Still battling with Fed Ex. The two boxes they claimed were found Monday night turned out to be just one, despite the two different agents telling me two different tracking numbers were found. Still one more hasn't been found. Fed Ex, you have my undying love. It really sucks that my company has a contract with these people or I'd use someone else. Next workshop shipment will have written on each box (in marker): the tracking number and the address its going to. So there should be absolutely no excuse for anything getting lost. I did get some good news yesterday afternoon. Melody from the clinical trial I'm on called and said I have been approved for the study to get the REAL medication and not the placebo! I go next Wednesday to get x-rays and start the shots again. Which is a really good thing because the pain of the flare is coming back. Its not bad enough for pain pills yet though, and I'm hoping it won't get that bad before next week. My gastro doc called Monday night to see how I was doing with my Ulcerative Colitis. I had 3 relatively good days out of 7, but still have problems. Then he said, "Well, maybe the Nexium (for my acid reflux) is causing the diarrhea." Me thinkging - not bloody likely because not much has changed since before I started taking the Nexium! So, anyway, he had me stop in yesterday afternoon for some samples of another med to try for a week. If there is no change, then he'll put me back on the Nexium. Which is a damn good thing because I just paid $70 for a 90 day supply of the Nexium. But, we'll see what happens, its worth a shot. OK... enough health stuff. Here are pics of my new home away from home... my cubical... nice and cozy, huh? Or should I say CROWDED? (click for larger image - and maximize the window) The far cubical is where I do my mailing for the software engineering mag we publish.
After 8.5 years of working in a room without windows... I now have one, and its huge. Its so great to see the light of day!!! Greg's cube is to the left (just behind me) and Timster's is on the right. They've got a lot less shit/stuff than I do. LOL! But I have many different responsibilities so that's how it goes.
Well, I best go and get some work done. Have a fantastic Hump Day!

I've calmed down somewhat... there's still one package that hasn't turned up, but they're expecting it sometime this morning at some Fed Ex facility. BUT they're not sure because they haven't found it. They're "assuming" it will show up. I'll believe it when I see it. So aggrevating. All I can say is Fed Ex is getting some dings in their reputation for this. Not just me, but 50 students and 2 instructors... plus all those who are reading this. I know no one is perfect - least of all me, but its ridiculous that there is so much carelessness/neglect going on in a company like that, when we PAY them A LOT to do their jobs and do them well. Anyhoo... today is gonna be pretty busy again and I need to get to it. Hope everyone has a great day!

The really really mad/ugly side came out of me today. Fed Ex lost 3 out of 6 boxes of workshop materials that were supposed to be delivered to Ohio this morning at 10:30. The workshop starts at 8am tomorrow, with 50 students. I talked to 3 different Fed Ex reps, each tracking one of the packages. Needless to say, they've all been ripped new assholes, and they probably wish they'd never come into work today. I was livid enough to spew venom. My boss sat back and listened to me, and applauded every time I got off the phone. I know shit happens, but this is unexceptable. One box was broken open, one box was seperated from its airbill, and the other one at long last has been found and is on its way (but won't arrive until tomorrow morning - as the workshop starts). They say they're still searching for the other two, to find out what happened to them. Fed Fucking Ex - thank you for ruining my day - as well as making a workshop so nice for 50 people. Bravo. They say they won't charge us for the lost boxes, but that doesn't do any good when it comes to getting the materials there. This is one of the main reasons I HATE waiting until the last minute to get things done, no room for errors. I talked to the project manager and he was starting to blame the whole thing on Larry for not getting the materials to me on time, but it wasn't the case (this time - tee hee) due to schedules of Larry and two other consultants getting the materials done, it was impossible to get it to me sooner. Kinko's did a great job getting the job done on time and I made it all clear to the project mgr. I've got such a headache! Thanks again Fed Fucking Ex! I know... calm down, calm down... count to 10,000 and maybe I will be. OH! got a meeting! gotta run so I'm done bitching. ;-)

Happy St Patrick's Day! Yaaawn and stretch! UGH, I hate Mondays! Its always so hard getting out of bed, but I managed to drag my ass out. I'm here at work, and was looking at my list of things to do today. Trying not to get stressed, I'll just take one thing at a time. My boss, the Timster, will be in today after being gone a week, so he'll have lots of "Karen-do's" for me, (oh boy!). I really don't mind, Tim is such a good boss. I'm going to get started on my database work! Have a great day!!!

I had a pretty good day today. I woke up, started my laundry then had a chat with Colin and Connie. Then I finished my doily (YAY) and laundry, then made some homemade soup. I came back online and had a fun chat with Connie and Ked. Ked's bro mooned Connie earlier on cam, and I got a little jealous so I asked that he do the same for me, so he did! ROFL! What a guy... Connie asked him earlier to show her the "sun", but he declined. She cracks me up. Nope, no sunshine today. *snicker* I have just relaxed the rest of the afternoon. Nothing exciting. Keeping Up Appearances is on BBC - so I'm gonna go watch it. G'Night!

Question of the Week by Sara Make us Laugh Don't you think that we could all use a good laugh these days? I don't mean cheesy old jokes, blonde jokes are okay if they aren't retold over and over again, make sure they are fresh ones! I'm talking about side splitting, rolling on the floor laughing, spit water on your computer screen jokes. Tell at least 2 on your blog. If you don't have a blog, please leave your two jokes in the comments! They should be kinda clean, no graphic or dirty ones, please! ANSWERING MACHINE AT MENTAL HOSPITAL:"Hello, and welcome to the mental health hotline.... If you are obsessive-compulsive, press 1 repeatedly........ If you are co-dependent, please ask someone to press 2 for you.If you have multiple personalities, press 3, 4, 5 and 6. If you are paranoid, we know you are and what you want. Stay on the line so we can trace your call.If you are delusional, press 7 and your call will be transferred to the mother ship. If you are schizophrenic, listen carefully and a small voice will tell you which number to press.If you are a maniac-depressive, it doesn't matter which number you press, no one will answer. If you are dyslexic, press 9696969696969696. If you have a nervous disorder, please fidget with the pound key until a representative comes on the line. If you have amnesia, press 8 and state your name, address, telephone, mother's maiden name. If you have post-traumatic stress disorder, s-l-o-w-l-y & c-a-r-e-f-u-l-l-y press 0 0 0.If you have bi-polar disorder, please leave a message after the beep or before the beep or after the beep. Please wait for the beep. If you have short-term memory loss, press 9. If you have short-term memory loss, press 9. If you have short-term memory loss, press 9. If you have low self-esteem, please hang up. All operators are too busy to talk to you.If you are menopausal, hang up, turn on the fan, lie down and cry. You won't be crazy forever. If you are blonde, don't press any buttons, you'll just mess it up." ******************** A good pun is its own reword. A man's home is his castle, in a manor of speaking. Dijon vu - the same mustard as before. Practice safe eating -- always use condiments. Shotgun wedding: A case of wife or death. A man needs a mistress just to break the monogamy. A hangover is the wrath of grapes. Dancing cheek-to-cheek is really a form of floor play. Sea captains don't like crew cuts. Does the name Pavlov ring a bell? Condoms should be used on every conceivable occasion. Reading while sunbathing makes you well-red. When two egotists meet, it's an I for an I. A bicycle can't stand on its own because it is two-tired. What's the definition of a will? (It's a dead giveaway.) Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana. A backward poet writes inverse. In democracy your vote counts. In feuda! lism your count votes. She had a boyfriend with a wooden leg, but broke it off. A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion. If you don't pay your exorcist, you get repossessed. With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress. Show me a piano falling down a mine shaft, and I'll show you A flat minor. When a clock is hungry, it goes back four seconds. The man who fell into an upholstery machine is fully recovered. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart. You feel stuck with your debt if you can't budge it. Local Area Network in Australia: the LAN down under. He often broke into song because he couldn't find the key. Every calendar's days are numbered. A lot of money is tainted. It taint yours and it taint mine. A boiled egg in the morning is hard to beat. He had a photographic memory that was never developed. A plateau is a high form of flattery. The short fort uneteller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large. Those who get too big for their britches will be exposed in the end. Once you've seen one shopping center, you've seen a mall. Those who jump off a Paris bridge are in Seine. When an actress saw her first strands of gray hair, she thought she'd dye. Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead-to-know basis. Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses. Acupuncture is a jab well done. Marathon runners with bad footwear suffer the agony of defeat. The poor guy fell into a glass grinding machine and made a spectacle of himself.

You are a ladybug. Very motherly and kind, you
instinctively take care of those you love.
Chicken soup for a cold, chocolate ice cream
for a nasty breakup, and the like. Just be sure
you don't accidentally boss anyone around.

What bug are you?
brought to you by Quizilla LOL! got the link from Steph I'm so tired! Have been all day long... even though I cleaned my bedroom from top to bottom and all in between. It needed a good cleaning. I had to keep laying down every few minutes, but I kept plugging along. Then I finished, at lunch, had a nice nap and shower. Nothing exciting happening, I'm just blog hopping and watching Robin Hood on the TV. I hope you are enjoying your Saturday!

