I Hate You Charter Cable

Well today was just as uneventful as the last two. As most of you know I sent out even MORE ofoto albums... and I even have three more.

I did have time to practice on possible bridesmaid hair-dos. What do you think?

At least there was not a rain delay in Wimbledon. Well that is what I thought. I guess there was rain in the morning so all of the women's matches got pushed back. I did get to see my two faves Roddick and R. Fed kick some butt. After those matches they did show Serena's match, (yes, she was back wearing that awful outfit again), but half way through THE CABLE WENT OUT! Can you believe it? Of all the days in the year for it to go out it goes out today? In fact... it just came back on... AFTER 90210! The one thing I was looking forward to today was that show! The only way I survived was that Molly gave me a ring around 4 and she totally distracted me!

One highlight I did have today was that John brought me another Gus' sandwich for lunch. I mean look at it! Doesn't it look soooo good? It totally was.

When John was home for lunch I was telling him how excited I was for us to hang out tomorrow. He was said 'well not for very long!' I was like 'what?' For some reason he thought that we could only be in the same room (6 feet apart) for an hour at a time!

Here has been my daily view of him:

So I called my doctor's assistant and told her how my husband wanted me to double check. She thought that was the funniest thing she had ever heard and I didn't even tell her that his main concern was protecting his family jewels!

Brandon & Brenda? Can it get any better?

Well day 2 of solitary confinement is almost over. At least John will be home soon so I will have semi human contact via our walkie talkies. Let me tell you that those things are GREAT! I totally feel like I'm on a steak out...although there is no one to really spy on in the backyard.

Today was another semi productive day. As most of you know I've been uploading photos like a crazy woman. I've been SO behind. I decided to start with the newest photos and now I'm working on the ones from April. So I hope ya'll have time to check them out and don't get board with the subject matter. There will be a lot of kids, and a lot of wedding photos. However I did upload some photos from my surgery, so hopefully that will mix it up a bit.

I woke up this morning and my neck and throat were a bit sore. Not too bad though. I continued to eat sour candies every 15 mins until about noon. I think they were affecting my taste buds, because everything I've eaten has tasted like crap! Major bummer for a food lover like myself. I was totally dreading having to eat my lunch, (left over pasta from last night that was EXTREMELY bland), so I called Jen to find out her lunch plans. I found out that she and Davette were going to Apple Farm and that they would be able to bring me something! Hallelujah!

So I prepared and left a check for Jen under the doormat:

Now doesn't that salad look better than the pasta? Ok... I know it doesn't really, but let me tell you it WAS! So a HUGE thanks goes out to Jen and Davette for being my food delivery service today.

John is bringing me a Gus's sandwich tonight and I can't wait! My mouth is watering as I type.

Right after Jen and Davette left the door bell rang! I totally panicked and didn't know what to do! I mean what if it was Ed McMan with my million dollar check?? So I ran outside to see if I could see over the fence who it was. Just as I got close to the fence I heard:

"They aren't home! Now who are we going to sing Christmas Carols to? Deck the halls with bells of holly........."

It was just some crazy neighbor kid! I can just imagine if I opened up the door and my radioactive waves threw the kid across the street!

TCL's programming totally sucked today too! I don't know what their deal was. I did get to watch the Williams sister's doubles tennis match which was a treat. It was their first doubles match in four years, and they totally killed this British team. Serena was not wearing her hideous outfit from yesterday, so someone obviously had a talk to her about her fau paux.

I also got to watch the newest episode of the Inferno on MTV, and a few re-runs of Rob and Big. That show would brighten up anyones day! Check out my friend Sarah's entry regarding the show... and check it out the next time it's on.

My TV woes continued as Ellen AND Oprah had lame-o guests on. I mean where was Dr. Oz? I was even willing to listen to him talk about poop and parasites. Thank god I channel surfed high enough to find 90210 on the Soap Network! It was an episode from season one, and Brandon was having some MAJOR anger management issues. I've got to remember to watch it at 4pm tomorrow. I just know that right when I get my daytime schedule down I'll have to go back to work.

What really made my day today was hearing that the Spice Girls are really coming back! There have been tons of rumors that they were getting back together, but it was made official today.

Here they are at their press conference.

