggestion (like the many who say, just eat less, just exercise more... ha, let me put you into my day and see how YOU do), let your words be nice and sweet, for later they may be words you'll have to eat.
Showing posts with label weather. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weather. Show all posts
Sunday, January 21, 2018
Sunday, December 03, 2017
Just remember I love you, more than I can say... maybe then your blues will fade away
And I almost titled this one "Your Love Has Lifted Me Higher," because it was out that year. I was just tired of looking for a more appropriate title from the year in my mind.
In 1977, I turned ten. My world was pretty small. I was born in Nashville but I lived just north of the county line in Ridgetop. I thought Nashville was a pretty important place, like Chicago or New York. I had no idea that there were bigger places in the world, though I had heard of far-away cities like New York and Atlanta. I had been to the ocean in North Carolina, which made me a little different from my classmates who went to PCB every couple of years.
Two girls moved in up the road from my grandparents' house in the mid '70s. They were from Seattle, which was way, way up in the return address corner of the United States. Looking at it on the globe, it looked like it would be much colder, and I learned that sometimes it was, but they had a lot of weather similar to ours in Tennessee with sunshine and rain. Humidity was something else. It's still something else, let me tell you.
Looking back, I never began to comprehend what it must have been like to be a newcomer in a town like Ridgetop. Having moved out of town a few times since then, I feel a little sorry about that. Everybody in Ridgetop must have seemed to be related. They moved to a house on a hill, a house built by my grandmother's family when she was a little girl and their old house on that same location burned. From the front yard one could see eight houses. I had relatives in two of those houses, my grandmother and her cousin Jerry. Another neighbor was my aunt's sister-in-law. She grew up there too.
That summer the neighbor girls' dad was transferred and they returned to Seattle. Elvis died, Star Wars premiered, and other things happened that stamped the year in my memory. One happened to my brother. Mom took him to day care, where he refused to drink the milk. They thought he was just "faking" when he said he was allergic. He obeyed. He vomited. Mom found another babysitter quick, cousin Jerry's wife Wanda. Mom hadn't considered really thought of her earlier because she seemed to keep a lot of kids and had her hands full. To my knowledge though, she never lost any! At first I stayed by myself at my grandmother's house that summer, but there was some family trouble going on (other unforgettable events I don't want to write about tonight, and a few I didn't really understand) so I started going to Wanda's too. I think she saw me as another big kid who could help with the little ones, like her younger brother and nephews who dropped in frequently.
Jerry was one of my favorite relatives. He was one of those people who always had a smile. Even in sad moments, he could muster up a grin. He was funny and kind. When I was a very little girl, long before 1977, I remember thinking he was cute. Back then we called him "Jerry Lee." I noticed a lot of my relatives calling him that today; I even found myself saying it. When he was born he had a hole in his heart, and some of my earliest memories of him involved him being in the hospital in serious condition, having had a heart attack or something at a very early age (like 24 maybe?). I remember being told his heart had stopped but he was brought back to life. I knew what that meant. It was very scary and I remember being very afraid that he would die.
I wish I could've seen him recently. Most of the times I've seen him over the past 20 years were when he was working on cars out in the yard and the garage, and I was driving by on my way to Mom's and Granddaddy's. I think I saw him at Mom's funeral; I know I saw him at Granddaddy's and talked to him for quite a while.
Today I went to his funeral. I sure hated to see him go. I pray for Wanda and his kids and grandkids. Ridgetop is a sadder place without him for sure.
In 1977, I turned ten. My world was pretty small. I was born in Nashville but I lived just north of the county line in Ridgetop. I thought Nashville was a pretty important place, like Chicago or New York. I had no idea that there were bigger places in the world, though I had heard of far-away cities like New York and Atlanta. I had been to the ocean in North Carolina, which made me a little different from my classmates who went to PCB every couple of years.
Two girls moved in up the road from my grandparents' house in the mid '70s. They were from Seattle, which was way, way up in the return address corner of the United States. Looking at it on the globe, it looked like it would be much colder, and I learned that sometimes it was, but they had a lot of weather similar to ours in Tennessee with sunshine and rain. Humidity was something else. It's still something else, let me tell you.
Looking back, I never began to comprehend what it must have been like to be a newcomer in a town like Ridgetop. Having moved out of town a few times since then, I feel a little sorry about that. Everybody in Ridgetop must have seemed to be related. They moved to a house on a hill, a house built by my grandmother's family when she was a little girl and their old house on that same location burned. From the front yard one could see eight houses. I had relatives in two of those houses, my grandmother and her cousin Jerry. Another neighbor was my aunt's sister-in-law. She grew up there too.
That summer the neighbor girls' dad was transferred and they returned to Seattle. Elvis died, Star Wars premiered, and other things happened that stamped the year in my memory. One happened to my brother. Mom took him to day care, where he refused to drink the milk. They thought he was just "faking" when he said he was allergic. He obeyed. He vomited. Mom found another babysitter quick, cousin Jerry's wife Wanda. Mom hadn't considered really thought of her earlier because she seemed to keep a lot of kids and had her hands full. To my knowledge though, she never lost any! At first I stayed by myself at my grandmother's house that summer, but there was some family trouble going on (other unforgettable events I don't want to write about tonight, and a few I didn't really understand) so I started going to Wanda's too. I think she saw me as another big kid who could help with the little ones, like her younger brother and nephews who dropped in frequently.
Jerry was one of my favorite relatives. He was one of those people who always had a smile. Even in sad moments, he could muster up a grin. He was funny and kind. When I was a very little girl, long before 1977, I remember thinking he was cute. Back then we called him "Jerry Lee." I noticed a lot of my relatives calling him that today; I even found myself saying it. When he was born he had a hole in his heart, and some of my earliest memories of him involved him being in the hospital in serious condition, having had a heart attack or something at a very early age (like 24 maybe?). I remember being told his heart had stopped but he was brought back to life. I knew what that meant. It was very scary and I remember being very afraid that he would die.
I wish I could've seen him recently. Most of the times I've seen him over the past 20 years were when he was working on cars out in the yard and the garage, and I was driving by on my way to Mom's and Granddaddy's. I think I saw him at Mom's funeral; I know I saw him at Granddaddy's and talked to him for quite a while.
Today I went to his funeral. I sure hated to see him go. I pray for Wanda and his kids and grandkids. Ridgetop is a sadder place without him for sure.
Sunday, March 02, 2014
One more time for all of the old times!
Yesterday I worked in home health and in my free time (and afterward) I did some karaoke "hopping." My first stop was Knight's Pizza in Greenbrier. They need a web page! Hey, if y'all are reading this and you need a web page, let me know by posting a reply to this post and I will get you started cheap!
The next place I went, after work, was CJ's Grille in White House. These folks need a web page too, but they DO have a Facebook page. I put the other link in just because I know not everybody does Facebook. For that matter there are still a few people who don't use the Internet all the time like I do.
All that singing had me in a great mood going from my first patient's house to my second and going home too, although by then the singing was over because the voice was tired. Of course I really enjoy doing home health, but some days the driving gets tedious and occasionally I am in a lot of pain from beginning to end and sometimes the next day as well.