Thanks for everyone's good wishes for my sis. She did great! They had me follow her around from place to place. There was one orderly that came to get her clothes bag, and asked if he could take my Red Sox baseball shirt that I was wearing too (the one my good friend Colin gave me. I laughed and said "NO WAY, but thanks..." Every time the guy walked by the room, he had to look in and smiled at me. LOL!! He was kinda cute, but probably only about 20! Way too young... although the stamina would be excellent... hmmm... damnit. Should have gotten his number. *snicker* JUST KIDDING! It was all very interesting what they did. When they did the needle biopsy two weeks ago, they put a small clamp where the bad tissue was. Today, they had to go in and put a wire around the clip (I watched on the ultrasound screen -cool!), then the surgeon could go in and remove all the tissue surrounding the wire and clip. We had a good chuckle over the wire sticking out of her boob - wondering if she could pick up radio stations, etc. Then after that was done, we had 2 hrs to wait until the surgeon was ready for her. We just chatted and she snoozed a bit while I CROCHETED!! My hands are so much better I thought I'd give it a try. The nurse kept walking by trying to get me to give her the doily I was working on. I also read from time to time but didn't get as much reading done as I thought I would. The surgery took about an hour, and the doc came out and told me all went well then an orderly came to get me and I went with her to recovery. We were there about an hour then they let me take her home. She didn't put her bra on to come home (and I DO not blame her, I didn't after my surgery either!). She opened the curtain and one boob was taped up with the bandage, and the other boob was hanging so low. We both cracked up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It looked so damn funny! She ended up carrying her empty clothes bag in front of the droopy boob. She let the "perky" one show. Then I said, "Hey Sue - you're a perfect example of "NOW and THEN!" We cracked up again and we kept giggling about it as we were walking to the car. We stopped off, got her pain pills and then a to-go order of Mexican food that she was craving then I took her home. Mom will be going over shortly to spend time with her since she can't be alone for 24 hrs. Susie just wanted to go home, she didn't want to stay here and I can't blame her. Anyhoo... that was my day! I'll try and get around and visit you tonight, but it may be tomorrow. Have a great night! Toodles!

OHOHOHOH! It is soooooo nice outside! I got home about 3pm and headed right outside. Took my CD player, my book, got a chair out and lounged and read. The sun felt incredible! I stayed out for about 45 minutes, then came in because the wind picked up. It was 75! YES! Spring has sprung, at least for a few days. They say to expect snow on Monday. So typical of a Utah Spring. The weather never makes up its mind what its going to do. My sister Susie called me to tell me what time she needed to be at the hospital in Salt Lake tomorrow. 6:30am. So we've got to leave her apartment at 5:30. She's having a lump in her breast removed. She's already had a needle biopsy and we know its not cancer, but they're "active" cells. Just her and I are going down, which is great. Our other sis, Kathy (the pain in the ass) wanted to go down too, but Susie said "No thanks, Karen is taking me and we'll be fine." Good thing, cuz sitting in a waiting room with Kathy for 5-6 hours is more than I could stand. I can't stand being in the room with her for 5-6 minutes! I'm taking my book (historical romance, with explicit naughty parts of course *snicker*) with me, so I will be well entertained. I'm still feeling pretty good, I'm just really tired - fatigue from both the RA and still being anemic. I'm craving meat like crazy... yeah, OK, you guessed it, a couple types of *meat* and the books I read really doesn't help with getting rid of one of the types of cravings. *snicker* I'm going to be a good girl and head to bed early tonight. I've got 4 episodes of Days of Our Lives to watch! Toodles!!!

YAY Blogger is finally working! I just finished posting this weeks 3 for Thursday. My answers are on my Meme site (button-link on my side bar). Go play! Wow, what a CRAZY day I've had. But its been good. I just have a few more things to do before I go home in 2 hours. Its nearly 70 degrees outside, and I'm leaving work at 2:30 (I'll be done with my 40 hrs then). I plan on driving home, changing clothes, grabbing my book, and sitting out on the deck for a while and bask in the glorious sunshine! Ahhh! I'm feeling just as great as I was yesterday. This is so wonderful! I slept so good last night, not waking up every time I move (because of the pain) is a luxury. I guess one thing about being in so much pain, is it sure makes you appreciate the little things! Well, I'm off to finish my work! I hope everyone is having a great day!!

The 14 year old girl from Salt Lake City that disappeared back in June, Elizabeth Smart was found today - alive and walking on a street in Sandy (a city in the Salt Lake area) with a man and a woman. They were dressed in long clothes, and veils - Hebrew type of clothing. The man was Brian David Mitchell (aka Emanuel) and the lady his wife Wanda. They are described as religious fanatics and possibly mentally ill. There will be a press conference in a few minutes, but basically, they kidnapped Elizabeth, took her in the mountains to hide out until things cooled off, then went to San Diego for a while, then Atlanta. What they're doing back in Salt Lake - who knows. It will sure be interesting to find out. Wow - what a miracle. After 9 months she was found ALIVE and appeared to be unharmed physically.

I'm a little behind posting this morning. I've been really busy printing things and burning some CDs. I have a ton of database work to do, since yesterday there were errors and it took a while to get sorted out so I've got to finish it all today. I don't have to see my RA doc today (yipee!), the appt has been postponed until they get the clinical trial meds in, which should be next week. I cannot believe how good I feel today! I'm still still and sore in some joints, but no major pain! I have a feeling this prednisone pack is behind it - as well as everyone's prayers and support. I woke up about 3am and had to pee. I was out of bed and half way to the bathroom when I realized I practically jumped out of bed and was moving faster than I have in months! Tears of joy started rolling down my face. Incredible. Just incredible. Have a super fantastic day!!!

Ohhhh... life would be so good... (pics are clickable, then maximize the window for FULL yummy view)
Oh yeah baby... get down and dirty...
Mmmm... stamina...
Right there... you got it!
Give it to me right here...
Full steam ahead! But alas... that's me, second one on the left.
I know there's no such thing as a perfect man, but its sure nice to have a little fantasy now and then - and for the men out there, who are looking for the perfect woman, its the same thing. Oh wait! I'm supposed to say "here I am!". OK then, HERE I AM! *snicker*

I got a call last night from Melody - who runs the clinical trial and assists my RA doc (Dr B). She said that Dr B had spoken with the gastro doc Dr L yesterday. They've decided to put me on a mega dose/pack of some type of prednisone to see if they can get my ulcerative colitis to settle down, as well as get my joints to de-swell, and basically buy me some time until next week when I start on the "real" clinical trial med (to suppress my immune system that is causing all this shit) since they're pretty sure I was on the placebo before. So, I start by taking 6 pills throughout today, then taper off one each day forward until I'm down to none. I feel good about it, and really hope it helps. I still have to take all my other 8 (I think!) meds on top of this... what a pill popper I am ;-) but I gotta do what I gotta do. Melody said I'm still very anemic and may have to have more iron IVs than what was planned, but we'll see how I do after next week. If the can get the UC under control, its likely that I won't need any more iron IVs. I get to go this afternoon for #3 out of 4 weekly IVs. Its not bad really, just takes a few minutes. I've got a lot of database stuff to do this morning, and then this afternoon I have to put some workshop materials together once I receive them - he has a deadline of noon. My friend Linda called yesterday and said she wanted to come down and see our new digs then we'll head off to lunch.

OMG - I just had the biggest laugh on my way home. I was driving behind this big truck and just in front of the trailer hitch (under the truck) there was a red sack swinging with two balls in it. I don't know what the hell it was but I sure know what it looked like. I got up as close as I could at a stop light just to see it, but it still looked like *uh hum* testicles. Maybe it was the guy's good luck charms, who knows. When I got home, I had a package from The Cinnamuffin Candle Company. I ordered two candles, the Cinnamuffin and the Butter Rum Crunch scents. Ooooohhh they smell soooooooooooooooooooo good! I was going to use these for gifts but have changed my mind. I'm keeping these babies for moi!!! Liz also put a little something extra in there for me, a banana nut muffin candle and its so cute! If you haven't gone to see all the fun things she has, you need to! I can't wait to light them! Mmmm!

I'm a day late... but here's the Question of the Week by Sara. Eating Do you have any quirky or odd eating combinations? (Like fries in a Wendy's frosty?) Tell us about that. Oh yes, absolutely had to have fries with milk shakes!!! Lets see... hmmm... potato chips dipped in pork and beans - better yet baked beans! Or are you extremely picky about what you eat? What do you not like, cannot stand? I am actually a very picky eater. I HATE seafood of any sort. I don't like onions, mushrooms, or most veggies. Picky about how things are cooked - mostly because of my diet restrictions.

At the request of Colin, I am updating my blog. tee hee I'm feeling sooooooooooooooo much better today. That extra dose of prednisone really did the trick... as well as letting myeslf feel shitty and let my negative feelings out. The pain isn't very bad this morning, and I'm very grateful and my attitude has been properly adjusted. I can face my Monday. Nothing *major* to do, just a lot of catch up and database work to do. I may even have a chance to work on my financial spreadsheets to do some cool stuff I learned in my Excel classes. I did get really irritated this morning when I got an e-mail from my dork cube mate Greg about the names of my financial reports. The gov't guy sent out a broadcast message telling everyone that our monthly status report was posted in the intranet. Greg is such a dork sometimes I could slap him up the side of the head. We work for a commercial company. The company is in Fiscal Year 04. We're contracted to the gov't, and they're in Fiscal Year 03. Therefore, since the gov't is our customer, then we name the reports GFY03 (for gov't fiscal year). Greg asked if the reports should be named FY04. He CC'd my boss Tim on the e-mail, and that made me giggle. Tim is probably thinking the same thing I am - "DUH, Greg!" So intelligent... yet such a dork. OK... I need to get busy! Have a great day everyone!

Man, do I feel shitty today! I had a flare up last night and its still bad today. I had to take two pain pills this morning and they're not doing much other than making me woozy. I was naughty and took two prednisone this morning (only supposed to take one) but damnit, I'm so tired of hurting! I'm really trying to keep my positive attitude, but I think today I just need to let myself feel shitty. I hate feeling shitty, I hate feeling angry and frustrated and all these other negavite feelings, but I need to just feel them, then I can get on with things. Tomorrow will be more positive and be a better day. I WILL go to work and WILL be cheerful - even on a Monday.

