Yeah... OK... spoke too soon about YACCS being back up! GAH! At least the Zonkboard is working... I really got thrown for a loop today. The guy Jeff, that I was involved with for 2.5 years that I broke up with this past May, contacted me on Yahoo. He wanted to see how I was doing, and to tell me he was really sorry for treating me like shit. Whoa. We chatted for a bit, and got caught up on things. He was really worried when I told him about all my health probs lately, and was excited that I've gone back to school, etc. He told me that he's ready to settle down. I asked him to clarify that, and he said "ready to find love again." I didn't ask him to elaborate, and I have no clue whether this statement includes me at all. For all I know, he was just writing to apologize and to see how I was. I made the decision to break it off completely and not have any more communication, it was a tough decision but I knew I had to do it for my heart's sake and to truly move on. So I'm really blown away. To be honest, I miss him like crazy. He asked if we could talk again, (he had his kids and needed to go get them lunch) maybe tonight... if we were online at the same time. I told him that would be nice if we connected, if not we could talk another time. Am I nuts to let him back in my life? Or maybe I'm jumping the gun a bit and he really doesn't want to be "back" in my life, but just chat buddies or not at all?! Shit! I thought I was really calm about this, but now that I'm writing it down, I'm starting to freak out. I really thought he could be the one, that's why I hung in there for so long before. Long distance relationships are so hard, and if it weren't for the distance, and for the fact that we didn't think things could work out because of the distance... we might be together now. Shit! I know in my heart that he was a soulmate, and when I fianlly met him in May, it was like I'd known him my whole life. Never was more comfy with anyone else. Shit! It was so great! What am I gonna do?! I know... just see what happens...

This pic is of my Mom and a very special tomato from her garden. I asked her to pose with it, and was giggling. It was a very weird looking tomato, but it was just exactly WHAT it looked like that I was giggling about, and her holding up close to her face like that made me giggle even more. Mom asked me what I was giggling about, so I told her what I thought the tomato looked like - the male anatomy. Mom called me by my full name, and told me I was rude and my mind was in the gutter! Then she giggled too.

OK... here it goes... here is the the pic of me and my new do. WARNING! This picture also shows the ill effects of PREDNISONE, a medication that I have to take for my Rheumatoid Arthritis and Ulcerative Colitis... not a pretty picture. It makes faces puffy and causes swelling. I KNOW I look awful. But it will go away when I'm off the medication (they're slowly taking me off of it). CHIPMUNK!!
This is a picture of my niece Elyssa. She'll be 2 next Sunday, isn't she a cutie?
These are pics of my cat Ashley... on catnip! The picture with her wrapped in the rug, she does this on catnip or not... she actually thinks she's hidden under the rug if just her face is under it. She really thinks I can't find her. LOL!

HEY! Comments are back!!! YAY for YACCS!!! Finally! Mom, Dad and I had a great day today. I took them to lunch to the diner where my sis Susie works and makes the BEST food. Mmm... I had my usual, the bacon and cheese omelet and hash browns with cheese. I have half of it left over for breakfast tomorrow. We decided to go to Sam's club where I needed a few things, I was going to wait until next Friday when I got paid, but decided I'd do it now since I had the time and Mom needed to go there too. I spent $100 on 17 items. Man... it adds up fast but I also got a lot for my money. I splurged and got me a bag of Runts. I love those things. Then we hit Wal-Mart. I found my niece Elyssa a really cute outfit for her 2nd birthday (that is next weekend). Its a Winnie the Pooh purple shirt and knit pants. Of course its Winnie the Pooh coming from me. I also found her a Winnie the Pooh ball. She loves balls. *snicker* she must take after her auntie. It was just nice to get away, and spend time with both of my parents. They enjoyed the afternoon as well, and told me how much they appreciated all I do for them and how nice it was to get away with me today. They really needed the break from the whole situation here. When we got home, Kathy was pacing the floor. Wondering where we were all that time. She said that she was really tired and needed to take a nap but couldn't because Elyssa was awake. Like that's Mom and Dad's problem?! We just looked at her, set our groceries down on the counter, and went outside for another load. Then Mom came back in after the second load and told her that there were many times when she needed a nap when we were growing up, but didn't get one. Life's tough. GO MOM! LOL!! Kathy just "humphed" and walked into her room. Grow up Kathy. I'm off to study now! I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

I just finished chatting with Robert on Yahoo. He was really glad that I sent him that e-mail and was honest with him. He said that he really doesn't know what he wants right now, he's been thinking about his ex wife and he still loves her, but then again he wonders if there is someone else out there for him. He's just really confused. I can understand that... so I told him that we could be friends if he wanted to. He said he's a little leary of being friends with women on the net because his experience has been one-sided friendships. They have problems, unload on him, then don't let him unload his problems on them. I told him I didn't work that way. I believe any relationship there needs to be give and take, two way streets. We talked for a while, about what he's gone through, etc., and he was so grateful that I listened and cared about his feelings. I think I blew him away. I really do like helping people, it takes my mind of my own problems and makes me feel good.