Today there was church and then dinner at Logan's in Clarksville. Since then it's been a day for curling up on the couch and halfway watching a movie with Randy (Machete Kills - wouldn't have been my choice, but it's got a huge cast and it's somewhat entertaining. I would rate it NC17 for violence and language, but it's certainly not boring.). It's cold and rainy here, and we've just begun to get thunder. Thunder snows are rare. I haven't heard any sleet, but hopefully it will just go straight to 3 or 4 inches of snow and we won't have any of this "wintry mix" we keep hearing about.
The first time I remember hearing thunder when it was snowing was when I was almost 11. Mom was very, very pregnant with Garner and that winter had been particularly bad. It was 1978,one of those years we ran out of snow days and some of those snows were over six inches. It was a sort of scary afternoon, and we needed our clothes washed, and we didn't have a washer and dryer in our apartment so we got in the VW and went to the laundromat in Greenbrier. (Now, there is a laundromat within walking distance!) Dad came up there looking for us because we weren't home and the weather was horrible. Everything was all right. We were just hurrying to get everything done so we could get home out of the elements. By the way, the website I used for that 1978 link is pretty cool. One can easily compare the data from the past to the future to see if they still believe in global warming, or just to prove that yes, dear, we did get deeper snows and more of them in the '70s. Don't ask me why.
Here's a healthcare funny I might share with my students. What if the doctor wore the johnny?
The next place I went, after work, was CJ's Grille in White House. These folks need a web page too, but they DO have a Facebook page. I put the other link in just because I know not everybody does Facebook. For that matter there are still a few people who don't use the Internet all the time like I do.
All that singing had me in a great mood going from my first patient's house to my second and going home too, although by then the singing was over because the voice was tired. Of course I really enjoy doing home health, but some days the driving gets tedious and occasionally I am in a lot of pain from beginning to end and sometimes the next day as well.
Today there was church and then dinner at Logan's in Clarksville. Since then it's been a day for curling up on the couch and halfway watching a movie with Randy (Machete Kills - wouldn't have been my choice, but it's got a huge cast and it's somewhat entertaining. I would rate it NC17 for violence and language, but it's certainly not boring.). It's cold and rainy here, and we've just begun to get thunder. Thunder snows are rare. I haven't heard any sleet, but hopefully it will just go straight to 3 or 4 inches of snow and we won't have any of this "wintry mix" we keep hearing about.
The first time I remember hearing thunder when it was snowing was when I was almost 11. Mom was very, very pregnant with Garner and that winter had been particularly bad. It was 1978,one of those years we ran out of snow days and some of those snows were over six inches. It was a sort of scary afternoon, and we needed our clothes washed, and we didn't have a washer and dryer in our apartment so we got in the VW and went to the laundromat in Greenbrier. (Now, there is a laundromat within walking distance!) Dad came up there looking for us because we weren't home and the weather was horrible. Everything was all right. We were just hurrying to get everything done so we could get home out of the elements. By the way, the website I used for that 1978 link is pretty cool. One can easily compare the data from the past to the future to see if they still believe in global warming, or just to prove that yes, dear, we did get deeper snows and more of them in the '70s. Don't ask me why.
Here's a healthcare funny I might share with my students. What if the doctor wore the johnny?
Friday, August 03, 2012
you might think I'm delirious...
Oh, it was back in the day. Way, way back in the day... a lot of water's gone under the bridge since then - the Prince Green bridge, or its predecessor, which I hit in my big old land barge Catalina - and I am reliving it tonight on Facebook. I heard this song the other day and I would've posted on Tim Horn's wall how this reminded me of going to Ridgecrest, but I had posted a link to "PYT" on Tim's wall the day before and God knows I don't need anybody thinking I'm fooling around with somebody because I posted songs from 1984 on their Facebook wall.
I normally don't like to think about 1984 much, and especially not this time of the year and now, my baby is starting HIS senior year and I know exactly how many years it's been (do the math! there's a teacher answer for you). But for some reason, this year has mellowed my memory of 1984 and I can deal with the ugly memories... most of them anyway. The ones I don't like to remember are the ugly ones caused by me. The other not-so-pretty memories, well, they are what they are and at least I still have them.
Summer's about over for me. We had open house at school tonight. Down here in the extremely hot South we send our kids back to school in the heat of August so we can spend a ton of money on air conditioning (and believe you me, we need our air conditioning in our schools without windows). It gets earlier and earlier too, although I will say that the August 7 start date is a few days later than the August 4 start date we had my first year in our neighboring county to the east-northeast. Usually, we get out in mid- to late- May and that makes coming in from bus duty soaked with sweat a little more worthwhile.
Every year I say I'm going to be a little tougher than I was the year before, and every year I end up being a pushover. I don't want to be meaner than I ought to be, but I don't want to be a pushover, either. I'm praying and honestly, at the moment, I feel like I'll be all right. I know I can make it. I know I can handle it.
I do know that one thing I need to do, in order to make it, is to go to bed and get some well-deserved rest.
I normally don't like to think about 1984 much, and especially not this time of the year and now, my baby is starting HIS senior year and I know exactly how many years it's been (do the math! there's a teacher answer for you). But for some reason, this year has mellowed my memory of 1984 and I can deal with the ugly memories... most of them anyway. The ones I don't like to remember are the ugly ones caused by me. The other not-so-pretty memories, well, they are what they are and at least I still have them.
Summer's about over for me. We had open house at school tonight. Down here in the extremely hot South we send our kids back to school in the heat of August so we can spend a ton of money on air conditioning (and believe you me, we need our air conditioning in our schools without windows). It gets earlier and earlier too, although I will say that the August 7 start date is a few days later than the August 4 start date we had my first year in our neighboring county to the east-northeast. Usually, we get out in mid- to late- May and that makes coming in from bus duty soaked with sweat a little more worthwhile.
Every year I say I'm going to be a little tougher than I was the year before, and every year I end up being a pushover. I don't want to be meaner than I ought to be, but I don't want to be a pushover, either. I'm praying and honestly, at the moment, I feel like I'll be all right. I know I can make it. I know I can handle it.
I do know that one thing I need to do, in order to make it, is to go to bed and get some well-deserved rest.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
We shall overcome, some day.
Is today an anniversary of some event in the Civil Rights Movement? I'm asking because I just got through watching "Mississippi Burning," and now "Ghosts of Mississippi" is on. I'd never seen the first movie before today, but I'd heard of it. The latter's one of my favorites. (I just love Alec Baldwin with a Southern accent. It drips like honey from his mouth.) I know it's not MLK's birthday, or anniversary of his assassination. Emmett Till's birthday is next week, and Medgar Evers' was week before last. Actually, if you Google "July in Civil Rights History," you'll see that several events took place in July.
I'm home alone tonight. Randy's got a "gig," Rachel's working at school, & Derek's spending the night with a friend. If I think about it, I get kind of sad thinking that my babies are grown up, but I'm really too busy to be lonely. I've been to see friends today anyway so I don't feel lonely. I got my hair cut really short today. I wanted to go back to the natural color, and besides, it was hot. There's plenty to do: laundry, coursework for my Desktop Publishing class, dishes, balancing the checkbook, recording stuff on the DVR for my collection, lesson planning, studying the CNA book, and reading the Bible!!! I'm starting CNA classes on Monday.