I am not ashamed to admit that I own both of their albums and even saw their movie Spice World. Well kind of ashamed about the movie... but I am a fan! I tried to get tickets for their concert when they were coming to Mountain View back in the 90's. It was me and all these mom's trying to get tickets for their young daughters. Once the assigned seats sold out I called it quits. Granted I did want to see them, but not bad enough to sit on the lawn. I totally lucked out since Ginger Spice quit before their North American tour started. She was my fave.

So what exciting events will tomorrow hold for me? Will I take a shower? Will I send out more ofoto albums? Will I watch Donna Martin Graduate?

I love Technology

As my first day of quarantine is coming to a close it really wasn't that bad! I am quite amazed that I can spend 12 hours on the computer dinkin' around. And no... I wasn't looking at porn.

The photo is how I suited up when I went out in the kitchen to get my lunch. John still wasn't thrilled that I touched as many things as I did, but I had to!

I still haven't had any real symptoms either. My hands got a little dry this morning, like there was a light white film on them. But with washing my hands thoroughly they seem to be ok. I've also been sucking on sour candy every 15 minutes to make sure my slavery glands don't get damaged. The first few hours were great! Having to eat candy for my health? What am I going to have to do next? Oh that's right... stick my finger in an EXIT only hole.

As of now I've watched a woman give birth to twins, a couple lose money on trying to flip a house, a family who were 'killing their kids' due to their diet and lack of exercise, and now I'm watching the largest man in the world... who I think may bet a graphic surgery. This is all thanks to watching 6 hours of the TLC network! I was amazed that every hour there would be another interesting show! I totally scored since Wimbledon started showing all old matches due to a rain delay. I must complain that I feel like I'm watching TV in the 90's w/o my DVR. Having to watch commercials is AWFUL, and not being able to pause? Are you kidding me? I actually have to remember to go to the bathroom during commercial breaks now! I've got it so tough.

Greetings from Radioactive Girl

I know this image isn't the best image, as we all know I do NOT look like this lady, but this is what I found when I googled Radioactive Girl. I didn't have my camera w/ me today to take a photo of the sign of the room I went in... which said 'Nuclear Medicine,' which would have been more appropriate.

I just got back from the hospital about an hour and a half ago, and have about a half hour until I can eat. I forgot to take a pregnancy test with me, so I had to have the lab do one, and it took an extra hour. (I wouldn't be able to take the pill if I were preggers). So I didn't get my pill until 9am and have to wait 2 hours to eat. I'm STARVING since the last tie I ate was 7pm last night.

Anyway... I don't feel anything yet. My tongue feels a bit odd, and my head and neck feel tight, but that could be because Serena Williams is in a close first set against some Australian chick. How great is it that I get to watch Wimbledon! The last rally I just watched was 25 shots! I don't know what Serena is wearing though... she's got a cute tennis one piece skirt on that is a halter top, but then is wearing a regular sports bra on underneath! It looks REALLY tacky... and not to mention the bad tan lines she's going to get. Well she is in London, so a maybe that's not a concern. I'd look for a photo online for you, but I know if I do I will probably finds out who wins the match. I might look a bit later.

I got to unscrew the heavy lead pill container as the nurse kept her distance. I took a glance at the pill before I swallowed it and it was just white and looked like your average gel capsule. Not too exciting.

I go back on Tuesday for my body scan. I guess it takes a couple of hours. The nurse was telling me that a lot of the iodine stays in the bowel area so I will have to clean it before I come. So I'm thinking... no prob I'll just give myself a good wipe...then she gives me this little box and a sheet of things I'm supposed to do before the scan. When she said 'clean it' she meant CLEAN IT OUT! So I have to be on a liquid diet the day before, take a laxative, and then give myself a SUPPOSITORY!! ARRRGHH! I really hope I don't have to put it that far in there. I'm going to have to consult with my AM nurse. I'll do whatever doctors ask just as long as it doesn't have to do with my bowels. I have so many issues with it anyway that the longer it's left alone the better! I'm sure to the doctors that is the least of their concern, but that is my ONLY concern. Maybe if they had to have one too they would be more sympathetic.

T-minus 14 hours

Once again I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off since we got back from Fortuna. We had a great weekend visiting w/ family and getting to hang out with old friends at the wedding.

Now I’m trying to get ready to be quarantined. I go into tomorrow morning to get the pill, however we are headed down to Santa Barbara tonight to go to a concert…which means that we had to prep last night.