I got a very quick, short e-mail from that Robert guy in Idaho in my e-mail this morning. He said that he's sorry he's been really busy and would be spending the weekend with his two kids, which is great. I'm happy for him. But ya know, I really don't feel like he's making much of an effort to get to know me, so I put it to him like this: " I understand what its like to be busy. I work full time, going to school full time, have health issues, and deal with every day life, yet I still make an effort to try to get to know you. I was wondering if you really do want to get to know me, since it seems like you're not making much of an effort. I don't want to waste your time." ( I almost wrote that I didn't want to waste my time either but decided against it) Then I told him I'd leave it up to him, and wished him a good weekend with his kids. I figure if he's really interested then he will make an effort, if not... I am probably expecting too much from people. I know everyone has different personalities, different traits, different priorities, but with guys that I potentially will have relationships with, I want them to put as much of an effort in as I do. Is that too much to ask? I've had too many experiences where I bust my ass to be there for them, and they don't do the same. It leaves me feeling empty and drained. So, I've come to the conclusion that if they aren't putting any effort in then I'm not going waste my time and energy. Does that make me a bitch? Sometimes I feel like one when draw the line like that, but I've learned some hard lessons and am tired of being let down and hurt. All was quiet on the Western Front last night. Mom said that Kathy is being nice, and I said "Yes, too nice... because she knows she's in deep and is kissing up." Mom said "I know." the we giggled. Ellis isn't here, he's where ever he stays when he's not here and God knows where that is. He only comes here when he's out of money and needs food. I'm really not going to worry about things too much though, I can't. Its not good for my health to get stressed out over it and I've got a lot of studying to do. So I'll just stay down here in my basement and do my own thang. I was toying with the idea of taking Mom and Dad to lunch or even a movie today, after the day they had yesterday they deserve a treat.

I did it - I got my hair cut! About 6 inches off the length so it hits the very tippy top of my shoulders, but curly is about half way up my neck. My Mom and Dad really loved it, and I like it too, just will take some getting used to it being this short. I will wear it curly mostly, which will save on the curling and blow drying damage and get it healthy again. With my body going through so much, its taken its toll on my hair. I've been losing a lot of hair lately too, but Melany said there's a lot of new growth so that's a good sign. I think this is all linked to being anemic. I am on meds that can cause hair loss (methotrexate), but I take mega doses of folic acid to combat that part of it. Anyhoo... new haircut! YAY! Melany is my Ex SIL. She's done my hair since she and J Dee first got married back in 1979. She has been involved with the whole Kathy situation all along. She's been a support to Kathy, and that's great. Melany also sees what Kathy has been doing, and she has been very supportive to everyone else too. Anyway, Melany told me that she got a phone call from Kathy this morning, Kathy whinging about what's going on around here. actually told Melany that the meeting last night was all about her and how we're all ganging up on her, and that she wasn't "invited" to the meeting so she couldn't defend herself. I busted out laughing! How utterly ridiculous! I told Melany the "meeting" was about HOW TO HELP MY PARENTS. It just happened that Kathy and Ellis were discussed because they are a huge part of the problem. Besides, Kathy should have been home. She had an epidural shot yesterday at the hospital for her back, and should have come home right after, which would have been around lunch time yesterday. Kathy didn't get home until 2am this morning. Yes, 2am. She left her child with my parents for 16 frickin hours while she was out messing around. She kept calling and saying "I'm on my way home". choke, cough, choke. Which is the norm. But not any more. My parents have FINALLY reached their limit. Then she had the NERVE to tell Mom this morning that she was in sooooo much pain that she couldn't take care of Elyssa. She couldn't feed her, get her dressed, nothing. Mom had to do it. Mom was furious. That is when she let into Kathy like you wouldn't believe. I wasn't there to witness it, darn it, but Mom told me about it. Then Dad got his turn. HAHAHAHA. One of the things Mom told Kathy is that Ellis is no longer welcome in this house until he gets a job and contributes both monitarily and helping around the house. I think Dad is going to be the one to break the news to Ellis, unless Kathy has already told him. Melany just loved hearing the whole TRUE story. She told me all that Kathy had told her and it was one big pile of bullshit. Its amazing how she either views things, or will say anything to make sure that Melany is on her side. When I got home, Kathy asked how Melany was... I said "fine." Then Kathy said, "Oh, I guess I did know that since I talked to her earlier on the phone." (to test me and see if we had talked about her) I just said, "Oh really? That's nice you talked to her." tee hee Like I knew nothing. Then she just went on and on about my hair and told me how much she sympathizes with me being in pain. Then she had to tell me how awful her epidurall was, yadda, yadda, yadda, like I care... She was soooo trying to kiss my ass... and ya know what, she can literally kiss my ass. I'm not falling for it. Does she really think I'm that stupid?!