Oh I had a heavenly afternoon!! After lunch, I managed to go outside and get in the hot tub! It was 20 minutes of pure heaven. I just sat back and let the jets work their magic! Mmmmm... incredible. I haven't been able to get in lately because I couldn't manouver my legs/hips. I also got a nice surprise when I tried on my swimming suit - it was a little on the big side! Time for a new one, YAY! Then I came in, showered and laid in my recliner with my cat and took a nice nap. Nothing much happening tonight, just going to watch some TV or a movie. I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

OMG - I over did things yesterday and am paying for it today. Its definitely a pain pill type of morning. I'll be OK though... I shall behave the rest of the weekend... maybe. *snicker* Dennis - one of my faithful readers - sent me this picture, he thought it would go well with the other snow sculptures I had up a couple of weeks ago. So naughty... but... I couldn't resist! Thanks, Dennis! I watched Scorpion King last night and I've got to say I was really surprised by how good it was! The ROCK is so damn sexy too. I kept having to wipe my chin from drooling. Yummy.

I got my cleaning done today - YAY! I took things easy, but was able to do a more thorough job so it feels good to have it clean. I just love things to be clean - something I inherited from my Mom. I rested for a while, then got ready and headed to town to run my errands. I had a gastro doc appt and not much change from last week, so he's got to figure out what to do with me. He's going to call my RA doc on Monday so they're both on the same page, which I feel better about. I need to call on Tuesday to see what they decide. I got my hair done too!! She highlighted it in two different shades, my original color (dark blonde) and blonde. I really love the way it turned out. Then I just got a trim, because I've been growing it out. She's a little concerned that my hair has gotten thinner, but its no wonder with all my body has been through in the past few months between the RA and the stomach probs. I could have fallen asleep when she was shampooing my hair, I don't know what it is about it, but it relaxes me beyond belief. She even shampooed it twice because I was enjoying it so much. I saw my nephew Adam while I was there too, he got his hair cut while I was waiting for the highlights to take effect. He's going to the Sr Prom tomorrow night. My little buddy has grown up. He and his bro Travis are so special to me. I paid my bills last night (so depressing), and ordered my prescriptions through a mail-in order place, where I'll get a 90-day supply. The co-pays are killing me month by month, and I found out I had the benefit of the 90-day supply, so I'm taking advantage of it. I paid $400 in co-pays though which REALLY hurts all at once!! Holy Shit! But, doing it this way, I'll save $130 every 3 months. From now on, I'll put away $65 from each pay check for the next go-around. It won't be hard since that money (and then some!) would have been going to the pharmacy anyway. I'm going to be a bum tonight and watch the Scorpian King. I borrowed the DVD from Susie last weekend and haven't been able to watch it yet so tonight is the night! Good night!! :-)

TGIF! It feels so good to be home and not have to go into work today. Although I have lots of "work" around here to do! I also have a doc appt as well as a hair appt this afternoon. I watched 4 episodes of Days of Our Lives last night and just relaxed. Ahhh... I fell asleep a little on the early side, and slept pretty good. Nothing much to say this morning, so I'll just say Happy Friday!!

Woohoo - its nearly time to go home! My week has almost come to an end. I had a really productive day, and it feels sooooooo great, I can't even tell ya. I still haven't had to take a pain pill today, even though I suspect I over did things a smidge and will later. I got everything unpacked as well as finished my monthly status report and some other little projects. My boss really kept me hopping this morning with things he needed done, since he's gone next week. The Timster is a funny guy. Now that he's in a cubical with me, he's so much chatty than he was when we were in seperate cubes. But I really need to make sure he's talking to ME and not muttering something to himself. LOL! He cracks me up. One other good thing about him being in this cube, is that Greg isn't driving me nuts. Greg has Timster to talk to and "discuss" things with now... such deep thinkers these two. I'm off like a dirty shirt! Have a good night everyone!

It seems I just sat here for 45 minutes in the dark for no reason! Larry just came in and turned the lights on! Dan's door wasn't locked after all - I just must have not turned the handle hard enough! Let there be light!

I'm here at work, sitting in the dark. The only light coming from my two computer screens and an overhead desk lamp. LOL! The light switches are in one of the front offices that belongs to Dan, and it seems that he had a lock put on his door yesterday... I don't think he comes in for at least another hour and a half. Hmmm... well, I've been told I do my best work in the dark! *snicker* Too bad there isn't a sexy guy here with me. I am having such a good day so far! I'm hurting, but not bad enough to take a pain pill! . In fact, the last pain pill I took was last night before bed. I know its hugely because of all the healing vibes, prayers, and thoughts from everyone. You all kept me going when I was at the worst. Its going to be another busy day today, but hopefully I can get all the priority stuff done so I can enjoy my weekend. My Aunt Lou Jean came down from Idaho last night. She slept on the couch downstairs (where I live) and I got up around 10 to go potty and she was up reading so we chatted for a little while. She's such a dear. I just love her to pieces. She and her daughter Brenda are taking my Mom with them to Southern Utah for the weekend. Mom really needs to get away. Mom is still so worried about me, she's asked me at least 10 times this week if I'm sure it will be OK if she goes. I told her to pack her bags. Besides taking such good care of me, she's also had to deal with that lazy sister Kathy of mine so she really needs a break. Lou Jean told me last night that she was needing to get away from Kathy. Dad will still be home, so it will be interesting to see how things go. I'm really not gonna worry about it... I'll stay downstairs as much as I can and just concentrate on getting well, and perhaps doing some things I've been needing to do. OK... I've babbled enough... I need to get some work done. Have a great Thursday!!!

Woohoo - I made it through the day. Busy but everything went well. I was able to do quite a bit of work on my financials and got all my errands ran. I went to the RA doc, and I failed the joints test, which is a good thing - because its one step closer to getting the meds I need to be on. There's a chance I'll be able to start the real stuff (instead of the suspected placebo) next week, if not it will be the following week for sure. He was pleased to see me doing better than I was last week. I have one more day to work, then its my weekend - YAY! Do you know what that means? I'll be able to catch up with everyone! Yippeee! I feel so out of touch.

Today is wild already. I've got my financials to do, on top of trying to finish up a couple of other projects. I also have to run some errands for work, then go to my RA doc appt. Just busy - no time for any play. I'm glad that I'm having a pretty good day pain-wise though, because I've got a lot of running around to do. Happy Hump Day!!!!!!!!!!

This is yet another quicky post... it was a long day and I'm beat! Sorry I haven't been around much, between work being nuts and still not feeling well its hard to get around to visit everyone... BUT I am thinking of you all! *HUGS*

I was so tired last night I forgot to write about a couple of things. During the pizza party, I got up and got me a piece of cheesecake - which was very naughty of me, but its my weakness - and the fact that it was left over from the Feb birthday treats from last week that I missed. My cubemate, Greg piped up and said, "Look, Karen has her piece of birthday cheesecake, so now we can sing to her!" Oh shit... and so they did. So embarrassing... but made me feel special. As I was taking some things out to my car yesterday, I ran into that Mike guy . I was pushing a big cart, and he asked me what I was doing. I said "Moving, obviously..." he didn't know my org was moving so he had to ask all about it. Sheesh... I kept moving... then I ran into him again on the other side of the building. When it finally dawned on him to ask if I needed some help, but I declined. Ick. I'm so glad I'll never have to see that guy again - at least I hope! Well, I best get my body busy and get to my Feb stats. Have a great day!!!

OHOHOHOHOH... I'm soooooo tired! Busy day! We got the group pic taken, and it was kinda fun. We went to the Hill Air Force Base Museum and had it taken in one of the hangers. Then I went back to my office and started getting my PC taken apart and put some very light things in my car. We had a fun pizza party and everyone just sat around and chatted and laughed. I have so much stuff to put away still, but was able to set up my PCs and part of my desk. I'm just taking one box at a time and will work as I have time this week and next. Its my report and financials week so its going to be crazy anyway. Oh, shit! I have to do my Feb stats in the morning. Grumble. ;-) So... I'm off to bed early - I'm sure I over did things today despite trying to behave. Good night all!

I decided on the new burgundy dress for the pictures today. I showed it to my sis Susie last night and she flipped over it. I don't feel quite so frumpy in it today, I guess it helps having the nylons and shoes with it, so help complete the outfit. tee hee I'm not having so much pain today, which feels so great. But then, I got up at 2am and took a pain pill ;-) gotta do what I gotta do. I figured I'll be moving about quite a bit today, since we'll be finishing moving offices/buildings today. At least I hope so - I'm ready to go. We're having a pizza party here at lunch time - as both a reward and a farewell to this building. It should be fun. Even though this move has been a pain in the butt, I think it will turn out to be a good move... especially since it should save me about 5 to 10 minutes travel time. Have a great Monday everyone - if that's possible ;-).

I'm kinda having a dilema. I usually don't fret much about this sort of stuff, but I am today. I think that I've had too much time at home! LOL!! Tomorrow at work, our group is having a picture taken. I'm stressing out about what to wear. I've got a new burghandy skirt and top that is crinkly rayon and lace. I've had it for a while but haven't been able to fit into it - but now I can! YAY! Its really pretty, but now that I've tried it on, I wonder if I look like frump girl. Not sure if its the right outfit for the picture. I have other dresses, but don't really want to wear any of them for the picture - dunno why. This is definitely one of the reasons women drive men crazy and to be honest, I'm driving my self crazy.