That included:
- John moving all his stuff into the guest room
- Me gathering things to put in my room that I think I will use
- Going to the store and then doing some cooking so I will be able to have something to eat this week (during the day).
- Locate all our plastic utensils, plates, and cups
- Unpacking from the weekend and picking up the house so it won’t be messy
- Looking at the 400 photos we took from this past weekend

Ok, so I know that last one wasn’t a preparation priority, but it definitely was a priority! Some of the wedding photos we got are hilarious! I’m hoping to have ample time to upload them…as I’m still behind in uploading photos from April! I know I’m a total slacker.

We still need to move my computer into our room and locate our cooler. I’m going to try to keep some water and food cool in my bedroom so I will leave the room as little as possible.

I also received my hormone shots (one today and one yesterday). They gave them to me in my hip, one on each side. The nurse said that it’s a large amount of serum, so that is why they gave them to me there. I think the hormone has been causing me some stomach pain/cramping. Not in my intestines, but higher in my stomach. The last cramping I had was this morning, so hopefully I won’t have any tonight. I need to be able to rock out and then stay awake on the drive home!

Keep your fingers crossed that I will feel up to posting tomorrow!

Whose Living Next Door?

Greetings! Sorry for the lack of posts. I’m having a crazy week! We are off tomorrow to Humboldt for wedding #2 of 6 this year. My friend Katy will be tying the knot and I am so excited! In addition to having a fabuloso time at the rehearsal dinner and wedding we will also get to visit with both of our families, and meet my friend Maggie for a Sunday breakfast! We will be missing John’s parents though. They are currently vacationing in Montana this week. That is the same Montana trip that John and I were supposed to go on, until I got cancer and it sucked away my thyroid AND all my paid time off. At least we will get to visit with John’s sister and her liter.

I’ve also been working on a freelance job for PREFACE. Last year I did a variety of projects for them and they’ve hired me again this year. I already did a bookmark back in April and now I’m working on the student folder. I’m in a total time crunch though because they want to have the folders at the printers by June 29th, and I’m unable to work on them from June 21-27. If I am feeling ok w/ the radiation pill I could then work on them at the end of next week, but who knows? That’s not a risk I’m willing to take. So every night this week I’ve had revisions on it. But we are getting closer.

I feel so behind in my posts… I went to Katy’s bridal shower in APRIL and have yet to blog about it or post photos! I am hoping I’ll have time to catch up with I’m Radioactive Girl, but I had the feeling I might not have as much time as I think. I mean my main priority is to find a cape and then design a logo for my costume.

I will give you the update on our neighbors though… a few weeks ago when John and I painted the fence, John had to go across the street to tell them to move their car. (We were using a sprayer and didn’t want to be responsible for pimping out the dudes Geo Metro.) Once John went over the there the contractor started to ask him all sorts of questions about our fence… who did it… did we get permits from the city…etc. John filled him in and then found out that they are getting more harassment from the city vs. the homeowners association. Sounded like they didn’t have any of the right permits when they started their renovation.

He tried to tell John that the French doors they installed were fine because when opened you could still drive a car in there. Like that was their problem? They were going to convert it into a weight room so that they’d have a view of the park while working out. If they want a nice view, why don’t they just move their weight equipment onto the front lawn? I’m sure the dudes would love to show off their bulging muscles to all the grandmas who walk their dogs.

John also found out that it wasn’t college kids living in the house, it was HIGH SCHOOL boys! Can you believe that one? I guess the owners bought the house for their son to give him more responsibility. I have never heard of a better way to do that, have you? I mean having to make a car payment or hold down a job are way too menial!

After a few months the son moved home because he couldn’t concentrate there. Totally shocking! I guess his buddies stayed behind and fully TRASHED the place. Can you believe it? I guess they had to gut the entire thing and start from scratch.

It doesn’t look like they’ve tried any other odd conversions from the outside, but who knows? They could have built a basement and have a pot garden down there like my parent's neighbors did! Oh wait... we aren't in Humboldt.... then maybe it's a meth lab! Oh wait... we aren't in Atascadero! (Just kidding Steph!)

Can You Hear Me Now?

As I was checking various blogs this evening, I noticed that most bloggers with children had Father's Day entries.

My Father's Day consisted of me calling my parents and talking to my mom, (who answered), for about 15 minutes and then talking to my dad for about 5, until the battery in their handset went dead.

Note: I had told my mom previously to get a new battery for it. She said she didn't know where to buy one, and I told her to look at Radio Shack. (There are no Best Buys or Circuit Cities in Humboldt). I told her this maybe a week and a half ago? And there is STILL no battery? They better get one within the next week...they are both now retired and have no more excuses!