All summer, I looked for a part-time job I could do in the summers and perhaps on weekends during the school year too. Well, nobody wanted a Certified Nuclear Medicine Technologist who could only work PRN in the summer. So, I applied for care partner positions, and other medical jobs that I'm probably over-qualified to do. Nobody thought a CNMT could do anything except punch buttons and I can imagine them asking, don't they handle radiation? Why doesn't she find a job in oncology or something? Uh, because first, I'm not qualified to do radiation oncology and second, there are 35 jobs - nationwide - if you type in "nuclear medicine technologist" on CareerBuilder, and 20 of them are for medical technologists or nuclear pharmacists or other jobs I am not qualified to do. The other 15 are all over the country, the closest being in Atlanta, 4 hours away. If I wanted to go full time, the closest position is in Florida, 8 or more hours away.
Most of the care partner jobs, as well as home health aide jobs, require a Nursing Assistant certification (CNA). You can't challenge the board on that. You have to go to 100 hours of schooling. Some long-term care facilities (nursing homes, assisted living facilities, etc.) will pay for you to do it, but most want applicants who already have their CNA. So, I decided to go on and do it. The first six weeks of school will be crazy...I'll finish one graduate-level class, start two more, finish the CNA class all while teaching! I'm sort of excited but also sort of scared! I believe I can do it, though.
Well, on that note, I guess I'd better get to work.
Sunday, January 09, 2011
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
So tonight I am enjoying the last few hours of my weekend. I guess I ought to be doing some work but since I have the lesson plans made and the dishes washed, I'm just hanging out. I need to be getting ready for bed. The weather forecasters are, as Granddaddy used to say, "hollerin' snow." I am not getting my hopes up because not much is more disheartening than planning for an extra day off and waking up to see the car uncovered, as it is now. The ground is actually covered with snow, from yesterday. I want to wake up and see more snow on the car than in the yard...and most importantly, more on the road than in the yard also.
I know, for those of you who still have to work tomorrow, that is mighty selfish of me but if you knew...well, if you were in my shoes you'd want snow too. Besides, I've had to drive down "the Ridge" when it was a solid sheet of ice, in the middle of the night when most of you were sleeping, and had to spend the night in a motel on Dickerson Road because there was 7 inches of the stuff and I was on call...that night was not one of my fondest memories. But the motel was not that bad, it was one by the interstate.
My voice isn't quite "100" as they say (I would put it at about 70 on Wednesday morning, 60 on Thursday morning, and 40 on Friday afternoon). But, since I am feeling SO MUCH BETTER TODAY than I have in a month or more, I will be all right if I HAVE to go tomorrow.
I know, for those of you who still have to work tomorrow, that is mighty selfish of me but if you knew...well, if you were in my shoes you'd want snow too. Besides, I've had to drive down "the Ridge" when it was a solid sheet of ice, in the middle of the night when most of you were sleeping, and had to spend the night in a motel on Dickerson Road because there was 7 inches of the stuff and I was on call...that night was not one of my fondest memories. But the motel was not that bad, it was one by the interstate.
My voice isn't quite "100" as they say (I would put it at about 70 on Wednesday morning, 60 on Thursday morning, and 40 on Friday afternoon). But, since I am feeling SO MUCH BETTER TODAY than I have in a month or more, I will be all right if I HAVE to go tomorrow.
Monday, June 21, 2010
you can count on me...
I am thinking about using my journal to write a book about my first year in the classroom. I tried to come up with song lyrics that summed up each month last school year. In August, the title would have been, "A Change is Gonna Come." In September I was still overwhelmed and in the honeymoon stage. I picked "Dancin' in the Moonlight" for that one. October brought the end of the honeymoon phase and "The Thrill is Gone." In November, "There's a New Kid in Town" reflected the changes when Sarah came. I picked "Like a Rock" for December, with my strong resolve when Granddaddy passed. January was another story, with "Hopelessly Devoted to You." ("If I Can't Have You" would've been good too.) February, I chose "Rollercoaster" to describe the emotional upheaval in my house, and in March, "With a Little Luck" seemed to sum up my optimism. In April, I chose this song..."Count on Me" by Jefferson Starship. It was a song that reminded me of those happy moments in 1978, and the words of the title seemed to echo my sentiment for Glencliff as the job possibilities at other places came and went. (But more on that later.) With the flood on May 1, picking a song for that month was easy - "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?"
As school ended, I thought I had made up my mind to stay at Glencliff. Then, I heard there would probably be a position at Sycamore. I applied. The next day the county posted on their website that they're looking for health science teachers but specifically put, "Must have RN license." In other words, "we got your resume, health science teacher without an RN license, but we want you and everyone else to know, we're only interested if you're a nurse, because one of these days we're going to offer the ONE course the state of TN requires to be taught by an RN. We haven't yet but we will." I wrote ugly things about this in my journal, but, que sera sera.
Well, that's all I have to say about that.
There were openings in Montgomery County, all gone now. One was taken by a teacher who left and went to Ft. Campbell. She tried to recruit me for Ft. Campbell and now she's going back to teaching. Ft. Campbell never called, by the way, and I wasn't all that fired up about going back to nucs so soon anyway. The money would be nice, though. One was taken by a teacher from Robertson County, which never posted that opening. I wonder if they were going to downsize anyway? There WAS an opening in Robertson County but it was as far from here as Glencliff is, and taking on two schools. I thought about it, but was kind of waiting for some other stuff to happen at the time, so I didn't apply. Had it been closer to home, I'd have been more interested.
So, at this point I think it's safe to say I'm going back to the Cliff next year, and I'm actually very happy about it. I have a new classroom and two of the three preps I had last year, with one added that I don't know much about but I'm excited to have. I have plans for HOSA and I think it will be a good year.
I hope my health will cooperate. Since school's been out, I've had an ear infection, stomach troubles, and a heel spur...plus, I'm waiting for the results of some lab work that could be life-changing. We shall see what this brings. I had really hoped to get into shape this summer but between a sore foot, giving up my Y membership because of money, and the extreme heat for this point in the year, I have just not been able to get anywhere. Still, I am LOVING the summer. It is GREAT to have days off.
Derek's mowing at Me-maw's today & Rachel's helping at a camp. Randy was off last week but had to go back today. I'm going to do some homework for my two summer courses now. Later, I'll do a little planning for the school year, and later, go to class. Summer is great.
As school ended, I thought I had made up my mind to stay at Glencliff. Then, I heard there would probably be a position at Sycamore. I applied. The next day the county posted on their website that they're looking for health science teachers but specifically put, "Must have RN license." In other words, "we got your resume, health science teacher without an RN license, but we want you and everyone else to know, we're only interested if you're a nurse, because one of these days we're going to offer the ONE course the state of TN requires to be taught by an RN. We haven't yet but we will." I wrote ugly things about this in my journal, but, que sera sera.
Well, that's all I have to say about that.