What an afternoon I had yesterday with my right wrist. Holy shit. Details on Health Log. Org Behavior class was pretty good last night. We went over leadership and types of motivations in the workplace. We were done by 6pm, going over the stuff pretty fast because everyone was anxious to get started on their long weekends. We skimmed over most of the two chapters but its OK because I had planned on reading it all thoroughly this weekend anyway. My group (for our group presentation at the end of the term) got together and chose the topic of "Leaders, are they born or made", and we're arguing that they're made. We're going to start gathering info now which is good - I like people who don't put things off to the last minute. When I got home last night, Kathy and Ellis were gone (YAY). Susie, J Dee and Bob were here (my other 2 siblings) talking to Mom and Dad. It wasn't that I was not invited to this meeting, but they forgot I had school and it was pretty spur of the moment. Anyway, I got there just as things were getting settled. Mom and Dad are in financial trouble because of all the shit Kathy and Ellis have put them through the past couple of years. They're a huge drain on all aspects of my parent's lives. So, they all met to see what they could to do help them out financially AND to discuss the whole K & E situation. They filled me in on everything when I got home. Mom and Dad were pretty embarrassed that they all came over, but Bob pointed out that we're all in this together, we're family. There's nothing that my parents wouldn't do for any of us, and now its our turn to really help them out. I'm so relieved that they all came over and talked things out. Especially about K&E. I've felt so alone in the battle against them taking advantage of Mom and Dad all this time. I've talked to them about it but they've never talked to Mom and Dad. Finally they have told Mom and Dad that they feel the exact same way as I have all this time - it has got to stop. K needs to get rid of E is the #1 thing. He's dead wood, he lies, cheats, steals, and has convinced K to do the same. They've sold prescription drugs, and God knows what else. K has this thing where she calls the doctor in pain because of her knee and/or back, gets pain pills, then says they make her ill and so he calls her in something else. Then they sell them. She is in pain, no doubt about that but she's using the pain for pills and for manipulation. She is a player. She's always been able to manipulate my Dad and he's finally starting to see it. Especially after the little chat last night. She plays Mom and Dad against each other, and she always had, she's just gotten more crafty about it... but the jig is up. Bwwahhahahaha. She needs to grow up. She's 40. I will say that I know a lot of what she's doing now is E's influence. She's scared of him. He's beaten her down emotionally (she's unstable anyway) into thinking that she can't do any better and that she needs him. She has said she wants to get rid of him, but she hasn't gone through with it. He's threatened to take Elyssa back to Ohio, but he doesn't have the balls and would have to go through everyone in this family to get that little girl out of this house. He doesn't realize that we are very nice people until you mess with one of us, then we rally around each other and protect our own. He's the biggest dumbshit and the laziest ass. We know one of the reasons (besides being a lazy ass) why he's not getting a decent job. He's probably got people looking for him. He's got two other kids in Ohio somewhere and who knows who else is after him. So... we need to help these people find Ellis. Does anyone know how to find out if someone is looking for him? Either for financial reasons or for an outstanding warrant perhaps (one can dream that he does have one, and most likely does)?? J Dee and I will be looking on the internet to see what we can find, but any tips would be much appreciated. We need to get rid of Ellis Ringwood Jr. That's all there is to it. They also discussed having Kathy giving guardianship of Elyssa to Mom and Dad. If anything ever happened to Kathy, Ellis would get her and we fear for her welfare. Elyssa has some physical problems (she's almost 2 and isn't walking yet, and just learned how to crawl about 3 months ago). She does therapy a lot, and is making a lot of progress. They have done so many tests but can't find out any cause. She's soooo smart though. She gets really frustrated trying to talk too, and can't. They're teaching her some sign language and that's helping a little. She says a couple of basic words, Mama, etc., so we know she has the ability... she's just slow. Elyssa also needs to be around kids. She hasn't really been exposed to other kids, other than J Dee and Patti's grandkids at family gatherings. She doesn't know what its like to "share" toys, etc., K&E are supposedly going to put her in a play group but E is afraid that the other kids will pick on her. They probably will, but that's life. We think that she'll progress even further if she sees other kids running around and walking. It will be good for her, but E is being an ass about it and K is being lazy and won't just go put her in the play group. It looks like once again Mom and Dad will have to step in and take her. I think last night was really a new starting point. Dad finally understands that he's been taken advantage of and manipulated. I'm sure it hurts him to no end that its done by his daughter, but now he can put a stop to it. He said he was going to give E an ulitmatum to have a job, etc., in 90 days or he's outta here. We all told Dad 90 days was too long, it should be a week. So we'll see what happens. I hope Dad stays tough on this. He tends to get fired up about things, lays down the law, and then mellows out and lets things slide. They can't slide anymore in this case. He's got to stay tough. I'm going to get my ass busy now, pain pill is working so I should be able to get my cleaning done. No errands to run today - they'll have to wait until next week, pay day! I am getting my hair cut though, I'm excited... something new! Have a great day - and more importantly a great Labor Day weekend! This doggy is ready for the BBQ!