Randomness

Sorry about the delay in posts! ARGH! John is in the bay area this week and I thought I'd have tons of time to post. Boy was I wrong! It seems as though when John isn't here and I'm not spending my time hanging out with him I am really productive! (I.E. no time to blog).

My first goal was to clean the house, because A) it's easier to keep it clean w/ one person living in the space vs. two, and B) John 's parents are here tonight. They are stopping for the night to drop off Molly's dogs. Molly's movie got pushed back a few extra days, which interfered with their vacation plans to Montana. So they dropped the dogs off tonight and will head up to Montana tomorrow (driving). John and I were supposed to go on this trip w/ them, but due to the suckass cancer we couldn't go. I told John he could go, (since he has the vacation time), but he didn't want to go w/o me. (Those are the exact words from the greatest husband on earth's mouth! Don't even think I would try to add crap in here to boost his self-esteem.)

As you will see, this entry doesn't have a main topic. I have a bunch of small random stuff that I wanted to post about, but none of it was worthy enough to have it's own entry. Hope it doesn't bore you.

1. I'm starting on my low-iodine diet in preparation for my iodine treatment this week. So far it's ok, but it kind of sucks at the same time. I shouldn't really have anything processed, (is that the right word?). So my protein bars are out since they have soy in them, and I normally eat two a day. It's also hard to eat out since I don't know exactly what ingredients they put in everything. I think I will have to stick to salads and oil and vinegar dressing. I can't have the following foods: seafood, eggs, dairy (all kinds including butter), chocolate, soy, beans, some baked goods, and potato skins. Maybe I will lose a little weieght? Could I be so lucky? We will see.

2. This past weekend I volunteered at the Cal Poly portfolio review day. I was contacted by the Art and Design office to see if I could help out since I am an alumni. Every year right before graduation the department arranges for alumni and other companies who are looking to hire to come in and give the students feedback on their portfolios. At first I was hesitant on doing it. I probably wouldn't know anyone there, and WORSE what if there wee some alumni that I did not want to see? Would everyone be bragging about their current jobs or designer underware? Luckily there wasn't much time to chit chat w/ everyone AND I there was only one lady there who I went to school with. I did not want to talk w/ her however and was able to avoid her.

Overall I thought it was great. It was neat to see the student's work and to meet some of them. The first girl I saw really had a bad portfolio... however I didn't realize it until I had viewed the other students! On my rating form I gave her all 'goods' instead of 'adequate'! Dang it! Oh well. Hopefully some of the other people gave her better feedback. I saw some really great work as well. It was also neat to learn about some of their assignments, like redesigning a magazine cover and partial layout. That seemed like it would have been fun. It was also interesting to see how things have changed over the past 5 years... just in portfolio style (they are much smaller and sleeker), and in layout. Most of them had one or more pages dedicated to the projects which I felt was unnecessary. One student even had her preliminary sketches at the bottom of each project. That was pretty neat as well. For the most part I was a bit nostalgic of remembering that time in my life, but then also a bit sad for them. They have such high hopes and expectations of what a career in design will be for them, and little do they know that for some of them it's probably not going to live up to their expectations.

An Anniversary I Never thought I'd Have

Since Friday will be the one month anniversary from my surgery I thought I would write a little update. I realized I never wrote an update regarding the red swollen area near my incision as well.

The day follwing my post, I called the doctor's office and told the nurse my symptoms, she said to come in that morning and that they would squeeze me in. Let me tell you that the appointment was SO fast w/o and appointment! Right when I sat down they called me in, and then I waited maybe 30 seconds and then Dr. Malotte came in! I was totally shocked. The last few times I've gone in that whole process normally takes about 15-25 mins.

The doc checked it out and gave me the same diagnosis as my co-worker did! He told me to wait it out and see if the stitch breaks through the skin. I asked him if I should do anything to it, and he said no. He said I should call him and come in and he would trim it. (I didn't realize until after I left that I should have asked why he wouldn't pull it out, so I asked my AM nurse {Rebekkah} and she said that he'd trim it in case it was still holding something together).

Even after he took a look at it he still sat and asked if I had any questions. I was so impressed, because I didn't think he'd have the time. It's a bit weird, but I feel like he's my friend! Is that a normal feeling once someone operates on you?