Question of the Week by Sara "They Say" We have all heard the Old Wives Tales, "they say" things and the superstitions. List at least 3, you can list more if you want, of things you have heard. Telling an actor to break a leg instead of good luck on a performance. Don't step on a crack or you'll break your Mother's back. If a black cat crosses your path, you'll surely have bad luck that day.

Good morning! I'm up bright and early to take my meds and eat breakfast. I know - I'm sick. I also wanted to catch up on blog reading (since I've been behind) while I'm doing laundry. I had a pretty good night last night, my cousin Teria and her husband stopped by for a visit and it was good to see them. I really over did things yesterday and Friday, and it caught up with me last night. I'm still doing OK now though. I shall behave today and be a bum, I swear. I hope everyone is having a great weekend!!

It pays to be honest. I decided to call the fabric store and talk to the manager/asst manager and told her what had happened this afternoon. She said that the next time I come in, they'll give me 15% off my purchase and she was so greatful that I told her I'd mail her the signed copy of my credit card receipt. I do feel good about the whole thing, and knew I'd feel guilty if I would have not said anything. She said she'd talk to the girl and apologized for the problem.

I'm bushed! I got up early and did my cleaning! YAY! I took it slow and easy, and didn't do a completely thorough job, that will have to wait until I'm feeling better. After I cleaned, Mom and I went to run errands and had a nice day out. It feels sooooooo great to be able to be out and about somewhat. Its so hard being cooped up for so long. We first went to lunch, to the restaurant that my sis Susie works at, and I had a really yummy hot ham and swiss sandwich and a salad. It was heavenly. Then we went to Sam's Club where we covered the majority part of the store, cart was full and I came out only spending $65 and Mom only $40. Then we made our way to the pharmacy, then to the fabric store. Mom wanted to get some fleece to make a couple of blanket throws. These throws she makes are so cute and so easy! No sewing required! She takes the ends, and cuts about 1 inch wide by 3 inches deep, then ties little knots in the strips (close to the blanket, not the edge). I saw a gorgeous peach piece that I felt like I needed to have so I bought me some. The girl that cut the fabric had all the warmth of a a wall-eyed-pike, but Mom and I just ignored her. We snooped around the store a little bit, then went to check out. The same girl checked us out. Mom went first, then she went off and was looking at some decorations while I paid. I put mine on a credit card, and signed the receipt. Then all of the sudden this woman comes up behind me and starts complaining that she'd been over charged. The cashier started talking to this woman (didn't say "I'll be right with you to this woman while she finished with me), as she gave me my card and receipt, which I put in my wallet. Fine. But she hadn't bagged my fabric, said thank you, come again, or anything. She turned her whole attention to this woman. I got so mad! I reached over the counter, grabbed a sack and bagged my fabric. In doing so, a receipt blew onto the floor. The cashier said, "Oh, here's your receipt." Didn't say sorry for the interruption, sorry for not bagging your fabric. Squat. I put the other receipt in my bag and turned to the lady behind me and told her that she needed to wait her turn, and I stormed out. I heard the cashier say "Oops" as I was leaving. Mom asked me what happened so I told er on the way to the car. Now - here's my deal. I got home, took the receipt out of my bag and guess what... it was the store's copy! Now... should I be nice, call the store and tell them I have their receipt or just blow it off? The transaction went through, they have my number... hmmm... decisions, decisions. If I do happen to call, I could tell the manager how crappy both Mom and I were treated so that could be more fun than just keeping the signed receipt. Hmmmm... *snicker* All I know is I'm not wasting my precious time and energy to take the receipt to them - if they want it they can come and get it. I used to work in a fabric store - for 4 years as an assistant manager. I've done my time in retail and know how difficult it is to work with the public... but then again, most people are really great and don't make life hell. I also know that you should always be as courteous and friendly to the customers - that's the number one rule. OK... done ranting... We carried onto Walmart where I spent another $65 on groceries. Then I had to come home and put everything away - the really fun part. I think I best not do anything else the rest of the night, just rest and watch some TV... maybe work on my cozy new fleece blanket! Have a great night!

Found this at Kat's blog. I also want to wish Kat a very special birthday! Go visit her and wish her a happy birthday! A very special Aquarian Karen is the last of the great eccentrics. The funny thing is, she doesn't know it. She thinks her behaviour is perfectly normal. She sees herself as a pillar of propriety and a paragon of protocol. Karen has strong views about every topic under the sun. There's not a subject she doesn't know about or a moral point she can't pontificate on. Karen is entitled to be a little arrogant. She knows an awful lot about an awful lot of things. She is well versed, well rehearsed, and deeply immersed in the kind of knowledge that we lesser mortals can only dream of attaining. Thankfully, she is there to shed the light and show the way. This, she does generously and patiently, as befits a person of superior intellect. Karen is wise, intelligent and (thankfully) oblivious to irony. Or, at least, that's how Karen is, at her worst. She can't help it. She's an Aquarian and Aquarians are infamous for their occasional outbursts of pomposity. Happily there is another truly delightful side to her. Karen is as honest as the day is long, as generous as the ocean is deep. This is partly where the eccentricity comes from, for a person with such strong opinions Karen is surprisingly willing to please. she is keen to win friends and influence people. She loves to feel that she belongs. She always wants to be in on the action, part of the scene and one of the gang. Rather like Groucho Marx though, she is never sure that she would want to be part of any club that would a member. She is always on the lookout for some new cause to support, or enterprise to sign up to. You might think that this would make her fickle but actually Karen is exceedingly loyal. She may be forever expanding her horizons but she never forgets her friends and she never reneges on her commitments. This is why, despite the highly idiosyncratic nature of Karen's personality, so many people think the world of her. LOL!! Hmmmm...

Got this quiz from Kane
you are the cute but psycho happy bunny. You
adorable, but a little out there. It's alright,
you might not have it all, but there are worse

which happy bunny are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Its amazing how much better I feel, thanks to the prednisone - and no allergic reaction so far! . I'm so grateful for everyone's thoughts, healthy vibes and prayers - they have helped! I'm still not 100%, but it feels so good to be able to move without crying in pain. As I was getting out of bed and getting ready this morning, I thought of every little thing I'm thankful for being able to do without as much pain: Turning over in bed, getting out of bed, walking, going potty, petting my cat, getting undressed, showering, squeezing shampoo and bath gel bottles, drying off, getting dressed, squeezing toothpaste tube and brushing teeth, cleaning ears, combing hair, drying hair, curling hair, putting on make up, putting on my socks and shoes, walking up the stairs, fixing and eating breakfast, and driving my in car. That was all within 45 minutes. The little things we all take for grantid. Its amazing. I came into work this morning and started packing. Most everyone is moved now, and I was behind. I had a couple of people offer to help me on Monday, but since I came in today, I just did it. Its a "down Friday" so very few people are even here. I took it slow and easy, and have now finished the packing. All that is left to do is tear down my PCs and move the rest of my things. That will certainly be done on Monday by the guys who are helping me. Then, the fun part... setting everything back up and unpacking. I'll just take a bit at a time though - there's no rush in unpacking a lot of it. I have to work for about another hour, then I'm off to my gastro doc to find out what more he can do to help with the ulcerative colitis. The one med is helping, but hasn't completely. Then I'm going home to crash. I do have some errands to run, but they'll have to wait until tomorrow. Mom said she'd go with me to make sure I behaved. *snicker* good luck on getting me to behave now that I'm starting to feel better. I've got lots of trouble to cause to make up for all the time I've been sick. I'll get around to visit all of you soon - I really have missed reading and saying hello to everyone!

I'm back. Yesterday was such a horrid day. I don't think I have ever experienced such pain. Every joint in my body had me screaming in pain. My hands were so bad I could barely type. I called my doc and I spent two hours in his office yesterday afternoon, with him trying to figure out what was best for me. He's pretty sure - from my flare - that I am indeed on placebo on this clinical trial I'm on (the other slim possibility is that I'm not responding). So he's trying to get me on what's called open label so I can still be on the trial, but know for certain I'm getting the real med. He's also put me on prednisone, a very low dose since I've had a reaction to it and cortizone before. He wants to make sure it is indeed the prednisone that I was having the reaction to and not just the cortizone, since having reactions to prednisone is highly rare. He's also put me on the anti-inflammatory Bextra 4 pills a day (base RX is one!). If I don't see any improvment in the next couple of days then I'm going off the trial completely and going with the Remecade (which is $4000 per treatment!). Its so expensive to get healthy! On the upside, if I do go on the Remecade, it should help my ulcerative colitis as well! But, we'll see. One thing I do know, is that I cannot go on like this. Michelle sent me a really nice card - thanks Michelle! And thank you to everyone who left comments. I can't tell you how much each one means. Thanks to Colin who put up a t-shirt for me today, that totally cracked me up! I think I'll stay home today, and work from home as I can. I've got some slides that I need to reformat so it should keep me busy and I can work on them the next couple of days if I need to. As long as they're done by Monday. Have a great Thursday everyone! :-)

Made it to work today - woohoo! It definitely worked to take a pain pill in the middle of the night. Wow, the weather is really turning nasty this morning. Snow and strong winds. Brrrr. Yesterday as I was leaving, I ran into that Mike guy, damnit! I haven't seen him since just after Xmas and was hoping I'd never see him again. He asked me how I've been and I replied, "Shitty." and kept walking, he said "Sorry to hear that, and he kind of ran the other way." tee hee I'm hoping I scared him away so he won't stop by today. I really don't want to deal with him. I didn't do much at all last night. I was craving an Arby's Beef & Cheddar sandwich so I stopped and got one on the way home. Tasted really yummy, and best of all, I didn't have to cook. I checked my e-mail quickly then headed to bed early. Now I come into my cubical that is in complete disarray with boxes here and there. At least I'm making progress with the packing. I've got 4 small boxes of things I'm taking home, and will have to get one of the guys to carry them out for me. I need to go through my CDs and decide which ones I really want to keep at work, and take the rest home, since I won't have nearly the storage in the other building. I best get busy! Have a great day!