I had a pretty good night, didn't get any extra sleep but it felt so nice to relax and just lay still and not have to move about much. My joints thanked me. I'm soooo glad its Thursday! YAY!!! 4-day weekend is almost here! Its going to be a long day though. I've got my Thurs night class tonight... hopefully he'll let us go an hour early tonight like he did on Tues. I won't hold my breath though. Nothing else exciting going on, I've got some busy work to do. My uncle sent me some fun pics, this is one of them. I'll post the others on another day.

One more hour of work today then I'm headed for home. I have a plan: drive home, make myself a cheese omelet (craving it today!) for dinner, check e-mail, get in my jammies, go to bed. I need to do some reading for school and then will watch a movie until I fall alseep. My pain is tolerable this afternoon. YAY. I only had to take a half a pill. Improvement. On moving to our new cubicals on the other end of the building, I found out that I am not getting that luxurous cubical that Randy wanted me to have. *sigh* I am going to be put in a 4-cube space with the Timster and Greg again. Oh well... short time here most likely anyway. The 4th cube they'll let me use for storage and my customer service stuff. Not sure when the move will happen yet. The carpets still need to be cleaned and the cubicals need to be finished being moved about and furnished. Sometime in the next couple of weeks, I'd imagine. My buddy Larry M. is retiring. They had a luncheon for him today, as well as a small reception. I'm gonna miss him, he's a sweetie. He's been with the gov't for 37 years, so he's done his time. LOL! I was thinking earlier... what is it about some people's laughs that grates on your nerves? There is one guy here that has the most horrid laugh. I don't know what it is about it, but it makes me want to pull my hair out when I hear it. Its not goofy or obnoxious, just irritating. Come to think of it, his voice and the way he talks is very irritating. I wonder if I'm the only one it bothers, or if its a personality thing? Does anyone voice/laugh ever just bug you like that and you have no idea why? He's a nice guy... nothing personal against him. ??

I just got these in my e-mail and had to share them, they made me giggle a bit. These are things taken out of actual patient's charts. Gotta love the medical profession... * The baby was delivered, the cord clamped and cut and handed to the pediatrician, who breathed and cried immediately. * Exam of genitalia reveals that he is circus sized. * Rectal exam revealed a normal size thyroid. * She stated that she had been constipated for most of her life until 1989 when she got a divorce. * The patient was in his usual state of good health until his airplane ran out of gas and crashed. * I saw your patient today, who is still under our car for physical therapy. * The patient lives at home with his mother, father, and pet turtle, who is presently enrolled in day care three times a week. * Bleeding started in the rectal area and continued all the way to Los Angeles. * She is numb from her toes down. * While in the emergency room, she was examined, X-rated and sent home. * The lab test indicated abnormal lover function. * Occasional, constant, infrequent headaches. * Examination reveals a well-developed male lying in bed with his family in no distress. * Patient was alert and unresponsive. * When she fainted, her eyes rolled around the room. * Male patient insists that his HIV was inherited, and not from sexual activity. * The patient was to have a bowel resection. However he took a job as a stockbroker instead.

