My sister stayed the night at my place last night. Despite my better judgement, I let her handle the remote. She is a paranormal fanatic, so she put on one of those ghost shows. I am not much for ghosts and the whole paranormal thing. In fact, I can't watch horror movies in general. The last horror movie I watched was "White Noise" and I had a hard time sleeping for weeks....and I still freak out when I come across a snowy channel.
At some point during the night, I woke up to a heavy feeling on my chest as if someone was holding me down. I freaked out and said "WTF is this?" I started brushing whatever was on me off and the feeling went away. I won't lie, I had a little to drink earlier that evening, so I feel asleep right after.
When I got to work this morning, I was telling my co-worker the story. I was fully convinced it was just one of those dreams that you think you woke up. Mostly because I didn't like the idea of it being real. My co-worker cracked a few jokes at my expense and the day went on as usual.
Later today, I was telling my sister about my dream and my co-workers jokes. She started laughing and said, "It was me." I said, "You were holding me down?" She laughed again and told me that it was her arm. At some point, she had rolled over and her arm landed on me.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Immunizations
I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes when I was 19 years old. In my early twenties, I was re-diagnosed as a latent onset type 1 diabetic. So, I have been on insulin for a little over 8 years now.
Although diabetes runs in my family, nobody in my family became diabetic before the age of 55. Amazingly, I had a very healthy childhood with little to no illnesses, but when I was 16, I received an immunization from the health department. Almost immediately, I had three back-to-back cases of tonsillitis over a two-month period of time. My doctor decided to have my tonsils removed, but after my surgery, I started getting sinus infections almost as frequently as I was getting tonsillitis. Of course, I am not a doctor, but considering the fact that my pancreatic function at the age of 19 dropped to almost nothing in only a couple of years, coupled with my rush of illnesses, I can only imagine that something in the immunization compromised my immune system. Consequently, I am not a big fan of immunizations or at least immunizing without first checking to see if a person doesn't already possess the immunity.
Although diabetes runs in my family, nobody in my family became diabetic before the age of 55. Amazingly, I had a very healthy childhood with little to no illnesses, but when I was 16, I received an immunization from the health department. Almost immediately, I had three back-to-back cases of tonsillitis over a two-month period of time. My doctor decided to have my tonsils removed, but after my surgery, I started getting sinus infections almost as frequently as I was getting tonsillitis. Of course, I am not a doctor, but considering the fact that my pancreatic function at the age of 19 dropped to almost nothing in only a couple of years, coupled with my rush of illnesses, I can only imagine that something in the immunization compromised my immune system. Consequently, I am not a big fan of immunizations or at least immunizing without first checking to see if a person doesn't already possess the immunity.
Monday, March 21, 2011
The Move That Never Ends
Yesterday, my sister's father called her at 9:30am to let her know he was running late, but would be out to the house shortly. She had to drive an hour into town and pick up one of her friends, so she figured he would be there by the time she got there. She got there around 11:30 and the U-haul was parked in front of the driveway and her father hadn't shown up yet. She said the house looked exactly the way it did when we left the night before, which means that her father and his wife had done nothing. To top it off, he had the keys to the U-haul, so they couldn't even move it and start loading it.
When she called his wife, she said that she had dropped him off at an AA meeting and they would be out to the house around 1pm. I can't seem to figure out why he even called her in the morning to make sure she would be there, if he was going to be that late. They showed up around 1:30pm and the guys got to work loading the truck. They still aren't finished....as I write this they are unloading the last of it into the storage unit.
So, remember the guys her father hired from outside the U-haul place? Well it turns out that they agreed upon $25 per hour/per person (there were three of them). I guess after they unloaded the U-haul, he gave each of them $25, of course they argued with him and he said he couldn't afford to pay them more, so they told him they wouldn't work for him the next day. Can you imagine? I guess he's lucky he has MS, because I am sure they would have roughed him up if he didn't.
When she called his wife, she said that she had dropped him off at an AA meeting and they would be out to the house around 1pm. I can't seem to figure out why he even called her in the morning to make sure she would be there, if he was going to be that late. They showed up around 1:30pm and the guys got to work loading the truck. They still aren't finished....as I write this they are unloading the last of it into the storage unit.