I finally made it to work! Only 4 hrs late... better than not at all. I've decided the secret of having a relatively good morning is to get ahead of the pain, to get up in the middle of the night and take a pain pill. I feel like such a druggy, but I gotta do what I gotta do. When I came into work, I found several documents and magazines that had been dropped off by some anonymous givers. How kind of them to think of ME to dump their crap on. Since we're moving, everyone is going through things, and I guess they think I would want their extra stuff. Well, they thought wrong. I've got enough crap of my own, I don't need more. I've just put up a sign "This is a NO DUMPING ZONE" so maybe they'll get the hint. I'm also playing with the idea of sending out an e-mail asking whoever dumped the stuff to come claim it. tee hee Have a great Monday everyone! I gotta ton of stuff to do today!

I'm not myself. I'm in constant pain and its taking so much out of me to even function half way and my energy level is so low. My emotions are up and down, most my emotional energy is going towards keeping up a brave front. I've had some of my friends comment that they miss me, and to be honest, I miss me too. I hate feeling so rotten. This RA flare up is taking its toll and I just am at a loss of what to do most of the time. I don't mean to sit here and bitch - I just want to explain that I'm still here - I'm just surrounded by pain and you'll have to be patient with me until I can get through this. I also want to really thank everyone who stops by and gives me encouragement. It means the world to me. Its what I need - the encouragement to keep going. To know that people out there really care and are concerned and are pulling for me - my own personal cheering section, if you will. A good friend of mine had been avoiding me because she didn't know what to do. She said she was frustrated and didn't want to see me in pain all the time. Well, that makes two of us. Then she starts in on me about needing to go to a pain clinic because this one friend of hers said I needed to. I can't go to a pain clinic because my insurance doesn't cover it. I'm already swamped with medical bills and cannot afford it. I don't have a husband's income like they do to fall back on. At first I appreciated the effort she was putting in - trying to solve my problems, but now I'm getting down right pissed off. I don't want or need her to solve my problems. I want her to be my friend and I want her to quit talking about MY health problems with that woman. I don't like that woman, she's a two-faced bitch and has been so rude to me. My friend knows how I feel about this woman, but still she talks to her about me. I don't think that's right. I know I need to say something to my friend, but not sure how to go about it. I'm seeing doctors and they're doing what they can for me. There are no easy answers for RA and Ulcerative Colitis. I've pretty much done squat today - and yesterday for that matter. I'm sooo sleepy all the time. I keep taking cat naps, but wake up so stiff and sore I can hardly move. I'm gearing up for work tomorrow - but I can honestly say that I'm looking forward to going. Work is a good thing for me. It helps me forget my pain (as much as I can) and makes me feel useful. I hate sitting here doing nothing, I really do. I like to veg, but not when its forced. No fun if its forced. Well, enough wining ;-) I'm gonna head off and try and move around. I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Question of the Week by Sara List 5 people dead or alive you would want stranded with you on a desert island for 3 weeks. You probably want to choose people that are rugged, built for survival and can hunt down food for you and the others. Your best friend may be nice to talk to, but, can they survive in the wilderness? 1-2. My parents. They've taught me all the surival skills I have now, and they're great camping cooks! 3. The Professor from Gilligan's Island. 4. A sexy man who hunts - not for sport but for food. The sexy part is essential... gotta have a couple different types of meat. *snicker* 5. My cat. She warns me of nasty creatures.

I never would have believed it, but one water pill has made all the difference in the world. I am not nearly in the amount of pain than I have been. All the extra fluid in my feet/ankles was really causing problems. Although I'm peeing a lot, its nice to have a bit of pain relief. YAY! I hope this is a sign of really good things to come. Honestly I don't know how much more of the severe pain I could tolerate. I know that a lot of people in this world are a lot worse off than I am, and my heart goes out to them, both for their pain and for their courage to face each and every day. I'm siitting here eating fruit loops and watching The Incredible Mr. Limpet. I haven't eaten fruit loops in ages, but I had to buy them yesterday when I saw the toy offered inside: A bobble-head Winnie the Pooh. But wouldn't ya know it, its clear down at the bottom of the box. Which means I'll have to eat a lot of fruit loops to get him out. My goal for today is to go and visit everyone and catch up. Happy Saturday everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The pharmacy just loves me. I spent $120 there today for 7 prescriptions. I guess its not so bad, since 4 of them had a $10 co-pay. Still - OUCH. I went to my doc appt and my blood pressure was really good, so he's keeping me on the lower dose. YAY. I also had him check my feet and ankles since they are soooooo swollen. I wanted to make sure it was all RA and not fluid retention. Well, its a combo of both so he's putting me on a water pill and potassium. He wants to see me again on Tuesday afternoon to see how I'm getting along. Being so swollen could be one of the reasons I'm in so much pain, so hopefully the water pills will help. I also had to start taking iron because my platelets were really low in my last blood test from my RA visit. I'm turning into a walking pharmacy. There are 3 prescriptions that I didn't even have filled today, those are for next pay day. Oh well, as long as these meds help. I'm going to start going through a mail service for my prescriptions to get a 90-day supply at a lower co-pay. The monthly pharmacy is just killing my budget. I got 4 written prescriptions from Dr M today, and I'll get the other written ones as I visit the other doctors. I think I'm off to bed... I hear it calling me. Now I wish there was a sexy guy in my bed calling me, now THAT would really make me feel better ;-) *snicker*

I'm so glad I didn't have to work today... UGH. I woke up about 2am in such pain, so I took a couple of pain pills and fell back asleep for a few hours in my recliner. Ashley the cuddle-muffin was right on my lap the whole time. I'm really moving slow today, not even going to do my cleaning. I've got a doc appt with my general doc this morning, so he can check my blood pressure since he cut my dosage in half 3 weeks ago. Then I've got a trip to the pharmacy and the grocery store. My Mom said she'd come with me for those so I'll come back and pick her up after my doc appt. I've got to sit here and pay bills since I didn't do it last night. Its always so depressing, paying bills ;-) The money goes way too fast. But at least I have the money for the bills! Have a great day, everyone!!!!!

Our internet at work took a nose dive this morning so I didn't get around to visit as many of you as I would have liked to. Now that I'm home, I'm sooooooo exhausted and in a lot of pain so I'm not staying long. I'll catch up with everyone tomorrow and this weekend. Since the net went down I had to resort to cleaning things out and packing some more stuff. I'm getting a lot done, but I've got a long way to go yet. Project for next week. G'Night!

All together now... OUCH. I'm sitting here at work waiting for my pain pill to kick in. I stood in the shower this morning and had myself a good cry, mostly from the frustration of being in constant pain. I felt a lot better emotionally after the cry. I'm dragging ass, but I'm thankful I was able to make it into work. At least the pain has gotten a little better this week, so I can come to work. Thanks again to everyone for their concern and well wishes, you make it so much easier to get through the day. I think they're gonna start calling the way I walk the "Karen Shuffle" LOL!! I feel like such a goof, but I am a goof and that is something we all know. ;-) I got really irritated at a guy this morning while waiting to get through the gate. He had to merge in front of me then further down the way they opened another lane (which they should have done 20 minutes earlier in my opinion!) so he decided he would hold up traffic and merge back into the right lane. As I passed him, I called him a f*cking idiot and from the gasp on his face, he could read lips. See, that bitch in me slips out on occasion *snicker* I best get busy, have lots to do today. Happy Thursday everyone!!!!!!!!!!

My day and mood have much improved... dunno what my problem was earlier but it soon went away. I got a lot of work done, and then went to lunch with my good friend Linda. We went Mexican, so I was able to have cheese enchiladas, cha-cha-cha... no wonder my mood improved ;-) they always make me happy. I came back to the office, and then Shanae and I drove over to our "new" location to check out our work areas. They're definitely smaller cubicals, and I'll be in a 4-cubical space with Greg and the Timster. There's an extra cubical which Debi and I will share since she and I both need extra space. Debi will be diretly over the wall from me - she's such a sweetie. I'm going to be sad to leave this building and a few people behind. Linda, Nancy, Bri, Adrian, and sexy Joe and Russ will have to stay here. But I'm glad to leave that weird Mike guy behind and some other dorks *snicker*. Oooo! I have a meeting! Gotta run! I hope everyone is having a good Hump Day!

Oh man, I need a major attitude adjustment today. I'm being a bitch from hell, so I'll post later when I can be nice.