Happy HUMP DAY!!!! The weekend is fastly approaching! Last night's Organizational Behavior class was pretty good. The teacher is a guy that I worked with for the first 3-4 years here. Cool. He's a really nice guy. We covered the first two chapters last night, and will continue to cover 2 chapters a night from here on out. UGH. I will have a lot of reading to do this weekend. I will read 1-4 to catch up on this week's stuff, then I will probably go ahead and read the next two. We will have a group assignment as well as an individual case study paper and two tests. I think it will be an interesting class. He let us go an hour early last night because he really skimmed over a lot of the material in the book. I think he wanted to go home too after the long day. I didn't argue! LOL! There wasn't any cute guys that I could scope out, damnit. They were either young (in 20's) or older and married. I was really grateful to go home early because I was totally hammered. I hurt everywhere or so it seemed. I took two pain pills when I got home, did a couple of things then crashed with my cat. She was a little pissed at me for being home late (she's so bossy tee hee) but then she warmed up to me when I gave her a treat. I'm not above bribary! LOL! No, really, she gets a treat in the evenings when I get home normally, and after I get out of the shower in the mornings. I slept good and really didn't want to get out of bed this morning, felt like I could have slept another 10 hours. OK... going to start my day now!

Update on Health Log Accounting class left my head swimming today. What I thought I understood yesterday kinda blew me away when we started to apply it in a practice exercise. He made the announcement that we WILL have Friday off! That made everyone smile big! We'll finish the practice exercise tomorrow, then he's assigning homework that is due next Wednesday... then next Thursday will be our 1st test! ARGGHH! A test!!! Do you have any idea how many years its been since I took a test?! Test anxiety here we come. Can you tell I don't want to work on the database? But I better... TTFN!

Not to be a whiner... but I had to share this, whether you like it or not. tee hee My right hip is in the middle of a flare, but the center location of the pain is in a interesting place. Its on the inside of my leg, at the very top, towards the back. Which is... right in my ass. So I'm sitting here thinking to myself, "hey, you've got a real pain in the ass." Then I giggled at myself. Yes, I'm on pain pills...

YAY for Tuesday... one day closer to the weekend. Not that I have big plans for the Labor Day weekend, I'm just looking forward to the time off. I will have some extra days to study, especially because I've got my first accounting test next Wednesday and I want to know the material inside and out. The teacher is giving us a list of what will be covered on the test this week. He's just so cool. I start my Organizational Behavior class tonight. I'm looking forward to it, but it is going to be a long day, especially cuz I'm still in quite a bit of pain. The pain is subsiding though, along with my sore throat (which usually means the RA flares are calming). My weird immune system. If they can just figure out what makes the immune system go haywire and starts attacking the body, they could cure so many horrid diseases. Anyhoo... it shouldn't be too bad of a day today. I've got things to keep me busy but nothing stressful. Mostly database work. Fun, huh? I got a couple of DVDs yesterday. One was "Bringing Down the House" and I watched it last night. That movie was really funny, I laughed right out loud in a few parts. See it if you haven't already. The other DVD I got is "Old School" but I'll watch it this weekend.

Stupid hand... I left work early this afternoon because my hand flared. It was hurting anyway, but by my wrist. My fingers started hurting and then an hour later it had turned into a 3-alarm flare and my knuckles were 2 times their normal size. Bam! That fast. So I took 1/2 a pain pill and headed for home. I'm going to ice it, take another pain pill (or two - its hurting THAT bad), and go to bed. I don't really know why I'm typing cuz it hurts like a bitch! I'm a blog and internet junky, that's why! tee hee TTFN!

Snagged this from Mama Moon
You are an Elementalist. Your magic stems from the forces of nature. You might be a forest nuturing Druid, a storm-creating Weather-Wizard or any of the many Elementals, but one thing is sure-- your bond with nature is strong. You can rely heavily on nature to support yourself aesthetically or physically for it lends you both comfort and strength. Your instincts rarely fail you. You are vibrantly passionate but are sometimes carried away by your own emotions. Which Magical Order Are You In?
brought to you by Quizilla Whoa... hit me right on I think!

OK, this really chaps my ass. Long lost friends who come out of the wood work (so to speak) and expects me to go to her baby shower. Pisses me off. I absolutely loath bridal and baby showers and this friend as well as all my other friends know this, but yet she assumes that I will come?! Grrrr. Guess again.

Hmm... just got an e-mail from Robert in Idaho (the one I hadn't heard from in a couple of weeks). He has been without the internet due to getting a new provider. He asked if I were still around and wanted to talk still. So I wrote him back and told him yes. We'll see what happens.