There were openings in Montgomery County, all gone now. One was taken by a teacher who left and went to Ft. Campbell. She tried to recruit me for Ft. Campbell and now she's going back to teaching. Ft. Campbell never called, by the way, and I wasn't all that fired up about going back to nucs so soon anyway. The money would be nice, though. One was taken by a teacher from Robertson County, which never posted that opening. I wonder if they were going to downsize anyway? There WAS an opening in Robertson County but it was as far from here as Glencliff is, and taking on two schools. I thought about it, but was kind of waiting for some other stuff to happen at the time, so I didn't apply. Had it been closer to home, I'd have been more interested.
So, at this point I think it's safe to say I'm going back to the Cliff next year, and I'm actually very happy about it. I have a new classroom and two of the three preps I had last year, with one added that I don't know much about but I'm excited to have. I have plans for HOSA and I think it will be a good year.
I hope my health will cooperate. Since school's been out, I've had an ear infection, stomach troubles, and a heel spur...plus, I'm waiting for the results of some lab work that could be life-changing. We shall see what this brings. I had really hoped to get into shape this summer but between a sore foot, giving up my Y membership because of money, and the extreme heat for this point in the year, I have just not been able to get anywhere. Still, I am LOVING the summer. It is GREAT to have days off.
Derek's mowing at Me-maw's today & Rachel's helping at a camp. Randy was off last week but had to go back today. I'm going to do some homework for my two summer courses now. Later, I'll do a little planning for the school year, and later, go to class. Summer is great.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Just sing, sing a song
This month is just about over. It has been quite surreal.
Today's title came from FlyLady. The song got stuck in my head.
This month, I have received two of those phone calls everyone dreads, both with happy outcomes. The one where you see your child's number on the caller ID, and a deputy talks when you say, "Hello." This same deputy escorted this child home from a sleepover gone awry, one where kids I didn't know were part of the party went out vandalizing and took my son, who sat on the side of the road and watched. Then there's the one where your little girl is crying and saying, "Mom, I didn't mean to..." five minutes after the car left the house with her and her little brother in it. All the questions follow: "Did you wreck? Are you hurt? Did you hit another car?" It was a minor fender-bender. Well, heck, it didn't even bend any fenders, just got a lot of dirt stuck to the wheel wells. Happy endings.
This month, I have sung in two nursing homes, both with happy outcomes. I am scheduled to sing in two more, and one of the first ones again. I'm also scheduled to sing in two churches other than my own this month. I am nervous, and scared, yet excited beyond my ability to communicate. I suppose I am living the dream. In that respect, my life is going great. I'm not overwhelmed with bookings and opportunities, but they're out there, & I'm getting there.
I created a website for my budding gospel music career. I think I've had 100 visitors. One was a man in Washington who wants me to send him a video for his TV show. I need to work on that soon.
I got a Facebook account. I have over 100 friends so far. I know a lot of people.
We got a settlement from the accident in October, which we were not expecting (well, we weren't until about two weeks ago). This was a good thing.
Mom's doctor decided to investigate the headaches she started having between Christmas and New Year's, and found that the abnormality seen on the PET scan in the fall that he originally thought benign because of her blood work wasn't really benign after all, and had spread to multiple areas.
That was a bad, bad day. That was two weeks ago. I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach, like my legs were going out from under me. I had to lie down on one of the stretchers in one of the stress rooms to get the rest of the information from my brother.
I was doing a pretty good job of updating the Hee Haw page until that happened. Now I just don't really care again, for which I am genuinely sorry, but not sorry enough to get back to the pages yet. Maybe soon.
Rachel learned today that she didn't get into Governor's School. Now she wants to go to Costa Rica again. She is already going in March. I don't know about her going in June. I do know that her brother can't go with her. I can't afford for him to go too AND go to Philadelphia for the 8th grade trip. Maybe next year.
We have had snow and ice, not as much ice as our neighbors just north of us who had ice and no power for days. The snow hung around until this morning. There might even be a little here & there waiting for the next one to show up Monday.
I saw my son get awards for scoring high on a pre-ACT type test & for participating on the wrestling team, I sang at church three times, one solo, once with Randy, & once with Rachel. I saw Gold City in Erin, I worked out a few times, we celebrated Mom's 60th birthday & I decided to go back to chorus this semester.
I worked a lot of hours, probably mostly because we've had someone out almost all month. She worked 4 days all month, I think. Maybe 3. Work is still going, thank God. It's tight there like everywhere else, but I feel OK about it. Just tired.
No wonder I am tired. I have had several months' worth of excitement.
I hope this whirlwind isn't indicative of what's to come the rest of the year. I have a feeling it is just the beginning of the storm.
Today's title came from FlyLady. The song got stuck in my head.
This month, I have received two of those phone calls everyone dreads, both with happy outcomes. The one where you see your child's number on the caller ID, and a deputy talks when you say, "Hello." This same deputy escorted this child home from a sleepover gone awry, one where kids I didn't know were part of the party went out vandalizing and took my son, who sat on the side of the road and watched. Then there's the one where your little girl is crying and saying, "Mom, I didn't mean to..." five minutes after the car left the house with her and her little brother in it. All the questions follow: "Did you wreck? Are you hurt? Did you hit another car?" It was a minor fender-bender. Well, heck, it didn't even bend any fenders, just got a lot of dirt stuck to the wheel wells. Happy endings.
This month, I have sung in two nursing homes, both with happy outcomes. I am scheduled to sing in two more, and one of the first ones again. I'm also scheduled to sing in two churches other than my own this month. I am nervous, and scared, yet excited beyond my ability to communicate. I suppose I am living the dream. In that respect, my life is going great. I'm not overwhelmed with bookings and opportunities, but they're out there, & I'm getting there.
I created a website for my budding gospel music career. I think I've had 100 visitors. One was a man in Washington who wants me to send him a video for his TV show. I need to work on that soon.
I got a Facebook account. I have over 100 friends so far. I know a lot of people.
We got a settlement from the accident in October, which we were not expecting (well, we weren't until about two weeks ago). This was a good thing.
Mom's doctor decided to investigate the headaches she started having between Christmas and New Year's, and found that the abnormality seen on the PET scan in the fall that he originally thought benign because of her blood work wasn't really benign after all, and had spread to multiple areas.
That was a bad, bad day. That was two weeks ago. I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach, like my legs were going out from under me. I had to lie down on one of the stretchers in one of the stress rooms to get the rest of the information from my brother.
I was doing a pretty good job of updating the Hee Haw page until that happened. Now I just don't really care again, for which I am genuinely sorry, but not sorry enough to get back to the pages yet. Maybe soon.
Rachel learned today that she didn't get into Governor's School. Now she wants to go to Costa Rica again. She is already going in March. I don't know about her going in June. I do know that her brother can't go with her. I can't afford for him to go too AND go to Philadelphia for the 8th grade trip. Maybe next year.
We have had snow and ice, not as much ice as our neighbors just north of us who had ice and no power for days. The snow hung around until this morning. There might even be a little here & there waiting for the next one to show up Monday.
I saw my son get awards for scoring high on a pre-ACT type test & for participating on the wrestling team, I sang at church three times, one solo, once with Randy, & once with Rachel. I saw Gold City in Erin, I worked out a few times, we celebrated Mom's 60th birthday & I decided to go back to chorus this semester.