So I think that was Friday...on Sat. I woke up and beneath my scar it was swollen. About the size of a quarter. It wasn't red so I didn't worry. It stayed the same on Sunday, but I also realized that I wasn't having any more pain. It's still a tad swollen, but the red area has definitely gone down, so I'm hoping that stitch finally dissolved! What a nasty little bugger!

I also set the dates for my iodine treatment today, and I am SO happy! I get to have it the week after Katy's wedding, (thank goodness), I will get to take the pill on a Wed., which means my 3 day quarantine will be done with by the weekend, and I should be able to utilize the 4th of July in my days off! OK... let me back up... I go in on the 25th and the 26th for the hormone shots. Then I go in on the 27th for the pill. Once I am there they will then schedule my follow up appointment for the next week. Now I'm not sure if they will schedule it on the 4th or not, so I may be returning to work the following Thursday or Friday. However since I will have like 1.5 days of PTO saved up it will be great to have the holiday hours on my pay check. Did I tell you that I accrue my PTO hours based on the number of hours I get paid for? When I got my last check I didn't get my full 5.23 hours of PTO since I didn't work an 80 hour work week. I know it totally sucks! I mean it makes sense, but I don't care! It's not really a dream of mine to spend ALL of my time off in SLO... in my house... unshowered...

I am also very excited that I won't have to be quarantined during the weekend. Can you imagine? Me being stuck in the bedroom while I hear John crusin' around having fun. At least this way 'we'll be able to watch TV and eat in the same room, even though I'll have my 6 ft. pole out.

One other good thing about being gone part of the holiday week is that two of my friends at work will also be out of the office. Now I know that shouldn't be a concern of mine...and I should be thankful that that week will probably be really slow, but I don't care! I know I've totally got the employee of the month attitude.

I also realized this week that I finally feel back to normal. YEAH! I had no idea it would take me a month to recover. I think the hormone meds are finally kicking in, and that is what caused me to feel so crappy the last two weeks. I think I still have 2 more weeks for them to start working 100%, so I hope I keep feeling better. John even realized it because of the amount of sass I've been dishin' out. I just tell him that he should praise his apprentice, not fear that the roles are starting to reverse.

The Bear Says it All

I received a really nice care package from Maggie this past weekend. This cute little bear along with a cancer pin. I actually laughed out laugh when I saw the bear. He is super cute. I’m still looking for the perfect place to put him.

The pin color is lavender, which represents a generic support of cancer. I can’t believe there are so many types of cancer out there. I’m wondering if the people at thyca.org just decided on their own to make their bracelets turquoise, since it’s the same color for ovarian cancer.

Maggie had also sent me a trial pack of some Lindi Skin products a few weeks ago. They are especially made for cancer patients who go through Chemo and have extra sensitive skin. I used a few of the face products when my skin was really dry, but then I realized that I should probably wait until I take my radiation pill to see if I have any side affects. I do love the lip balm though. They have a great logo and packaging as well.

So this is my huge thanks to Maggie, as I have yet to send out any thank you cards… but I will!

Do Work Son

Since Adam was not here this weekend I was wrangled in to helping with the fence this weekend. We knew we needed to paint it ASAP to limit the amount of time the HOA, and/or mean neighbors, had to find something wrong with it.

Our initial plan was to rent a paint sprayer, but after thinking twice about the price, and that we are super cheap, we opted not to rent it. Let me tell you it took about 20 minutes of painting the fence before we decided to rent the sprayer. Thank god we did! It made the job so much faster!

We did have a few technical difficulties, which shouldn't be a surprise. The last time we rented a dethacher from the rental place it did not work correctly. So after we primered the fence the sprayer stopped retaining pressure. John was trying everything he could to try to figure out what was wrong, because it had just been working!

I suggested that he call the rental place and see if they had any tips for him. He calls and the guy tells them, "Yeah those sprayers are pretty temperamental.' DUH! 'You can bring it in to exchange it if you want.' So we did.

The next sprayer worked well, but that too was temperamental. At one point the sprayer wasn't spraying evenly so John started working on it to see if there was a clog. He was looking directly at the nozzle and then shot himself in the face!!! I kind of held my breath as I totally wanted to crack, up but I had to see if he was mad... but he laughed! Thank goodness, because it was really funny. However we are so lucky that he was wearing, his hat, face mask, AND sunglasses. It the paint would have shot him in the eyes it would have been such bad news!! His whole face was covered. I'm so mad I didn't get a photo of that! I totally spaced it. But I do have before and after photos for you of the fence. What do you think?