I had to stop off at the local Chevron station this morning to put gas in my car. The main part of the station was closed of course being 4:00am, but the pumps were open and they have the "Smile you're on Camera" signs all over. Well, I get out of my car, get my credit card out of my wallet, run it through, put the nozzle in my tank and start filling it. All the while, thinking, "Wow, what a nice cool morning we're having..." then I look down and see that my blouse is half open. (I'm wearing a skirt and blouse, the blouse has two ribbon ties, one under each arm, each wrapping around) I'VE BECOME A FLASHER!!! I'm showing my right black lacy bra-d boob to the world and to the camera. Hmmm... I wonder if they think I did it on purpose! But hopefully they saw the embarrassed expression on my face when I discovered it. LOL!!! Yup... its a Monday! This pic is fitting for today. Although I wasn't exposing myself to art, I was to the Chevron cameras and to the many people who will look at the tapes.
How is it that Mondays seem to roll around so quickly?? Doesn't seem right. My boss is out of the office this week, but I have to still deal with Greg. *sigh* I hope he has plenty to keep him busy and doesn't irritate me too much. Last night I was just about to drift off to sleep, and then I got a flash of the possible solution to my question about my accounting homework. I drug my painful body out of bed and got it all out... sure enough, I figured it out! It balances now, so I hope its right! I have a pretty busy day ahead, so I better get to it! Have a great day!

What a night I had... stupid Rheumatoid Arthritis... its driving me nuts. Details on my Health Log if ya wanna hear/read me whine. Its going to be a busy week and I don't have time for this shit! UGH! I was supposed to be getting better, not worse. I didn't get the studying all done yesterday, so I will finish it today. I want to make some notes on the key points because it helps the concepts sink in. I got the homework done, but have one small question I need to ask the teacher tomorrow. He gave us a hint on Thursday on how to deal with it, but if I deal with it the way he told us to, then I'm $80 off from balancing. So I must have either misunderstood or its a different type of transaction and is OK to be $80 off (which I doubt because accounting is all about balancing). Anyhoo... other than that I want to watch a couple of shows I taped last night and get a few other things done to prepare for the week. Oh shit... day too! I don't have a lot so I guess it won't be *too* bad. That guy Steve from Idaho (that disappeared last week and that I was bummed about) came back last night. We chatted for a while, and he just wants to flirt, not have a relationship with anyone, so we're not wasting each other's time. I also had three other guys that contacted me who just want lovers. Which is their choice, and am glad they're up front and honest enough to say so at the beginning. I'm looking for more and I'm not settling. Even though the horny factor is always there . *snicker* I best be off! Have a great Sunday!!! Just in case you're having a BBQ today and run out of propane, you might want to call this guy... LOL!!

Good morning!!! I hope everyone had a great night last night and are doing well this morning! I had a pretty good night's sleep on the Ambein stuff, but it makes me feel a bit oogy. My RA pain is virtually gone today, just the usual aches. See what the power of what hugs do? Even cyber hugs help! Not too much planned for today, first and foremost I will come around and finish visiting everyone! Then I plan on doing some studying and my accounting homework. I don't want to put it off until tomorrow like I used to do when I was a kid! LOL! I like my Sundays to be as "free" as possible. I'm also hoping to maybe get a little nap in. Here's a very yummy picture that a friend sent to me...mmmm... GIDDEEEEEEE UUUUPPPPPPPPPPP!! Gotta get me some of that!