I worked a lot of hours, probably mostly because we've had someone out almost all month. She worked 4 days all month, I think. Maybe 3. Work is still going, thank God. It's tight there like everywhere else, but I feel OK about it. Just tired.
No wonder I am tired. I have had several months' worth of excitement.
I hope this whirlwind isn't indicative of what's to come the rest of the year. I have a feeling it is just the beginning of the storm.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
On the sunny side
Is that SUN I see outside my window?
Just a quick update while I finish my coffee this morning.
Last night I was up late updating my web pages. I have many. My own personal corner of the web is extremely tangled. I sat there looking at it last night and thinking, can I UNTANGLE this mess? I think so. It may take the rest of my life, but I can do it.
I have two main sites, my music page (www.singingbush.com), which is new, and my old site, www.rissystreasures.com, which has many directories and subdirectories and duplicate directories and - you get the picture.
The new page is fine. It may need a tweak or two but it's good. I only need to make two changes, one, to add a form mail page and the other, to move my MP3 files to another site so as not to blow out my bandwidth. The old site has a bunch of bandwidth, so that's where I need to move them.
The old site has lots and lots of pages and lots and lots of links and a lot of them are outdated and broken. My computer is even more clogged up, if you can believe that - and you probably can - so I am trying to clean two directories at once as I go. So the cleanup process is going to be a long one.
Eventually, the site will be like this:
The main index will be rissystreasures.com.
I feel very self-centered this morning. It has all been about shameless self-promotion lately, to me. I know it's not really all about me. I don't want it to be. It is just...rehearse for this, schedule that, send a CD here, send an email there...I see why people say stardom is not all it's cracked up to be. And I am not even a star!!! And all this webpage updating makes me think, who do I think I am, some kind of writer? But I can't deny the reality that my Hee Haw page still gets, on the average, 100 new visitors every day. That blows my mind.
Actually I think this is all going to free up more time to be more productive both in doing the things I need to be doing (like more writing) and also to do more for other people (already I'm baking bread, doing more visiting, able to do more for & with the kids & Randy, stuff like that). Once I finish this site cleanup I am going to have a lot easier time updating pages.
Just a quick update while I finish my coffee this morning.
Last night I was up late updating my web pages. I have many. My own personal corner of the web is extremely tangled. I sat there looking at it last night and thinking, can I UNTANGLE this mess? I think so. It may take the rest of my life, but I can do it.
I have two main sites, my music page (www.singingbush.com), which is new, and my old site, www.rissystreasures.com, which has many directories and subdirectories and duplicate directories and - you get the picture.
The new page is fine. It may need a tweak or two but it's good. I only need to make two changes, one, to add a form mail page and the other, to move my MP3 files to another site so as not to blow out my bandwidth. The old site has a bunch of bandwidth, so that's where I need to move them.
The old site has lots and lots of pages and lots and lots of links and a lot of them are outdated and broken. My computer is even more clogged up, if you can believe that - and you probably can - so I am trying to clean two directories at once as I go. So the cleanup process is going to be a long one.
Eventually, the site will be like this:
The main index will be rissystreasures.com.
A. It will have links to my music page, my blog, and my MySpace page.
B. The classic country memories site will be divided into four sections:
- Hee Haw
- other classic country music shows,
- other classic TV shows,
- and my writing, both fiction and non-fiction.
C. Then there will be another section for my laughter pages, which will include:
- the old laughter pages (at least the ones I don't purge from my archive. I am cleaning house, and anything that is just totally stupid is out the door!)
- and the royalty project.
D. I will have another directory to add information to the singingbush site, like those MP3s that the other site's not really designed to handle.
Then everything that doesn't need to be there is going to the recycle bin...all those pictures of albums no longer available on Amazon, duplicate pages within the site, etc.
And then there's one more thing. I'm going to design my own "File Not Found" page that says, "Oops! You broke the Internet!"I feel very self-centered this morning. It has all been about shameless self-promotion lately, to me. I know it's not really all about me. I don't want it to be. It is just...rehearse for this, schedule that, send a CD here, send an email there...I see why people say stardom is not all it's cracked up to be. And I am not even a star!!! And all this webpage updating makes me think, who do I think I am, some kind of writer? But I can't deny the reality that my Hee Haw page still gets, on the average, 100 new visitors every day. That blows my mind.
Actually I think this is all going to free up more time to be more productive both in doing the things I need to be doing (like more writing) and also to do more for other people (already I'm baking bread, doing more visiting, able to do more for & with the kids & Randy, stuff like that). Once I finish this site cleanup I am going to have a lot easier time updating pages.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
The heat is on.
It is really, really hot right now. Every day seems to be a little hotter than the one before. Unlike last year, we ARE getting rain, thanks be to God. It has been a hot summer so far.
Today Rachel turned 16 & she got her driver's license. Life has changed all of a sudden!
The last few weeks have been rather messy for me. In some ways, my life has changed for the better because of these last three weeks or so. In other ways, it's hard to tell if it's been worth the pain.
My niece got married last Saturday night & if you want to see pictures, check out the photo album on MySpace. I am easy to pick out of the crowd. I am the short woman. (I know. I'm the fat woman too. Don't tell my husband you noticed this. He thinks no one will notice but me. Bless his heart.) Actually these photos are really small but give me time, maybe one of these days I will put them on one of my other web pages.
I really, really did not want to be in the front row in the picture & to be truthful, it broke my heart that I had to. I am too short to be in the back & too fat to be in the front. Well, facing the reality that I was going to have to be the fat one has not been easy for me. I mean, I know I am but being reminded of it kind of stinks. Anyway, I have been on a mental growth spurt lately. I can't go into all of it but I can say this. I used to hate myself for getting fat, letting my house go & always being in financial trouble. Well, I am trying to get fitter, I am doing the Flylady system to get my house in order, & I started getting out of financial trouble last summer when I changed jobs. I used to think I hated myself because those things happened. Now I think they happened because I didn't love myself. So, I'm going to get the priorities straight this time.
I would love to write more but it is time for me to get to bed. Later!!!
Today Rachel turned 16 & she got her driver's license. Life has changed all of a sudden!
The last few weeks have been rather messy for me. In some ways, my life has changed for the better because of these last three weeks or so. In other ways, it's hard to tell if it's been worth the pain.
My niece got married last Saturday night & if you want to see pictures, check out the photo album on MySpace. I am easy to pick out of the crowd. I am the short woman. (I know. I'm the fat woman too. Don't tell my husband you noticed this. He thinks no one will notice but me. Bless his heart.) Actually these photos are really small but give me time, maybe one of these days I will put them on one of my other web pages.
I really, really did not want to be in the front row in the picture & to be truthful, it broke my heart that I had to. I am too short to be in the back & too fat to be in the front. Well, facing the reality that I was going to have to be the fat one has not been easy for me. I mean, I know I am but being reminded of it kind of stinks. Anyway, I have been on a mental growth spurt lately. I can't go into all of it but I can say this. I used to hate myself for getting fat, letting my house go & always being in financial trouble. Well, I am trying to get fitter, I am doing the Flylady system to get my house in order, & I started getting out of financial trouble last summer when I changed jobs. I used to think I hated myself because those things happened. Now I think they happened because I didn't love myself. So, I'm going to get the priorities straight this time.