So, remember the guys her father hired from outside the U-haul place? Well it turns out that they agreed upon $25 per hour/per person (there were three of them). I guess after they unloaded the U-haul, he gave each of them $25, of course they argued with him and he said he couldn't afford to pay them more, so they told him they wouldn't work for him the next day. Can you imagine? I guess he's lucky he has MS, because I am sure they would have roughed him up if he didn't.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
A moving experience
In continuation of yesterdays post....
So...at the last minute, my sister's father decided to hire a few guys standing outside the U-haul store. We had two guys of our own, so this was good news. When I arrived to the house, the three men he hired were sitting outside waiting for him to get back from the bank. I guess when the guys finished loading the truck he decided it was time to go to the bank. This took him an hour and when he finally arrived, he wandered around the house trying to make face time with everybody in the house. My sister reminded him on several occasions that the guys outside were waiting to take the truck to the storage unit to unload it -- and he was the one who wanted to be out the next day. About an hour later, he decided he was ready to leave, but now he couldn't find the keys for the U-haul. He spent another 20 minutes looking for them, before finding them in his back pocket. Is anybody reading this as annoyed as I was at this point?
Once he left, his wife decided she needed to go to the store. Up to this point, she had spent the whole time in their bedroom and only brought out one box. About an hour later, my sister got a call from him and they had just got into the storage place. I guess when he got there, he couldn't remember the code and nobody was in the office. So at this point....he has had these movers for about 3 1/2 hours and 2 1/2 hours of that time was spent waiting for him to pull his head out of his nether regions.
My sister and I finished packing everything we could pack and left around 7:00pm. She still had to take the guys we hired home, which took about an hour....only to have to get up this morning and go back for more.
So...at the last minute, my sister's father decided to hire a few guys standing outside the U-haul store. We had two guys of our own, so this was good news. When I arrived to the house, the three men he hired were sitting outside waiting for him to get back from the bank. I guess when the guys finished loading the truck he decided it was time to go to the bank. This took him an hour and when he finally arrived, he wandered around the house trying to make face time with everybody in the house. My sister reminded him on several occasions that the guys outside were waiting to take the truck to the storage unit to unload it -- and he was the one who wanted to be out the next day. About an hour later, he decided he was ready to leave, but now he couldn't find the keys for the U-haul. He spent another 20 minutes looking for them, before finding them in his back pocket. Is anybody reading this as annoyed as I was at this point?
Once he left, his wife decided she needed to go to the store. Up to this point, she had spent the whole time in their bedroom and only brought out one box. About an hour later, my sister got a call from him and they had just got into the storage place. I guess when he got there, he couldn't remember the code and nobody was in the office. So at this point....he has had these movers for about 3 1/2 hours and 2 1/2 hours of that time was spent waiting for him to pull his head out of his nether regions.
My sister and I finished packing everything we could pack and left around 7:00pm. She still had to take the guys we hired home, which took about an hour....only to have to get up this morning and go back for more.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
What a day.....
Today I helped my little sister's father move (she's actually my half-sister, but we were raised together from a young age -- so we never considered ourselves half-sisters). Back to the move...it's such a disaster! First of all, he pissed his realtor off (something he does well -- if you knew him you would run). He has Multiple Sclerosis, so with the progression of his illness, he is losing brain function...but he never really was what you could consider "normal." I only say this, because I imagine he had it coming. Since he is family, we put up with his shenanigans, but a person off the street doesn't have that consideration for him. The realtor claimed that he lied about his financial situation and served him with a 3-day notice to vacate. I don't even know if that's possible, because I have always heard you get at least 30 days.
So the big deal was that it was all being put on my sister to pack and load. Of course, her father has a disability, so it's hard for him to do much and his wife is a very sweet woman, but not very motivated. The problem is, my sister is about 7 months pregnant. Honestly, I would never have donated my time to deal with a problem someone else created for themselves, but I felt I needed to step in and help for my sisters sake.
To be continued....