Whew, what a day. I got everything done I needed to (for today!) done. I don't know how, but I got my cleaning done and managed to lay down for an hour before going to the doctor (my general doc for my blood thinner check). Once at the docs, they poked my finger and tested my blood. The thinners are right on target so I don't have to go back for another month. I also talked to him about not sleeping well, so he prescribed Ambein. I'm going to try it tonight to see how I do on it so there won't be any surprises if I take it on a week/work night. I really don't want to take another medication, but I need my sleep. I think my lack of sleep lately is behind my RA flares. Anyhoo... I came home and picked Mom up and we went to lunch. I was craving an Arby's Beef n' Cheddar like mad so... against my better judgment and not being able to eat red meat I gave into the craving. I was bad, but it felt so good to be bad and tasted soooo good. As for ill effects from my stomach, so far so good. So... things may be healing better than I thought... or maybe it hasn't hit me yet! LOL!! I gotta push the envelope though, don't I? I need to test things out. The next thing I test out will be a tomato out of my Mom's garden. Damnit, I'm gonna have one... or at least a wedge! I've had one bite of watermelon, one bite of cantelope this whole summer and I'm tired of being deprived! I want fresh fruits and veggies!! I've gone without them since January! ARRRGGHHH!!! Do you know how bad I want a salad?! *fit over* LOL!!! After lunch we headed to the grocery store, pharmacy, then to Wal-Mart. Tomorrow is Mom and Dad's 46th wedding anniversary and I wanted to get them something, or give them cash to go to a movie. We made our way to the movie section where we were looking at all the movies tosee if there was something my Dad would like. I found Dad a war movie and then found Mom a CD set of Glenn Miller. Her eyes just let up when she saw it. She said "now I have something GOOD to shake my fanny to while cleaning!" LOL! She cracks me up! We got home, and I call the mechanic to see how my car was coming along. He was able to get the digital display replaced, and was working on the emissions test. It wouldn't pass the first go-around but he knew what to tweak to get it to pass, so he told me to come get 30 mins later. He said the "stalling" was due to the odometer/dash not being hooked up and was confusing the computer. So... no more repairs! Woohoo! Which is good, cuz $653 busted me! Most of it was the digital display and he gave that to me at his cost which I was so grateful for. He's one good mechanic and will definitely go back to him if I need to. The car ran soooo good coming home and the display lights up like a Christmas Tree! Now I just have to wait for my tax bill to come and I'll be able to renew it for another year. Last year the taxes were a wopping $35 LOL! I can handle that! I need to do some studying this weekend, on the first two chapters of my accounting class. We covered the stuff in class, but I really want to grasp every concept and retake some notes. I also have my first homework assignment to do. We did an example in class yesterday so we'd know how to do this homework. I should be able to do it, I understood everything we did in class. Its not due until Wednesday. I really like this teacher ;-) He gives us plenty of time to do things. He even said we might have this next Friday off too if things went well during the week, and especially since it was Labor Day weekend. I'm feeling so much better tonight, even after having such a busy day. The pain is almost all gone, and I'm not feeling quite as weak. But...I better get my butt away from this computer and into my recliner now and rest so I don't have a relapse. I don't want to push too hard. I've been around to visit some of you, but will finish tomorrow morning! Good night!!

Thank you, everyone for the get-well wishes!!! I'm in the land of the living more than the past couple of days. I still feel yucky and still having some pains but they're subsiding as time goes on. I have so much to do today, but really don't feel like doing any of it. UGH. I feel awful that I haven't been able to get around and visit anyone, I WILL be by either tonight or in the morning. I've missed everyone! Have a great day!

OMG, yesterday was a day from hell. I had the stomach flu on top of one hell of a bad RA flare. My left ankle and right foot flared so I couldn't even walk, had to crawl. Then my hips, shoulders, wrists, hands, and elbows were flared too. My knees were OK though. I was in so much pain all I could do was lay there and not move. I couldn't take a pain pill cuz of my stomach being upset. I'm here at work now, but don't know for how long. I have to go to my accounting class and get some financials done. I think I'll be going home after class though, I'm feeling pretty shitty. Still in pain, but at least I can walk without screaming! Stomach still yucky but not throwing up. I'll try and get around to visit all of you later today or tomorrow. Thanks for all the comments and support! *hugs*

OK... got a plan to get the money for my car repairs. I guess this is the one good thing about being a worry wart and obsessive about not letting things drop until I have figured out a solution, despite getting stressed out. Now, the only thing that would blow me out of the water is if there is something really wrong, but its running good now (after the cracked spark plug was replaced) except for the occasional stalling and he's going to look at that on Friday. It did this exact same thing about 6 years ago and it was pretty simple but I can't remember what it was. My goal is by this time next year to have a new car (or at least newer!). If this one can hold out that long I should be in good shape. Its a 1987 Chev Cavelier Z-24 and its been such a good car, I really hate to get rid of it... who knows, maybe I'll just keep driving it until it dies, but be "prepared" to get a new car if something major goes wrong. Hmmm... maybe that's a better plan. tee hee My medical bills have been so much this year. I looked at my last explanation of benefits and over $33,000 in claims have been paid out (them) which is 1/3 of my lifetime max. Holy shit! I'm guessing that about $28,000 was paid out this year alone, not including prescriptions. I've paid out about $3000 this year in medical and probably $1000 in prescriptions plus who knows about the office visits at $15 a pop. I'm going to claim every last cent paid out on my taxes and should get a good refund. THEN use that money to help cover my expenses for next year. My company offers a flexcomp type program where I have money deducted from my check, put into a fund that is not taxable. I submit receipts (for any medical expense not covered by insurance) and get reimbursed, taxed free. I elected $1250 for this year and am thinking of doubling it next year. They take $48 out per check (every 2 weeks), and I turn around and submit receipts for $48. The only bad thing is, if you happen to not have enough medical expenses you lose the money, but between my my Remacade treatments and all the prescriptions there is no doubt that I will not use up $2500 next year. My financials have arrived so I need to get started getting the spreadsheet sorted so I can do my thang.