I would love to write more but it is time for me to get to bed. Later!!!
Friday, April 18, 2008
I feel the earth move!
I don't know why I didn't name today's first post this title. I can't say I felt the earth move this morning, but I did hear the medicine cabinet rattle & then the bedroom window. I figured out pretty quickly what was happening, but unfortunately I didn't go back to bed & call in sick to work, which I will the next time I feel or hear an earthquake, because today was a pretty weird day (though I guess they all are these days, if you really look at them closely) & if I had it to do over I would have called in sick.
Well, maybe I wouldn't have called in sick. I might've just called in a personal day. God knows I have had one coming.
I'm loafing tonight. Might loaf all day tomorrow, too. To connect my work and my YouTube habits (I say that with a smirk. I really only get online about every other day anymore & I might look at YouTube once a week.) I had a patient with a lineman tattooed on his arm yesterday. So all day I sang "Wichita Lineman."
So today I sang that same line..."I know I need a small vacation!" But I can't take a vacation from everything. At work it's one set of problems. And I shouldn't say there are a lot of problems...it's more that I feel like every day I am where the crisis will happen. At home it's another set of problems. There the crises are not usually critical, but they're long & drawn out & they produce longing, & drawing out.
I am tired. Maybe I should just go to bed.
Well, maybe I wouldn't have called in sick. I might've just called in a personal day. God knows I have had one coming.
I'm loafing tonight. Might loaf all day tomorrow, too. To connect my work and my YouTube habits (I say that with a smirk. I really only get online about every other day anymore & I might look at YouTube once a week.) I had a patient with a lineman tattooed on his arm yesterday. So all day I sang "Wichita Lineman."
So today I sang that same line..."I know I need a small vacation!" But I can't take a vacation from everything. At work it's one set of problems. And I shouldn't say there are a lot of problems...it's more that I feel like every day I am where the crisis will happen. At home it's another set of problems. There the crises are not usually critical, but they're long & drawn out & they produce longing, & drawing out.
I am tired. Maybe I should just go to bed.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
It's raining again.
It's supposed to turn into snow. Uh huh. We've heard this before. They blow smoke & act like it's gonna be the blizzard of '08. We get a few flakes. So, I will believe it when I see it. I really am not all that excited about seeing more snow. I like snow occasionally but I am really not in the mood anymore. I'm kind of ready for spring now.
The weight loss challenge is going all right. I think I've lost a pound or two, I am trying to stay off the scale because it gets frustrating. I have been cold ever since the day we joined the Y. Well, I'm not usually cold after I get off the treadmill but I'm not hot either. If I had known dieting would make me cold all the time I would've started in August when it was 105 at sunrise every day. I think this has something to do with my blood sugar. Now that I am exercising more, my sugar runs lower, which is a good thing (it was never extremely high to begin with, just high enough to require oral medication to keep it in fairly normal range), but it also drops easier & when that happens, I get cold. Fortunately, I have been feeling pretty good, not even a sniffle.
I have run out of time for writing this morning. I need to walk the dog & finish getting ready for work. Tomorrow I plan to do some serious writing & I'll update the blog then too. A couple of interesting things have happened - nothing earth-shattering, but kind of cool - so I'll write about them tomorrow.
The weight loss challenge is going all right. I think I've lost a pound or two, I am trying to stay off the scale because it gets frustrating. I have been cold ever since the day we joined the Y. Well, I'm not usually cold after I get off the treadmill but I'm not hot either. If I had known dieting would make me cold all the time I would've started in August when it was 105 at sunrise every day. I think this has something to do with my blood sugar. Now that I am exercising more, my sugar runs lower, which is a good thing (it was never extremely high to begin with, just high enough to require oral medication to keep it in fairly normal range), but it also drops easier & when that happens, I get cold. Fortunately, I have been feeling pretty good, not even a sniffle.
I have run out of time for writing this morning. I need to walk the dog & finish getting ready for work. Tomorrow I plan to do some serious writing & I'll update the blog then too. A couple of interesting things have happened - nothing earth-shattering, but kind of cool - so I'll write about them tomorrow.
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Ain't got time to fix the shingles, ain't got time to fix the floor
I haven't written in awhile because life has been busy, as usual. I have done a lot of journaling in my personal, hand-written journal, but I haven't done a lot online because I just haven't felt like sharing everything that runs through my mind. Since my Madisonville trip, I haven't done much worth writing about anyway.
The weather here has been weird. We've had some cold weather followed by warm days followed by strong winds & more cold. We didn't have power one night this week. (That was the night some of our shingles got torn off the house!) I was gone all the next evening, & the night after that, Randy had the computer all torn up trying to fix another computer. (Don't ask.) Anyway, if I'd wanted to write, this week wouldn't have been a good time. I don't have a lot of time to write today either. My granddaddy's sister died the other day & in a little while I have to get ready to go to her funeral. She was 89 & had been ailing for a long time. I think the weather will be nice for the trip. Today is supposed to be a lot warmer than the last few days, but when I walked the dog at 8 am, it was still mighty cold to me.
My mood lately has been...well, sort of nasty. I have been irritated quite easily the last couple of days. I feel like a blimp, but I can't make myself get charged up about any kind of physical activity. I am trying to eat better, but I still slip up. Maybe I'm improving there a little bit, just a little. The desire of my heart is to do more singing, but I can't really figure out where I'm supposed to do that when there are no open doors around me. I do like my job most of the time, but some days I still wonder what I'm doing in nuclear medicine when I'm such a sloppy klutz. Sometimes I hate my house, but I don't have the time, money, or emotional energy to fix it up or do what it takes to move. We're talking about refinancing, but I've got to wait until the insurance company lets us know if they're going to repair our roof! In general, I do feel more positive about life than I did a few weeks ago, but I am in desperate need of a new attitude!
Well, I'm going to get on with my day. I don't have time to sit here in front of the computer.
The weather here has been weird. We've had some cold weather followed by warm days followed by strong winds & more cold. We didn't have power one night this week. (That was the night some of our shingles got torn off the house!) I was gone all the next evening, & the night after that, Randy had the computer all torn up trying to fix another computer. (Don't ask.) Anyway, if I'd wanted to write, this week wouldn't have been a good time. I don't have a lot of time to write today either. My granddaddy's sister died the other day & in a little while I have to get ready to go to her funeral. She was 89 & had been ailing for a long time. I think the weather will be nice for the trip. Today is supposed to be a lot warmer than the last few days, but when I walked the dog at 8 am, it was still mighty cold to me.
My mood lately has been...well, sort of nasty. I have been irritated quite easily the last couple of days. I feel like a blimp, but I can't make myself get charged up about any kind of physical activity. I am trying to eat better, but I still slip up. Maybe I'm improving there a little bit, just a little. The desire of my heart is to do more singing, but I can't really figure out where I'm supposed to do that when there are no open doors around me. I do like my job most of the time, but some days I still wonder what I'm doing in nuclear medicine when I'm such a sloppy klutz. Sometimes I hate my house, but I don't have the time, money, or emotional energy to fix it up or do what it takes to move. We're talking about refinancing, but I've got to wait until the insurance company lets us know if they're going to repair our roof! In general, I do feel more positive about life than I did a few weeks ago, but I am in desperate need of a new attitude!