I've had quite the day so far. I got up, took a pain pill (and ate a cereal bar), took a shower, barfed, attempted to go to work, as I was headed out the door, I got really dizzy so I set my stuff down, and went over by the kitchen table to sit down and next thing I knew, I was on the floor next to the table. I'd passed out. Could have been a bug, could have been not enough on my tummy for the pain pill, who knows. I called for my Mom, she helped me downstairs and I got back in bed for a while. Slept for about 2.5 hours. Then work called and a couple things had come up, and I was feeling better so I got up and came into work. As I was leaving the garage (picture this: I back my car into the garage and the other half next to my passenger side is full of my sister's furniture and shit) something fell behind me. I didn't think much of it, and just pushed the garage door shut and left. About 4 miles down the road, sitting at a stop light, a lady next to me honked her horn and told me I had something on my rear tire. I looked in my mirror and it appeared to be a hanger and a pair of pants! LMFAO! I got through the light and pulled over. There, I found not one, but FIVE pairs of pants. The main hanger was caught on the bolt of my mud flap and all the other hangers were attached to the main hanger. Mud splattered all over these pants, and one pair that was on the bottom had quite a bit of road rash! I'm guessing they are Ellis' dress pants. *snicker* Just then, my Dad called me on my cell and told me that I may be dragging something. I started to giggle. I explained that I was just unhooking the pants. I guess Ellis had gotten into something over the weekend and not done a very good job of putting it away or letting the clothes fall on my car (grrr). What a dork. I hope he didn't like the pants very well...... *snicker* I really can't stop giggling about it. Me thinks he's gonna have a shit fit, but its his own fault. Anyway - I'm here at work and doing OK so I'll stay the rest of the day. My boss is here since his trip back to Boston was cancelled due to the bad, bad, bad weather. He's been traveling since the first part of Feb and will be until the first week in March, so he definitely deserves a break. I walked into the building and was stopped by my group having a staff meeting. I'm glad I got here in time, it was to discuss the upcoming move. I just finished taking care of the things that came up, and now I need to start cleaning up my desk - looks like a tornado hit it. Hope everyone is having a great day!

Oh Happy Day! Mom has just got back from the pharmacy with my pain meds. I just love my RA doc, he gave me 100 pills (these are mild since I can't take the strong ones). He doesn't mess around like my general doc only giving me a few pills. I still will take them only when I need them, but at least I don't have to worry about running out for a while.

OMG - I just got an e-mail from that Bryan guy. Its almost been 2 weeks since I'd heard from him, not really caring whether I heard from him or not... then I get this shit: "Hi Karen Sorry I haven't wrtten for a while, I have been a little busy, but I saw your e- on the frame of my comp. screen and I had such a boring fricking day aside from watching the Daytona 500 on tv. I thought what the heck, I will drop you a line. You never really said what kind of health problems you were having and the question popped into my head, "I wonder if she is in a motherly way", "has a bun in the oven", "Expecting". Well, congrats if so, if not, sorry, just a thought, you know. Well, I am probably clear the hell out in left field, and I hope you will forgive me if it seems prying or that I don't have any idea what the hell I am talking about. Ok, with that out there, I will just let you go now. Bryan" I'm rather pissed that he would even ask such a question - but I can't help but laugh! What a complete dork this man is! I'll have to compose a really great response... my brain is a bit muddled but has lots of things I want to say to him! ;-) I'll try to be nice... *snicker*

I fully intended to post this last night so the birthday girl could see it first thing this morning, but I had a brain fart. Nothing unusual there ;-) Its my dear friend Fluffy Muppet's birthday today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So... uh hum... without further ado... (imagine me singing this in the most beautiful voice imaginable, nothing like my real voice which is like fingernails on a chalk board). Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Emma..... Happy Birthday to youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu! Lots of love, Karen

Question of the Week by Sara All about S-E-X (Ok, without telling all) Is there anything you have regretted doing sexually? And is there anything you are happy you tried, as you are surprised that you liked it? Yup, one thing... back door action. Its an exit only thank you very much. Won't try that again. There are lots of other things I want (no S&M etc., just fuuuunnn things) to try but need to find a sexy man to do them with *snicker*.

OMG I'm getting so tired of being in so much pain. I woke up this morning and could hardly move. I had decided to just have my Mom take me to the emergency room - not sure what they could do, but I needed something. So I talked to her and she suggested I call my doc first and see what he wanted me to do. He called me back (through his service) and I told him how bad things were still - and seemed to be getting worse on a lot of days. There aren't any quick fixes he can give me, because I'm allergic to the predisone and cortisone. I've just got to ride it out still in hopes things will get better in the next few days. He told me to increase my anti-inflammatory and he's calling me in more pain meds tomorrow because my pharmacy is closed today. I have 3 of these precious pain pills left, they better get me through until tomorrow morning or you all may hear my screams. tee hee Not that the pain pills do a lot of good, they're mild ones cuz the stronger ones make me sick. Aren't I just a difficult patient?! So, not much on the agenda today! I'm forced once again to be a royal bum. I watched Sweet Home Alabama last night - such a good movie, and I watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding once again this morning. I'm so glad tomorrow is a holiday and I don't have to go to work!

I'm being such a bum today! I'm still in quite a bit of pain (but not as bad as Wednesday!) - so I'm not up for a lot. The most ambitious I got was to take a shower... a looooong HOT shower. It felt so good! I just ate lunch, and now I'm thinking of taking a nap. What is everyone else up to today?

I had a pretty good day. I started off by getting my cleaning done (nothing too major though) and then took a small cat nap before showering and heading off to run my errands and go to the dentist. When I was at the dentist, I saw Kelly one of the hygientists I used to work with. My usual hygientist Annette just had a baby (YAY). It was so great to see Kelly - she's so great. Anyway, as I opened my mouth she commented on how beautiful my mouth and smile was. She said "Its not fair that Annette hogs you all to herself." LOL! I told her I didn't want anyone fighting over me and she said "I'm going to fight her on this." So I said they can share me! I'll see Annette next time, and the Kelly the time after that. Made me feel really good! I've had so much work done in the past - of course I take good care of my mouth! I passed 100% on my flossing (no bleeding when probed) and I think this is the 8th time in a row for that, I should get a prize I think! Anyway, I have a tooth that's been bothering me, sensitive to heat. This means nerve problems. Its been going on for about 3 weeks now, so I had them take an x-ray of it. It happens to be a tooth that I've already had a root canal done back in 1986! Looong time ago. The x-ray looked fine. Its not pressure sensitive, not keeping me up at night, etc., just shoots pain when I eat something hot or warm. I was talking to the dentist about what it could be, and we decided this was probably linked to my RA. The tooth started bugging me about 3 weeks ago, when the bad flare ups started and my jaw has flared right by the tooth. So, we're going to watch it for now. Its so crazy all the stuff that can go on with RA and when your immune system is wacked. I came home, picked Mom up and we went to lunch, both of us were craving Mexican so of course we both had cheese enchiladas, cha, cha, cha. Then we headed for Sams where I spent a lot of money, but was able to get quite a bit. Both of us were pretty done in by the time we got home. I'm pretty tired now, but feeling pretty good. I'm going to watch Coupling and then one of my new DVDs that I bought. Can't decide between Sweet Home Alabama and My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Decisions, decisions.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I'm soooooooooo glad its Friday! Woohoo! Monday is a holiday so a 4-day weekend! Taking things nice and slow this morning, still in quite a bit of pain, but each day is getting better. I've got to do some cleaning, run a couple quick errands, go to the dentist, then if I'm still alive by then, I'll take Mom to lunch, then go to Sam's Club to get a few things. My State tax refund arrived yesterday, so I told Mom I'd buy some groceries to help her out. Its such a drain on Mom and Dad having Kathy and Ellis here, they eat like pigs. They do get food stamps, but they buy outrageous things so the money doesn't last very long - maybe a week at the most. So Mom ends up feeding them for the other 3 weeks of the month. My Mom totally cracked me up the other day. She got home from seeing to J Dee's surgery and came downstairs to check on me. She was giggling. I asked her what she was giggling about and she told me that Ellis was upstairs and could hardly stand up because he had hemorhhoids so bad. So we both started giggling! She's usually so sympathetic so it was great to see her laughing at the pain-in-the-ass named Ellis. I had fantasies of telling him the pain in his ass is what he puts us through every day... but alas, it was just a fantasy. I don't even acknowledge the man. Later that day I went upstairs to get some ice water and he was walking through the kitchen (in pain!) and I started giggling again, and Mom gave me a wink. I must be off now... gotta get this stiff body of mine moving. Have a great Friday!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One hour left to go and then I can go home! I made it all day at work, YAY! I've done pretty well, I'm still hobbling about, but I stay sitting at my desk the majority of the time anyway. I hope I'm on the upswing of things now, and won't have another bad flare up like this ever again. My friend Nicole just sent me a clip of a SNL sketch with Robert DeNiro. The sketch was about terrorists that were reported by high school and college students. The names of these so-called terrorists were just a kill - "I Bin Pharteen" was one that stuck with me, and two of the lines was "We've tracked his scent" and "He's a silent but deadly killer" I do not now how Robert DeNiro kept a straight face through that sketch. I thought I'd bust up laughing. I had tears in my eyes from laughing so hard and my cube mate wondered if I'd taken too many pain pills. I've burned this sketch on a CD and am taking it home to watch it again! So damn funny! Well, that's all for now... thanks again everyone for your well wishes, I know they are behind me getting better!

Whew... I made it into work. Not sure how long I'm gonna stay, but I'm here for now. I felt so much better when I left the house than when I got out of my car and walked into the building. I'm sure the cold, damp weather had a lot to do with it. I've taken a pain pill so hopefully it will kick in soon and give me some relief. I had such a lovely hot shower this morning! I actually got up 10 mins earlier so I could spend more time in the shower. Another shower is sure sounding good about now. ;-) 3 for Thursday questions are up! Go play along! Gotta get to work, and filter through my e-mail and get some things that have to be done. Have a great day everyone!