I am so tired! I think I only got about 3 hrs sleep last night between my hip hurting (RA flare) and my mind not shutting up again. I'm stressing out about my car, finances, etc., the mechanic called me yesterday and told me that my digital display (that we've been waiting to come in from the exchange place for over 2 weeks) was going to cost me an additional $200. Shit. They need to do the safety and emissions tests as well on Friday and I sure hope it passes. I'm not worried about the safety but am about the emissions. Just call me a worry wart cuz that's what I am. I hate being a grown up sometimes. If its not one thing, its another. I was going through my prescriptions and noticed its time to get the 90 day supplies again... yes, shit again. That will cost me around $350 (saving a bundle getting the 90 day supply - and you all know how I LOVE a bargain LOL!!). I need that Publisher's Clearing House Sweepstakes van to pull in my driveway on August 28. Gimme that million... I could use it, and I'd use it very well indeed. I have a pretty busy day today, my to-do list is pretty long in my planner. We'll start actual work in my accounting class today, and then my Organizational Behavior class starts tonight right after work. My boss will be out of the office at noon and irritating Greg is in Wash DC (but will be here tomorrow, damnit! I tried to schedule his trip for a longer period of time, but it didn't work out tee hee) so I'll have the cubical allllll to myself this afternoon. So if I get busy and get all my work done, I can cause some trouble or at least do some serious blog hopping! Here's a cute pic... have a great day everyone!

Whew! What a day its been! I'm taking a well deserved break. I got so much done this morning - the priority stuff anyway. I went to my accounting class and I really liked the teacher. He's laid back, but organized. He told us what the class will be like, and when the tests are and he even said that he likes to take as many Fridays off as possible ! My kind of guy... We were only there a half an hour, since it was the first day and he covered all he wanted to. So we'll start in on Chapter 1 tomorrow and won't have any homework assignments until Thursday. There were a couple of cute guys in the class, but unfortunately I didn't get to sit by any of them and won't because we have assigned seating. *sigh* Most of the guys are military and kinda young, but there was an older guy (about my age) that caught my eye... but I was on the wrong side and couldn't see if he had a wedding ring. I was nice and let him cross in front of my car as I was pulling out of my parking stall in the parking lot. He smiled and waved... and I smiled back. I came back to work and Tim had just got back from talking to our Div. Mgr. Mike about our job situations. Mike said that he's got a position for me in another building, and Tim told him that I had an idea of working at our main office with Bart, the financial guy. Mike thought it was a really great idea and "took note of it". So, there's a couple of possiblities. Nothing is settled yet, and we're still not sure if this organization will need us longer than November or not, it really depends on when for certain the funding/money on our contract is gone - or if by some miracle, we find a sponsor for our information services between now and then. I just found out that our shipment of monthly software journals are due in either today or tomorrow, so I'm getting the envelopes ready now while I've got some time and have my priority stuff done. Putting these damn labels on takes the longest. Stuffing the envelopes goes pretty fast. Tomorrow is when I start my financials, which reminds me, I need to bug Bart about them. He loves me to bug him. Toodles!!

School starts today! I'm quite excited, but also a bit nervous! Starting back was such a big step for me, I just hope I can keep up with it all and work too. I'm sure I'll be fine though, once I get the routine down. Today is going to be one CRAZY day. I've got so much to do this morning to get ready for my boss since he'll be out of the office for the next two weeks (after today). I'll post more later. Have a great Monday everyone!!!

I found some great code at Meg's site (thanks, Meg!!). I got a bunch of pics from a friend and decided to put them in this grouping. Just click on a pic for a larger view. Don't know what to do about the blank space, its how it is posting! Grrrr! What am I doing wrong?? Anyone know? The cell padding, spacing, and border of the table are all zero. Grrrr. These things are what happens when you party too much and don't have friends you can trust! LOL!!

*snicker* here's a cute little smilie that of course I took as looking naughty... woohoo

I've declared today, August 17, 2003 a pajama day. About the only constructive things I'm going to do is my and get my lunches ready for the week. I was contacted on Yahoo IM this morning by a guy named Steve. He lives in Idaho and seemed really nice! We chatted for about 10 minutes then all of the sudden he was gone. I'm bummed! Maybe he just had to go and I didn't scare him off... Yes, I'm having fun with new smilies today that Colin put on the server... LOL!!

Snagged this quizzie from Beverly
YOU ARE ROSEMARY

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