Well, I'm going to get on with my day. I don't have time to sit here in front of the computer.
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Make room for the new!
It has been a happy new year, so far!
Yesterday Mom got a good report! Hallelujah! God is good! She's still a long way from well, but I feel so much more hopeful now. It may take awhile but I feel good about how it's going.
Last night Randy played at a bar in Clarksville. They probably wouldn't appreciate me calling it a beer joint, but that's what it is. I went for one set & enjoyed listening to them. I always enjoy watching my baby out there playing his bass guitar. (all you who know me, you know how I am about those tall dark haired guys with guitars!) I know I was the only non-smoker in the place. I guess I am getting old but I can't take it like I used to. You wouldn't think I grew up in a family full of smokers. Mom never smoked, but my dad & all my grandparents used to. Granny Ione (the one who died in Sept.) quit many years ago. I didn't even know she ever smoked until years later. Dad's father smoked his entire adult life. Mom's mother quit a year before she died, from a totally non-smoking-related cause. Mom's dad quit over 20 years ago & is still around to tell you about it. We now have smoke-free holidays but when I was a kid, one had to go outside to get any fresh air. Now the smokers have to go outside!
So last night before I went to see Randy & then again after, I went to hang out with the youth who were having a lock-in at our church. Since I am old & had worked all day (& we had someone call in sick too, so I had a full day), I went home & slept in my bed last night. After I picked D up at 7 am, I came back to bed & slept until 11. I don't remember the last time I slept until 11! Around 1, I picked up Rachel from her friend's sleepover. Around 5, I took her to work on the movie the drama teacher is producing, then I picked up dinner for the guys & myself before coming home.
I was glad to get here too. It is cold & windy out. I am going back to the Bridge soon - hopefully next week. I wasn't in Nashville today or I'd have gone tonight. That wind makes me feel really bad for those folks. I wish I could give them all campers or something. Anyway, I am going back. I am kind of working on another music project too - more on that later.
Be sure you look at the YouTube videos listed to the right of the blog entries. I have added a few of my favorites. I watch some of them every day! I am also working on some changes on my main webpage. I even got on MySpace! Welcome to the 21st century!
It promises to be a good year! I'm still believing for that vacation & a slimmer body!
Yesterday Mom got a good report! Hallelujah! God is good! She's still a long way from well, but I feel so much more hopeful now. It may take awhile but I feel good about how it's going.
Last night Randy played at a bar in Clarksville. They probably wouldn't appreciate me calling it a beer joint, but that's what it is. I went for one set & enjoyed listening to them. I always enjoy watching my baby out there playing his bass guitar. (all you who know me, you know how I am about those tall dark haired guys with guitars!) I know I was the only non-smoker in the place. I guess I am getting old but I can't take it like I used to. You wouldn't think I grew up in a family full of smokers. Mom never smoked, but my dad & all my grandparents used to. Granny Ione (the one who died in Sept.) quit many years ago. I didn't even know she ever smoked until years later. Dad's father smoked his entire adult life. Mom's mother quit a year before she died, from a totally non-smoking-related cause. Mom's dad quit over 20 years ago & is still around to tell you about it. We now have smoke-free holidays but when I was a kid, one had to go outside to get any fresh air. Now the smokers have to go outside!
So last night before I went to see Randy & then again after, I went to hang out with the youth who were having a lock-in at our church. Since I am old & had worked all day (& we had someone call in sick too, so I had a full day), I went home & slept in my bed last night. After I picked D up at 7 am, I came back to bed & slept until 11. I don't remember the last time I slept until 11! Around 1, I picked up Rachel from her friend's sleepover. Around 5, I took her to work on the movie the drama teacher is producing, then I picked up dinner for the guys & myself before coming home.
I was glad to get here too. It is cold & windy out. I am going back to the Bridge soon - hopefully next week. I wasn't in Nashville today or I'd have gone tonight. That wind makes me feel really bad for those folks. I wish I could give them all campers or something. Anyway, I am going back. I am kind of working on another music project too - more on that later.
Be sure you look at the YouTube videos listed to the right of the blog entries. I have added a few of my favorites. I watch some of them every day! I am also working on some changes on my main webpage. I even got on MySpace! Welcome to the 21st century!
It promises to be a good year! I'm still believing for that vacation & a slimmer body!
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Time won't give me time
Remember that song? Boy George? Oh, I won't go there. I can't say I own a single Culture Club song - unless maybe there's one on a compilation CD I got somewhere - but those were all over the airwaves during my teen years, & I liked them well enough then.
Anyway, I chose today's title because my four-day weekend's half over & I have a few things to do & what I REALLY want to do is curl up & go back to sleep. It's cold outside. Oh, I am not complaining there. It was SO hot, for SO long, back in July & August, & this kind of weather is a welcome blessing. I just feel like hibernating when it's cold outside & I've just left my cozy bed.
I won't bore you with my to-do list today. I have a few little things I NEED to do & several things I SHOULD do. Strangely enough, a few of those "shoulds" actually conflict with each other. Here's what I mean. I SHOULD prepare a healthy breakfast for the family, none of whom have gotten out of bed yet, the time being 8:25 AM. Really, though, at this point I SHOULD only eat small but nutritious snacks if I get hungry & put off my next real meal until after 1 pm. Then when I go back to work Monday, hopefully I won't get ravenously hungry at completely inconvenient times.
I guess I COULD let 'em eat cereal this morning & wait until tomorrow to make whole wheat waffles. Or, maybe I could prepare the waffles for lunch. Oh, I am not going to worry about what I will eat. I'm not supposed to do that anyway. Instead I'll be thankful that I have choices to make! That there's enough food - and here in the house! - so that I don't HAVE to worry about it!
I didn't put the tree up yesterday, but I think I will today. In fact, I guess I'd better get moving so I can get the tree (& all that other stuff) down from the attic. But first, to walk the dog.
Anyway, I chose today's title because my four-day weekend's half over & I have a few things to do & what I REALLY want to do is curl up & go back to sleep. It's cold outside. Oh, I am not complaining there. It was SO hot, for SO long, back in July & August, & this kind of weather is a welcome blessing. I just feel like hibernating when it's cold outside & I've just left my cozy bed.
I won't bore you with my to-do list today. I have a few little things I NEED to do & several things I SHOULD do. Strangely enough, a few of those "shoulds" actually conflict with each other. Here's what I mean. I SHOULD prepare a healthy breakfast for the family, none of whom have gotten out of bed yet, the time being 8:25 AM. Really, though, at this point I SHOULD only eat small but nutritious snacks if I get hungry & put off my next real meal until after 1 pm. Then when I go back to work Monday, hopefully I won't get ravenously hungry at completely inconvenient times.
I guess I COULD let 'em eat cereal this morning & wait until tomorrow to make whole wheat waffles. Or, maybe I could prepare the waffles for lunch. Oh, I am not going to worry about what I will eat. I'm not supposed to do that anyway. Instead I'll be thankful that I have choices to make! That there's enough food - and here in the house! - so that I don't HAVE to worry about it!