So the big deal was that it was all being put on my sister to pack and load. Of course, her father has a disability, so it's hard for him to do much and his wife is a very sweet woman, but not very motivated. The problem is, my sister is about 7 months pregnant. Honestly, I would never have donated my time to deal with a problem someone else created for themselves, but I felt I needed to step in and help for my sisters sake.
To be continued....
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Lives are being impacted, just outside my window...
As I walked by my window this morning, something caught my eye. Across the brush filled ravine, two young boys were walking to school (the younger boy appeared to be about 7 and the older boy 10). As I began to turn away, I noticed that the younger boy carried himself in a very unique fashion and frequently walked in circles staring at the ground below him. The older boy, I assume to be his older brother, was gesturing to a backpack lying on the ground and appeared to be asking the younger boy to come back and pick it up. The older boy gestured and solicited the younger boy to pickup the backpack several times with no avail. After a minute or so, the older boy picked up the backpack and started walking behind the younger boy.
They walked about ten feet before the younger boy walked up on top of a mound of dirt where he resumed walking in circles. The older boy stopped while the younger boy circled a few times and walked back down the dirt mound and over to the older boy. The younger boy began trying to get the backpack from the older boy and the older boys response caught me off guard. Instead of handing the younger boy the backpack, he kept pulling it away from him and to my surprise; he punched him in the stomach. Even more surprising was the younger boys reaction, he simply stomped his feet and continued walking.
At this point, the boys were leaving my line of sight and I had to finish getting ready for work. Of course I couldn't help but think about what I had just witnessed. It was apparent to me that the younger boy was most likely a special needs child; if not, a child having a severely bad morning. It made me wonder, what is life like for a sibling of a special needs child? Surely nobody could argue that his reactions were anything but acceptable, but can a seemingly 10 year old boy even know how to handle a young child of this nature and should he even have to? I don't live in a ritzy neighborhood, so I am assuming both parents work and have limited resources when it comes to the care of their youngest child.
I thought, surely with all the disabilities acts there must be some help for these people. But I recalled that just last week my husband mentioned reading an article in the local paper about a family we know who has a son with severe autism. The article was covering the upcoming cuts being made to the programs that help families with children who have disabilities. It's quite disheartening considering there is always someone at the top making more money than they really need to make, while those in need suffer. It's just not right!
They walked about ten feet before the younger boy walked up on top of a mound of dirt where he resumed walking in circles. The older boy stopped while the younger boy circled a few times and walked back down the dirt mound and over to the older boy. The younger boy began trying to get the backpack from the older boy and the older boys response caught me off guard. Instead of handing the younger boy the backpack, he kept pulling it away from him and to my surprise; he punched him in the stomach. Even more surprising was the younger boys reaction, he simply stomped his feet and continued walking.
At this point, the boys were leaving my line of sight and I had to finish getting ready for work. Of course I couldn't help but think about what I had just witnessed. It was apparent to me that the younger boy was most likely a special needs child; if not, a child having a severely bad morning. It made me wonder, what is life like for a sibling of a special needs child? Surely nobody could argue that his reactions were anything but acceptable, but can a seemingly 10 year old boy even know how to handle a young child of this nature and should he even have to? I don't live in a ritzy neighborhood, so I am assuming both parents work and have limited resources when it comes to the care of their youngest child.
I thought, surely with all the disabilities acts there must be some help for these people. But I recalled that just last week my husband mentioned reading an article in the local paper about a family we know who has a son with severe autism. The article was covering the upcoming cuts being made to the programs that help families with children who have disabilities. It's quite disheartening considering there is always someone at the top making more money than they really need to make, while those in need suffer. It's just not right!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Job Security
Well I could never complain that I do not have any job security. After taking only one day off, I had more than two days worth of work waiting for me. The company I am a consultant for recently opened a high-end spa in a downtown Chicago luxury hotel, so I have a high volume of graphic design work (aside from my regular work flow). I am currently designing a variety of marketing materials including the hotel guest spa brochure and the spa fitness materials.