I read that Maria was home today too, feeling rotten so I decided to call her. I'm so glad I did. She's amazing and so fun to talk to. She totally understands how awful it is to have RA. We laughed and chatted for over an hour, and it felt like we were long lost friends. Thanks, Maria! You really made my day! Thank you so much to everyone who left me comments, I could feel your good healing vibes and you all perked up my spirits. I spent most of the day in my recliner and watched some fun old movies. Dennis the Menace (with Walter Matheau), Goonies, and Grumpier Old Men. I took a few cat naps. I'm feeling a bit better now, but still taking pain pills. I also put Tiger Balm on the joints that hurt the worst and let me tell you, I smell so good. LOL!!! I smell up any room I walk into. But, it helps so that's the important thing. Its not like there's a sexy guy with me to smell really good for. On that note, someone sent me an article not to long ago that said sex helps ease arthritis pain for up to 8 hours. Damn - gotta get me some of that! *snicker* Who knows, it could be a miracle cure for me if it was good enough, ya never know. My brother's surgery went really great! He's home now and resting. It will be so good to see him not in pain, poor guy really went through a lot with his back. I'm so glad that we live in this day and age with all the medical advances. Hopefully one day they'll have a cure for all diseases... and I for one would be incredibly grateful if they'd figure out how to deal with autoimmune diseases. ;-) I'm off now to visit as many people as I can before I go to bed! G'Night!

I had to stay home from work today. I am just in too much pain and figured there was no way I could even get dressed let alone drive to work. I'm taking pain pills (WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE) that aren't doing so much for the pain, but making me sleepy and feeling goofy (goofier than normal, so you know its got to be pretty goofy). I'm staying in my recliner and going to watch movies and cat nap all day. I'll try and move around as much as I can to keep my joints moving so they'll hurt less. My parents went to Wyoming where my bro J Dee is having some back surgery. Its about a 2 hr drive, so they'll be gone most the day. J Dee has had a lot of problems with his lower back, he's got some cysts that they've drained several times and had other treatments but they're not working. The orthopedic surgeons around here tell him he needs that section of his back fused, and he's really too young to have to go to that extreme. So, he found a neuro surgeon in Wyoming and got his opinion. This doc is going to go in and clean out the cysts and do a few things and this should buy J Dee a few more years hopefully, before he has to have the fusing done. I sure hope this helps him - he's always in so much pain. Anyway, before Mom left, she came to check on me and said that Kathy had said that if I needed anything to let her know. Hmmm... shocker. Then just a few minutes ago, Kathy called me to tell me she was going out and asked if she could get me anything. Hmmm... I know I was awake so it couldn't have been a dream... not used to this Kathy. I hope its a sign of good changes, but I can't really bring myself to believe in it quite yet. I'm very leary of her because she turns on you in a snap. I should just appreciate the thought and leave it be. Here's a funny pic that Colin found that goes along with the other pic from yesterday.
Have a great Hump Day *snicker*!

This morning, I was off to a bad start. I'd had a bad night because both my shoulders flared and I was in a lot of pain. I made myself get up and come to work - cussing and being ornery beyond belief. I get into work and had some trouble with the color printer - which turned out to be PowerPoint problem, not the printer. After fighting with it for 45 mins, I converted the file to PDF and voila - it worked fine. Then I checked my e-mail and got an message from Maria. After a few sweet words from her, I had tears in my eyes and my whole attitude changed in an instant. Maria is an incredibly sweet lady - if you don't know her, go and read her blog. She's so strong and stays incredibly positive about life and challenges. I will get through my day now. I may be in pain, but there's a lot of positive things in my life and I need to concentrate on those and let the pain run its course. I just want to add that I have so many supportive people in my life and I thank you all. You all make life easier to deal with and a lot more fun! On a totally different subject... this is something that really made me laugh... woohoo! I'm surprised the snow isn't melting.
Have a great day everyone!!!!!!!!!!!

First off - I want to announce that my good buddy Colin has returned from his trip to New Mexico! YAHOOO! Welcome back, I sure missed you! I'm feeling quite popular today at work so far. I came into work to find 45 e-mails in my inbox. All of them work related ;-) One dork wrote and asked me if I could help his son (who is an excelled student that wants to help with engineering in the world of defense when he grows up) get a job. Ummm... well. NO. We're not the gov't personnel dept., sorry. I was nice and wrote him back a very polite note. I guess I'm the lucky one who gets these dumb questions because my name and e-mail is on our main website and it does say "for all other questions, please contact Karen...at..." but I think some people are just too dumb to realize the "other questions" mean "other valid questions about our organization". I've got lots to do today, but am not totally swamped so that's a nice feeling for a Monday. Have a great day everyone!

I watched Windtalkers last night and it was really good. Very violent and bloody, but good. Nicholas Cage is very yummy. I watched The Sum of All Fears today and I thought it was a really good movie too - really keeps ya on the edge of your seat. Then this afternoon I watched a movie I'd taped a couple of weeks ago - Dragonfly with Kevin Costner (yuummmyy) which was a great movie - sad and a bit spooky but very good. Besides laundry and bloghopping a bit, that's pretty much all I've done today! I didn't even dry my hair after I showered, just let it go curly. I look like a beast woman. LOL! My sister saw me and told me how cute my hair looked... cough, cough... wonder what she thinks she's going to accomplish by trying to kiss my ass?! I got a good chuckle out of it at any rate. Question of the week by Sara Are you in love? If not, have you ever been? What are your plans for the day of love? Do you believe in love at first sight? Is there a really cool story about how you met your current or a past love? No, I'm not in love...no, haven't really been in love. I don't have any plans for the day of love cuz I don't have a love. Yes, I believe in love at first sight!! No... no cool story. I know - very sad, pathetic and pretty much non-existant is my love life. ;-) *sigh* Its taken me a long time to be ready for love, so I know its just a matter of time.

OMG - does the thought of pepperoni pasta in a can make anyone else sick? I just saw a commercial for Chef Boyardee's latest thing and I gotta say - bluuueerrgggh. I rented some DVDs yesterday. So far I've watched: The Banger Sisters - was OK but I was really disappointed. I thought it would have been more zany and funny. Murder by Numbers - was really good. Good story line and suspensful. Sandra Bullock did a good job. Showtime - was OK. I giggled a few times. It took me 3 times to see the entire movie, I kept falling asleep. Not sure if it was the movie or me being on pain pills. tee hee Left to watch: Windtalkers and The Sum of All Fears.

Agenda for today: TV, naps and a little bloghopping. I hope everyone has a good Saturday!

I forgot to mention that I joined the forum Sis-2-Sis that Sara set up. I think it will be a lot of fun. She's organizing a kitchen towel exchange and will have more exchanges in the future. Come and join, I'm sure it will be a lot of fun for us all! Its 10 frickin' degrees this morning. We are definitely getting our winter now, I knew it was gonna hit hard once it hit. The wind blew a lot last night. Brrr! I woke up about 3 am and had to take a pain pill, my left wrist flared and could hardly move my hands at all. As I was waiting for the pain pill to kick in, I decided to watch Ya Ya again - just love that show. A little while later, I was about to drift off when my cat darted up on the bed and started hissing and growling at something in my window well. I looked closer and it was a cat. Thank God. I shined a flashlight on the cat and it jumped out and Ashley settled down. Whew. At first, I thought it may have been a barn rat or something stuck down in there. A barn rat did get stuck down there once and it took two pitch forks to kill the SOB (my Dad to the rescue!). It had claws and teeth bigger than my cat and it was tearing through my screen trying to get in. Euurgghh. So since then, I've been so jumpy about what gets down in there. I'm not sure what I'm going to do today, I may just be forced to be a bum and worry about my cleaning later. Kinda hard to even change the sheets on my bed since I can't even grab the blankets without pain. I'm thinking of going and renting some DVDs! That way I will be a good girl and rest. My right hand can grasp the remote just fine. tee hee Anyhoo... I'm off! Have a great Friday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YAY! My weekend is here. Whew, what a day. I managed to get everything done on my list to do! What a great feeling, nothing major hanging over my head on Monday. Wow, a Monday without a zillion things to do... unless something hits over the weekend. I had a great lunch with my friends today and thoroughly enjoyed the Mexican food. Savored every bite. I have 1 enchilada and half my rice and beans left for a treat tomorrow! Its funny, with how sick I've been, my stomach has really shrunk. I didn't eat a lot before, but now I can only eat half of what I did. But that's OK... will make it easier for more weight loss- but in a healthy way. I'm still in no way starving. My body is also starting to retain food better and I'm getting my strength back. We got the official word that we have to move offices (buildings actually!) in March. We'll move into one end of the building temporarily until the other end is finished with the remodeling. The powers that be want us out of our current building by the end of March. I have soooo much shit I've got to sort through, and hopefully can throw away a lot to make the move easier. They've shown a seating chart and I'm in a cubical with six seats in it. Two seats are sectioned off, and four are together. Tim, Greg and I will be together in a four and there's an empty seat so I'm hoping I can use that for storage because with all the customer service stuff and contract documentation, I'll need it. I came home today and got a lovely, one of a kind, wonderful birthday card from Maggie! YAY! Its so pretty and she made it just for me. Makes me feel very special. Thank you, thank you, thank you Maggie! I love it! Well, I'm beat... I'll read a couple more blogs and then I'm headed for bed! TTFN!

It is sooooooo cold outside! I about froze walking from the parking lot into my building. Its 18 with a wind chill so cold that even with a bra, sweater and heavy coat, I bet my nips could cut glass. Damn! I was only out there for about 4 minutes, so I feel so bad for the guards at the gate who have to stand out in this. Poor guys! Gonna be another crazy day here today, I've got lots to do, so I best get to it! Have a fantastic day everyone! 3 for Thursday is up if you'd like to play! My answers are on my Meme site.