I didn't put the tree up yesterday, but I think I will today. In fact, I guess I'd better get moving so I can get the tree (& all that other stuff) down from the attic. But first, to walk the dog.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Sunshine and rain
Though we haven't gotten a lot of rain here this summer, my personal life has been a mixture of sunshine and rain. My new job, losing Granny, Mom's illness, Rachel's homecoming experience, I could go on. Most of the summer was hard because it was so hot & it felt so desperate. Financially, I felt desperate, and the heat made life terribly hard for our farmer neighbors. We will be feeling the effects of the drought of 2007 for a long, long time.
Mom is not doing well at all. She saw the oncologist yesterday & is having tests today. He put her on some pain medicine - I'm not sure what, I didn't think to ask until after I got off the phone - & on Thursday we get the results, whatever they may be. I think finally knowing something will be a good thing. What we know may not be...but at least we will know what we are dealing with. I don't want to sound negative but things look really bad. I also know that there's a lot we don't know. God is the great physician. He knows everything. He knit Mom's body together in the womb and He knows what is going on in there now. He knows how many days He gave her to be here, and when He will take her home. I trust Him with that. All I want is for her to be free from the pain that has been making her miserable off and on for six months. If He restores her back to perfect health here on earth, that would be wonderful! If He is taking her to paradise, I will be sorrowful here without her, but I will know His way is best.
I could write a book about my feelings and emotions on the subject. But I won't, at least not today. Keep us in your prayers, will you, please? We surely need them right now.
Mom is not doing well at all. She saw the oncologist yesterday & is having tests today. He put her on some pain medicine - I'm not sure what, I didn't think to ask until after I got off the phone - & on Thursday we get the results, whatever they may be. I think finally knowing something will be a good thing. What we know may not be...but at least we will know what we are dealing with. I don't want to sound negative but things look really bad. I also know that there's a lot we don't know. God is the great physician. He knows everything. He knit Mom's body together in the womb and He knows what is going on in there now. He knows how many days He gave her to be here, and when He will take her home. I trust Him with that. All I want is for her to be free from the pain that has been making her miserable off and on for six months. If He restores her back to perfect health here on earth, that would be wonderful! If He is taking her to paradise, I will be sorrowful here without her, but I will know His way is best.
I could write a book about my feelings and emotions on the subject. But I won't, at least not today. Keep us in your prayers, will you, please? We surely need them right now.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Thank you. Thank you very much.
This is what I find myself telling God! Thank You very much!!!
Well, I have had a great last few days. As I wrote in the last post, I got the job I've been hoping for. I have been praying for someone to come along quickly to fill the position I'm leaving, & they are standing in line to interview.
I think it's a win-win situation. Though I've had some trying times in the last few weeks there, overall, it has not been a bad job & I have enjoyed it very much. It may be perfect for someone else. The big problem for me was that I really needed more money to pay off some debts. I couldn't ask for it because when I was hired at that job, they only promised me so much & they have far exceeded that. My lingering money problems were my own fault.
It has occurred to me that maybe God allowed me to experience those issues at work over the last 8 weeks because He really wanted me at Vanderbilt. Maybe this job is His way to help me help myself. And, perhaps He wants someone else at the office too. I think someone new there could be a blessing to them. They may not see it that way, but I have ever since I first considered making the move.
It is a major, major life change for us. Today was "trial run" day. I went in & worked all day, & I learned a lot. I think I'm going to like it. The whole 10 hour day, from leaving the house to coming home, took me nearly 13 hours. Of course, I left an hour before I needed to get there & that was just enough time to get there & make my way over to the office. I didn't walk all the way to the office from where I parked. I walked about 5 minutes & one of my former co-workers picked me up! Then I walked from her parking garage at the VA to the office, which took all of 3 minutes. After work I walked back to the car, in the over 100 degree heat, & that took longer...partly because I got mixed up & ended up at the football practice field! I could've gone a different way, but I walked part of the way with one of my co-workers. Next time, I'll go the other way because it's shorter & more of it's indoors.
I think I'm going back to having Wednesdays off once we get the new person at the old job. I did tell them I'd help them on my days off from Vandy until the new person's trained & ready to go without me. After that, though, it'll be 4 10-hour days, & it looks like most weeks my day off will be Wednesday. I liked that. It took me awhile to get used to working 4 days in a row when Friday became my day off. I think with 4 10's, it will be a lot easier to have 2 on, 1 off, 2 on, 2 off. 4 10 hour days in a row would be ROUGH. Especially with a 35 minute drive & 30 minute walk twice a day. Yes, I think Wednesdays off will be nice. I think a lot of things will be nice.
I do wish it would rain. Not for me - other than the long-term effects this drought will have on prices, rain doesn't matter much to me - but for all the farmers whose livelihoods depend on it.
Well, I have had a great last few days. As I wrote in the last post, I got the job I've been hoping for. I have been praying for someone to come along quickly to fill the position I'm leaving, & they are standing in line to interview.
I think it's a win-win situation. Though I've had some trying times in the last few weeks there, overall, it has not been a bad job & I have enjoyed it very much. It may be perfect for someone else. The big problem for me was that I really needed more money to pay off some debts. I couldn't ask for it because when I was hired at that job, they only promised me so much & they have far exceeded that. My lingering money problems were my own fault.
It has occurred to me that maybe God allowed me to experience those issues at work over the last 8 weeks because He really wanted me at Vanderbilt. Maybe this job is His way to help me help myself. And, perhaps He wants someone else at the office too. I think someone new there could be a blessing to them. They may not see it that way, but I have ever since I first considered making the move.
It is a major, major life change for us. Today was "trial run" day. I went in & worked all day, & I learned a lot. I think I'm going to like it. The whole 10 hour day, from leaving the house to coming home, took me nearly 13 hours. Of course, I left an hour before I needed to get there & that was just enough time to get there & make my way over to the office. I didn't walk all the way to the office from where I parked. I walked about 5 minutes & one of my former co-workers picked me up! Then I walked from her parking garage at the VA to the office, which took all of 3 minutes. After work I walked back to the car, in the over 100 degree heat, & that took longer...partly because I got mixed up & ended up at the football practice field! I could've gone a different way, but I walked part of the way with one of my co-workers. Next time, I'll go the other way because it's shorter & more of it's indoors.
I think I'm going back to having Wednesdays off once we get the new person at the old job. I did tell them I'd help them on my days off from Vandy until the new person's trained & ready to go without me. After that, though, it'll be 4 10-hour days, & it looks like most weeks my day off will be Wednesday. I liked that. It took me awhile to get used to working 4 days in a row when Friday became my day off. I think with 4 10's, it will be a lot easier to have 2 on, 1 off, 2 on, 2 off. 4 10 hour days in a row would be ROUGH. Especially with a 35 minute drive & 30 minute walk twice a day. Yes, I think Wednesdays off will be nice. I think a lot of things will be nice.
I do wish it would rain. Not for me - other than the long-term effects this drought will have on prices, rain doesn't matter much to me - but for all the farmers whose livelihoods depend on it.
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