I Am Woman...Hear Me Roar!!!

I am a woman! (SHOCKER!!!)

I am a working woman! (GET YOUR MIND OUT OF THE GUTTER...NOW!)

I work in a male dominated field.  There are not many females that can or would do my job.  I come home daily...covered head to toe in sweat.  I am dirty...I smell...I usually have fuel and oil on my shirt, shorts/jean, tennis shoes...not to mention my legs and arms.  It is heavy work.  It is hard work.  I am on my feet about 98% of the time I am at work and, especially this time of year, generally get home at night and realize that I have not gone to the bathroom since I woke up that morning.  Dehydration is my enemy in this heat.  I cannot seem to keep my water bottle glued to my hand without actually gluing IT to my hand.  I cannot suck down the water fast enough.

Where am I going with this?  Well, Friday I was asked to work for three hours.  I ended up working a little longer trying to fix some paper work errors.  I was talking to my co-worker (a guy), giving him a run down of the day when a gentleman (someone passing through the area who has never stopped at the airport) walks passed me to get to my co-worker and asks him a question.  Well I took the lead since I was on the clock and even though I was the one answering his questions, he kept directing them to my co-worker (who was trying to leave to do something he was tasked with).

After I finished answering his questions, he said thank you...to my co-worker, not at me...and left.  I stood there...stunned...shocked...I could not believe what had just happened.  I have had gentlemen approach us but when I take the lead, they seem impressed that I know my stuff and direct their attention to me.  I looked at my co-worker.  "Did that really just happen?"  A slight laugh of astonishment followed by a, "Have a good day."

When will men realize that in some cases, women really can do the same job as men.  Now I may not be able to lift things as heavy as my counter part but when it comes to speed I know that I am not as fast as him but I am pretty damn quick and am right at his heels (metaphorically speaking of course).  Funny thing though...my boss joking looked at me yesterday and said, "You know this is a dirty job."  I looked at him and told him that I distinctly remember him looking me up and down when I came in for my interview and he said, "Do you know what job you are interviewing for?"  We all laughed because I said, "Well the sign out front said part-time aircraft refueler...and I can do that!"

Yesterday marked my 1-year anniversary at the airport.  I have learned so much since I started working there.  I have met some amazing customers...I have wonderful co-workers...and I could not have asked for a better family to work for.  They have made me feel like I have entered into an extremely large extended family.  They all have a very special place in my heart!

Now that it has taken me like two and a half "Gossip Girl" episodes to write this (oh I am so easily distracted), I am going to find something to eat...I think I might give in and order Thai...however it is not an "I might give in"...I am signing off and call them now!  Shrimp Pad Thai (at a 4...I am craving spicy) and some Spring Rolls.  Okay...now my mouth is watering!!!!

Until next time!

It Is THIS Kind of Day

Have you ever had one of those days when no matter what you do, all you want to do is sit in a corner, rocking back and forth, smacking your head and sucking your thumb until someone comes to rescue you from yourself...or until you pee your pants and just cannot sit in your own filth any longer?

I am so having one of those days!  I swear that this weekend is going to double the amount of gray hairs that I already have to work so hard to cover.  They are just going to take over my entire head.  I suppose that means I will be able to try going blonde again sooner...I mean if I am completely gray the upkeep will be a lot easier than with this dark brown/black mop that I currently have right?

As I try and figure out how to round off this post, I notice I have 20 minutes left until my lunch break is over and I did not even get a chance to ready my Nook (I am currently reading "Pillars of the Earth"...and it is AMAZING...just sayin').  Seriously though...only 20 minutes left?  Where did the other 40 minutes run off to?  It does not seem like my lunch should be almost over!

I am supposed to be off work around 7:30pm tonight.  If I have not updated my status on Facebook or Twitter by 7:45pm, send a search party because there is a good possibility that I am balled up in the fetal position somewhere crying for my mommy.

Until next time!

Why Am I Not Surpirsed?

**NEWS FLASH**  I GOT HURT!!!  Shocker, right?  I will pause while you ponder over this statement...and finish laughing AT me...as I do not know exactly HOW I got hurt.  Here is a quick little review of events that occurred on August 12th:

6:30am - Wake up and get ready for CMY5K color run.
7:15am - Dressed in all white, leave house.
7:20am - Stop for a grande Pike drip coffee at Starbucks only to discover five minutes down the road that the lid leaks and I am wearing all white...managed to keep the coffee off of me though!
8:00am - Arrive at Magnuson Park in Seattle for the race.
9:00am - Run starts!  Waves of 150 people are sent every three to five minutes.  There were four waves and I was in the third.
9:20am - (may have been sooner or a little later) ran through the first "Splash Zone" of yellow and had a dude pitch powder right up my nose.
9:40am - Finished with the run and participated in the first color cloud!
10:50am - After wiping down with some baby wipes in the parking lot and changing, I made it home to shower.
11:30am - Registered for Heroes Mud Run 5K/15 obstacles on September 8th here in Snohomish
3:00pm - Start work
7:00pm - Right knee starts to feel sore so I take 800mg of ibuprofen
11:00pm - Tried to swing leg into bed and slightest bend in knee put me in tears and the decision was made to go to the doctor the next day.