Where have the past few days gone?! It seems like they've passed in a blurr because I've had so much going on. I know I've missed so much in everyone's blogs too, I hate it when I get behind! I should be able to get caught up this weekend. Tomorrow is my Friday - ! I'm going out with a couple of old friends for lunch to Fiesta Guadalarja - my FAV Mexican restaurant. Cha, cha, cha. I'm soooo craving Cheese Enchiladas! I'm tired of bland food - I want some chips, salsa and some cheese and that yummy sauce, I want rice, I want beans! I'll bring half of it home for lunch another day. That works. I had to get up in the middle of the night to take a pain pill cuz my joints hurt so bad. I felt quite a lot better by the time I woke up, but being that my head was fuzzy still, I didn't want to drive. It had also snowed then dropped 20 degrees below freezing, soooo I thought it best to stay put. I had my financial files at home with me anyway, so I worked here until my RA doc appt, then went into the office after that. Let's just say my RA doc was less than pleased with my joints, but given the hell of a month I had, he wasn't surprised. He was so not happy that the gastro doc gave me that Q stuff to help battle the stomach probs. It most likely did take all the RA meds out of my system, hence all the problems I'm having now... OR the other part could be that I'm having a flare of the different type of arthritis that comes with the ulcerative colitis. Its hard to say really. So anyway, I may have to be taken off the clinical trial because of the UC and treated with something else that could help both. That would be OK with me, as long as its not the $4000 per treatment drug. I know health is important - but when it puts me more in the poor house, then what do I do?! OK, enough about my health stuff! I got another reply from Bryan. In the e-mail I sent to him, I mentioned my new DVD player. He said that he'd gotten one for Xmas and hasn't hooked it up yet. Hmmm... is this a bad sign? Procrastinator of FUN stuff? That could be bad. Anyway, he said that he'd like to get some DVDs and come to my house and watch them with me. Hmmm... I dunno about that... the DVD player is in my bedroom. I'm sure he doesn't know that... and in another other circumstances (like if I were really attracted to him!) I'd say woohoo and cum on baby. But I just don't like him in that way. He's a sweet guy, but he doesn't project testosterone at all. Doesn't make my heart go boom boom and don't get a flutter in my tummy when I hear from him. Doesn't give me icky panties at the thought of just kissing him *snicker*. But, I told him I'd talk to him and see where it goes.

Whew... its been a long day! Mom took me to get my scope done, and when we got there, the doc was behind, so we waited about an hour and a half until I got called back. Everything went fine though. I went to la-la land and I woke up and it was all over with. There was nothing that was complicating the ulcerative colitis which is GOOD. They did find a small hiatle (sp?) hernia (doesn't require any treatment at this time), and as they suspected scar tissue and narrowing of my esophagus caused by acid reflux. So, I now join in the ranks of those who take that little purple pill. At least its purple... I like purple. LOL! Yeah, I guess I'm still a bit loopy from the la-la land drugs. The doc stretched my esophagus and got rid of the scar tissue, so my throat is a bit sore is all. No biggy. I ate a grilled cheese sandwich when I got home... that was a mistake. Even though I took small bites and chewed well, it hurt going down. I will have SOUP for dinner. It was snowing like mad the whole time I was there, and on the way home. We had to take my car because Dad needed his, and of course my sister had my Mom's. It wasn't a big deal for me to drive to the doc office, but Mom had to drive it home. What a riot that was! Its been a lot of years since she's driven a stick-shift, let alone in the snow! We eventually made it to the pharmacy, then home. I think Mom's nerves were more frazzled by the drive than I was! LOL! I don't do very well with someone else driving my car. It just feels wrong to sit in the passenger seat in my car. Anyhoo... I got home about 2 hrs ago, and watched Ice Age! I LOVED that movie! I best be off now, back to bed I go...

I forgot to say that I did write Bryan back, and told him that I'd like to start talking to him again, and see where it goes from there. I got an e-mail from him this morning saying that he'd really like that, and was so happy that I didn't tell him to go to hell! LOL!! So, we'll see how it goes.

I watched my very first movie on my DVD last night - "A Walk to Remember". OMG - what a good movie! It looked like a total "teen" movie, but it was deeper than that. Such a great story and soooo sad. I cried big time at the end. I bought "Ice Age" last night too. I wanted to get "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" but will have to wait until Feb 11. I'll watch Ice Age after I get home from my test this afternoon. My friend Robin was singing me her scope song yesterday. "Karen is taking it down the throat, do dah, do dah... She cracks me up! Then I added another verse "She's already taken it up the butt, oh do dah day." *snicker* I'm working from home today, until I go in for my test, so I best get at it! I have my written report to do, then start on my financials. Have a great day everyone!

I knew I could depend on all of you for good advice! I will write him back and see what happens - no promises, just start talking again and see where it goes. My mind and heart weren't really in a good place when we went out either and he deserves to know that. Thanks all! :-) Wow, today is going to be a crazy day. I just looooove Mondays anyway (UGH!). I've got so much to do, but will take one thing at a time and see how far I get. I've got things that absolutely HAVE to get done, so I'll do those first. Hope everyone has a great day!! P.S. I got a DVD player for my b-day!!!!!!!!!! My family all gave it to me! YAY!!!

Oh bugger! I just got an e-mail from a guy. Bryan to be exact. Last July/August I went out with him a couple of times but he wrote me via e-mail and told me he thought that it would be best that we didn't see each other any more, and had little doubt that I felt the same. He is such a nice guy - but "IT" just wasn't there. I was actually soooo relieved that he broke things off. Here's his e-mail from today... anyone have any ADVICE??? "Hi Karen, I I know it has been a while since I have talked to you, and it is probably stupid, but. I came up to ogden and met you a few times and we went to a few movies. Then never ended up seeing you too much after that. I feel like I had a lot of things going on in my life, and I really regret how it messed us up getting to know each other. I realize a fair amount of time has passed since I have contacted you last and my chances you not being serious w/ someone or married are probably against me, but I figured the only way to know for sure is to just write you and find out. It has taken me a while but I feel like I have gotten my head a lot straighter and will make a lot better date then I did then. I know this is probably a long shot, but if you are interested at all in letting me see you again sometime I would jump at the chance. If not, I of course understand, but I hope you at least consider if there are not any of the obvious conditions that can have occured w/ you over time. Bryan"

Sara made me this beautiful picture for my birthday!! So sweet!!!!!!

Question of the Week Tragedies Tragedies change our lives in many ways. Have you undergone a different perspective of the world when a global tragedy happens? When something happens in the USA and you live in another country, do you feel guilty, sad, grateful? When something happens in another country and you live in the USA, do you feel guilty, sad, grateful? Does the tragedy change you, your outlook on life, the way you live your day-to-day life? I feel sad that things happen in other countries and feel grateful those things aren't happening here. Its hard not to let tragedies change our lives. Sure, we get over the shock of things and return to our day-to-day lives, but I think we're changed deep down, we learn to appreciate what we have more each day.

Bring on the spankings! LOL!! Once again I am overwhelmed!!! Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes! Its been a great day so far and has the makings for a terrific birthday... almost makes me forget I'm getting OLDER! I was so excited to get into my e-mail and see all the fun stuff waiting there for me. For the cards/gifts/calls - thank you to Colin, Emma and Pete, Kat, Sara, Jacky & Bob, Maria, Soul, Maggie, Ked, CJ, Mollie and Tenika!! Last night I was bad and opened the videos that Emma and Pete sent me. *snicker* I couldn't wait and wanted something to watch. They got me the Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood and Kindergarten Cop. YAY! I watched both last night, and watched Ya Ya again this morning already. It was so nice to see Kindergarten Cop without all the commericals too, its been one of my fav movies but I've never been able to catch it on any channel but those with commericals. Favorite line from that movie from the cutest little kid, "Boys have a penis, girls have a vagina." It cracks me up everytime the kid says it.

I decided to go to a movie with Mom and do a little shopping with my gift certifcates. Dad was supposed to come too, but my lovely sister Kathy was supposed to be home by 10am so SHE could take care of HER daughter. Well, 11:30 came and she still wasn't home, so Dad opted to stay home and tend the baby while Mom and I went to the movie. We went to see Evelyn with Pierce Brosnan and Aidan Quinn (both yummmmy!). It was a true story about a Irish man who's wife left him with 3 children, and he was without a job so the Church and State of Ireland took the children away from him, and his fight to get them back. What a tear jerker at times, but such a good movie. After the movie, we called Dad to see if he wanted to go shopping, but alas Kathy still not home. So Mom and I went to one of her fav book stores then we went to the mall for me. I got a pair of shoes as an addition to whatever else Mom and Dad are getting me, then with my gift certificates, I got some lovely shower gel and lotions from Victoria's Secret and two sweaters with my other GC from Christopher & Banks. YAY! Then I got home and had a package from Ked with a really pretty picture/saying that is purple. Its soooo pretty and I love it! I called her and thanked her and we chatted for a bit. I'm pooped right out though now that I'm home! I'm in for the night! LOL!! Such a party girl these days... I hope everyone is having a great weekend! Thanks for all the b-day wishes!!! The plan for tomorrow is to veg out as much as possible before all the family comes over for dinner and cheesecake. Mom is making me a cheesecake! Yuuuuummmm. I can't wait! She's making it plain, then we'll drizzle carmel over it. Oh, I will be in heaven for sure. I don't say this enough - I've got the best parents in the world!

In Memorium of the Space Shuttle Challenger Crew. I'm so saddened by this, and my heart goes out to them and their families.