What is even better than possessing this level of job security in such an economic downturn is that I am proud to share that my graphic design work is being displayed in the front windows of the spa. Considering the location of the spa, I can imagine that several hundred people are seeing my work on any given day. Which is pretty awesome. I have not been to the spa to see them yet, but I am told they look amazing and I am awaiting pictures. Once I get some pics, I will post them.
What is even better than possessing this level of job security in such an economic downturn is that I am proud to share that my graphic design work is being displayed in the front windows of the spa. Considering the location of the spa, I can imagine that several hundred people are seeing my work on any given day. Which is pretty awesome. I have not been to the spa to see them yet, but I am told they look amazing and I am awaiting pictures. Once I get some pics, I will post them.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
My MUCH NEEDED Relaxing Day
From time to time when the hustle of everyday life catches up with me, I just need a day to myself doing only what makes me happy. That day was today. After spending this past weekend doing everything but relaxing, I figured it was time.
After getting my son ready and taking him to school, I came home and dozed off for an hour. Then I made breakfast and after eating that, I dozed off watching HGTV home renovation shows. I am kind of a night person, so I typically get about 6 hours of sleep and over time that sleep deficit adds up. This is how I pay it back.
Later this afternoon, I could not seem to find anything to watch on TV so I decided to stream Netflix. Sometimes I wonder why I even have cable TV when I can stream for much less. Granted they don't have the newest movies available to stream, but they do have some good stuff and stuff I haven't seen in years. Recently, I have been watching celebrity roasts and stand-up comedy. The other night I watched the roast of William Shatner, which was pretty funny. Today I ended up watching a Daniel Tosh stand-up. I had heard of him but never really seen any of his work. I haven't laughed so much in my life. He is quite hilarious. I will have to start watching Tosh.0.
After getting my son ready and taking him to school, I came home and dozed off for an hour. Then I made breakfast and after eating that, I dozed off watching HGTV home renovation shows. I am kind of a night person, so I typically get about 6 hours of sleep and over time that sleep deficit adds up. This is how I pay it back.
Later this afternoon, I could not seem to find anything to watch on TV so I decided to stream Netflix. Sometimes I wonder why I even have cable TV when I can stream for much less. Granted they don't have the newest movies available to stream, but they do have some good stuff and stuff I haven't seen in years. Recently, I have been watching celebrity roasts and stand-up comedy. The other night I watched the roast of William Shatner, which was pretty funny. Today I ended up watching a Daniel Tosh stand-up. I had heard of him but never really seen any of his work. I haven't laughed so much in my life. He is quite hilarious. I will have to start watching Tosh.0.
Monday, March 14, 2011
FlabberGASted
I cannot believe these insane gas prices! Today, I pumped fifty-one dollars worth of mid-grade gasoline into my little Hyundai Elantra. Thankfully, my car gets 30 miles per gallon. I am glad we off-loaded our sport utility vehicle before these prices got so out of control. I seriously do not know how people can afford to own trucks and sport utility vehicles with these gas prices. Not to mention that most people with newer trucks and sport utility vehicles have loan payments upwards of four hundred dollars a month. I imagine they are paying almost as much for gas as they are paying for their actual vehicle loans.
It is so irritating considering that no just twelve years ago, I was paying ninety-nine cents a gallon. At that point I drove a little Suzuki Swift, so gas only cost me ten dollars every two weeks. So what exactly changed? Of course, there was 9-11, the"war on terrorism", mortgage lenders giving subprime loans to people who could not afford them, and massive growth in globalization. All of which I cannot see leading to being bent over to this degree.
I once heard Daryl Hannah on the radio talking about modifying her car to run on fryer oil. Considering the lines in fast food restaurants these days....maybe that's something worth looking into.
It is so irritating considering that no just twelve years ago, I was paying ninety-nine cents a gallon. At that point I drove a little Suzuki Swift, so gas only cost me ten dollars every two weeks. So what exactly changed? Of course, there was 9-11, the"war on terrorism", mortgage lenders giving subprime loans to people who could not afford them, and massive growth in globalization. All of which I cannot see leading to being bent over to this degree.
I once heard Daryl Hannah on the radio talking about modifying her car to run on fryer oil. Considering the lines in fast food restaurants these days....maybe that's something worth looking into.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)