Please note that the times are as accurate as I can remember them to be but may vary some (pausing for confused laughter here).  So last Monday I went to the VA clinic.  I called that morning to see if there was anything available that day and the lady said she would fax over a same-day visit request and that the clinic would call me.  When I did not hear anything within the hour, I decided to drive down there.  I mean I had to do some labs anyway so I might as well just go and sit there until I could be seen right?

I pee in a cup and literally sit for less than five minutes and get taken back by a nurse.  She informs me that my request for an appointment was just received (almost two hours after I had originally called).  My doctor was on vacation so I saw the physician's assistant and after I thought he was killing me by moving my knee around, he wrapped it in a couple ace bandages, gave me a Rx for Vicodin, told me to come back for Xrays in the morning and I went home.

Xrays showed NOTHING...no breaks or bone fragments floating around...so the PA's thought of a possible torn meniscus really stuck with me.  I called every day for the rest of the week trying to find out what my next step would be but everyone kept telling me that I had to wait for my doctor.

I planted my ass in the clinic on Monday morning and planned on staying there until I got some answers.  I was seen by a nurse because the PA was gone and the only answer I got was that since my doctor had not seen me, she wanted me to continue to see the PA...so I could have originally had some sort of answer about the next step last week.

Yesterday I received a phone call saying that a request for physical therapy was put in.  No one mentioned pt to me but since I went through all this once before with my shoulder, I know they want to try pt first to see if it helps with the pain and I am all for it...HOWEVER the EARLIEST I can get an appointment is October 15th...ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?

A little later I get a phone call from one of the nurses at the VA clinic saying that the PA wants to cancel my appointment for today because he does not think it is necessary.  I said no...I want to be seen and told her about physical therapy being almost two months away and that he mentioned possible MRI and I want to see him so that we can figure out what the next step is so I know and I can inform my boss.

My appointment was productive.  I should hear from Orthopedics by next Wednesday to schedule an appointment for an MRI and they will let me know if it will be with contrast (which it will because you have to have contrast to see a tear...again...my shoulder surgery is helping me understand the steps here) and 48 hours before my MRI I have to get blood drawn to make sure that my kidneys are working properly and will be able to handle the contrast for the MRI.

Unfortunately when I laid down to take a nap this afternoon, I ended up getting sick and just as a natural reaction I bent my knees to throw up and now my knee is KILLING me.  On the plus side, I can now take my pain pills every four hours instead of every six hours.  So now that I am all doped up, I am going to finish watching a movie and then pass out!

Until next time!

Pain Killers + Blogging = ???

There is a 99.9% chance that this post will make absolutely no sense.

There is a 87.45% chance that this post will be nothing but rambling and run ons.

I hurt my knee...bad!  It is way different than any other time I ever tweeked my knee.  This very much screws up my plans.  I get off work at 3pm on Sunday and am off until 9am Friday morning.  I was supposed to hang out with this guy that I have been kinda sorta seeing the last couple months on Monday and Tuesday.  Now that my knee is all messed up, I cannot really go anywhere.

While chatting with my mom and telling her how we had planned on possibly doing a mini road trip...just something small and over night but now that my knee is all jacked I am not going anywhere.  I asked my mom if it would be okay if he came over and helped me pack up my room since we are moving and she said yes.

I talked to him briefly tonight and he said that it sounded like something that would be helping my mom and that he would have to think about it.  I cannot bend my knee without being in extreme pain and I really need the help and he seriously has to think about it!?!  WTF!  He apparently does not want to spend that much time with me if he is not willing to help me when I really need it.  No...he has to think about it.  So not cool!

Then there is this guy that I do not know very well but I want to know him and I am so attracted and I have told him so and I have it on good authority that he is attracted to me.  I felt like such an idiot a few months ago because it took me like a month to realize that he was flirting with me and by the time I realized it, he had started seeing someone...well since that time he had started seeing someone else...WHEN WILL IT BE MY TURN?  I mean really!  Short of stripping naked in public, what do I have to do to get is attention?

Okay...now that I have gotten that off my chest, I believe it is time for me to pop some meds and crash! Until next time!