The Hits Just Keep Coming

When I woke up on the morning of Friday, January 23rd, I had some soreness and stiffness in my back.  I figured as the day went on, it would loosen up and I would be fine.  Within an hour, I was telling my supervisor that my back hurt.  Within two hours I was telling a co-worker that it hurt so bad I thought I was going to throw up.  After lunch, it hurt so bad I was in tears and hyperventilating.

I spent about two and a half hours in the emergency room, was given pain killers, muscle relaxers, anti inflammatory meds, and steroids before getting two large syringes full of a nerve blocker injected into my hip joint.

I've been seeing a chiropractor for almost two weeks now and started physical therapy this week.  My doctor finally got back to my boss about what light duty would consist of for me and how long I need to be on light duty.

***BAD NEWS ALERT***

My doctor has recommended six weeks of light duty.  No bending, climbing, twisting, or kneeling.  Unfortunately that means that I cannot do my job.  I have been told to file for Short Term Disability and that my job is not protected and that if needed, it will be posted and could be filled before I am fit for full duty again.

Now how does this all tie into a #ThankfulThursday post?

• I am healthy (minus my back/hip pain)
• I have a wonderful boyfriend who loves me
• I have the unconditional love of my dog
• I have a roof over my head
• Food in the fridge and pantry
• Friends and family to support me

That is why I am thankful today.  It may have been raining and gloomy today but knowing all that I have when everything seems to be going wrong makes me feel blessed!

Tell me three things that you're thankful for!

Until next time!

Award For Worst Granddaughter of the Year goes to...

I love my grandma (my mom's mom).  She is an amazing woman.  I usually call her once a week or once every other week.  My sisters and I are the only ones that call her when we get our birthday cards (even if it is just a card) and at Christmas to say thank you.  When I was 8 years old, my mom took my sisters and me to Germany with my grandma.  She took my cousin and me to Germany when I was 16.  She has openly admitted that I am her favorite!

I am the only one, however, that calls Grandma on her birthday...except this year!

WORST GRANDDAUGHTER OF THE YEAR GOES TO....

drum roll please

ME!!!

Last Saturday was her birthday.  I have been all messed up on my days and completely spaced on what day it was.  What did we do?  We went hiking!  It was not until I called her on Wednesday and she called me a shit and said that I was the only one that called her every year and I missed it.  I feel like a total shit bag...but maybe that is what she gets for booking my mom and her flights to Germany this year on my 30th birthday.

It was not until after I was off the phone with her and had sat in traffic for almost an hour and got home when I came up with the perfect response.  I should have said "I can't be perfect all the time." or "Being perfect is hard to do...sorry."

It Has Been So Long!

I am too terrified to check to see when my last post was dated.  I know that I have attempted to write the last couple of months but where the hell did the time go?  I mean seriously!  It feels like we just left December and one of my lineman was canned (he was conveniently sick the two weekends that the Seahawks were in the playoffs and then was miraculously better the weekend between playoffs and Super Bowl but could not come to work) in January and I was a damn ice cube when training my friend in 20 degree weather.

I started online classes again with a new school (a whole separate experience for another blog that I am totally going to try and get everyone to go there because they freakin rock!!!) six months ago and now I am staring down the barrel at my 30th birthday on Sunday!  It snuck up on me so fast that I did not get to plan anything.  Not that it really matters because I have almost no friends in the area.  They are spread out around the country.

I did get a new job that I start on Monday and I finished my last day at Snohomish Flying Service yesterday (another post yet to come once I am caught up on my school work) and today was my first day of vacation.  I have not taken any vacation since I took leave to go get married with I was still active duty military in 2007.  I could not have asked for a better day to start my vacation either!  It is beautiful and hardly a cloud in the sky!  It is shorts and tank top weather and is really starting to feel like Spring!  I even went for a run around the lake.  It ended up more of half a run and half a walk.  I just could not make it.  I tried to push myself too hard.

Well I have to get going to get my car fixed (stupid Service Engine Soon light).  Until next time!

How To Spot A Fake

Do you carry cash on you regularly?  If you are anything like me then the answer is no.  It is very rare that I actually have cash.  Unless I know that I will need to have cash for specific purpose then I will have it but otherwise I am a tried and true (and occasionally frivolous) debit card user.  Since I started dating my boyfriend, I tend to do laundry when I am staying with him (which has been just about every night for the last couple months).

If I use the washer and dryer at his apartment, it will take me a few hours to do a couple loads because it takes like 45 minutes to an hour to wash and about that long to dry...and then you have to run it through another dry cycle because the clothes are still pretty damp.

Instead I go to one of the many local laundry mats.  For about $6 (give or take a quarter in the dryer) I can do all of my laundry in one load, wash, dry and folded in about an hour.

What does doing laundry have to do with carrying cash?  Well laundry mats require coins or cards with money preloaded.  Last week I got halfway to the laundry mat when I realized I left my roll of quarters at the apartment in my backpack.  I stopped at a gas station, pulled a $20 out of the ATM and bought an energy drink.  The cashier gave me my money and I stuffed it into my wallet.

After a couple of days I stopped at a fast food joint for dinner.  Not the greatest idea but it was late, and I was hungry and had not eaten in about seven hours.  I had the girl at the window my cash.  It included a $10 that I received as change from the gas station.  She walks away and after a couple of minutes a manager comes to the drive thru window and tells me that the $10 bill that I gave them was counterfeit, a fake.

I was completely dumbfounded and shocked.  What the hell did she just say?

"I'm sorry...it's what?"

"It's a fake.  It's not real."

At this point I became thoroughly embarrassed because I know that it is illegal to produce and/or use fake currency.  These people in the fast food place are taking their sweet time and I am thinking holy shit they called the cops.  The girl that I originally gave the money to, opens the window and I try to hand her my debit card.  She looks at me like what am I supposed to do with that?  I told her to give me my $5 bill back and to charge my debit card.

"What?  I don't understand."

I told her that I gave her $15 to cover my total cost.  Apparently the $10 bill was a fake so unless the $5 is too, give it back and use my debit card.  She took my card and gave me my $5 back.  I got my food and then she finally ran my card and then tried to stiff me on my drink.

I don't know if I am more embarrassed by the fact that I tried to use a fake bill, the fact that I didn't know it was fake or pissed off that the lady at the gas station who handles cash all the time gave me a fake and now I'm out $10!?!  When you're broke, $10 is a lot of money.

I guess we live and we learn.  What I learned from this is that I will now be taking a careful look at all of my bills.  Even my ones!  I found this website that gives a few steps on how to recognize a fake.  You best believe that the next time I carry cash, I will be checking them thoroughly.  I think I might even start getting my cash from the bank and if it is not a large amount that I need, it will be all ones...people don't tend to counterfeit coins much anymore...or do they?

Until next time!

Life Is Too Short To Stand Still

I love the fact that I live less than 15 minutes from work.  I know the latest I can leave in the morning and still make it to work about five minutes early...even if I get stuck at the red lights...or have to go a different route because of road closures...which has happened a couple of times and I have had to turn around and go a round-about way to get to work...which took an extra five to ten minutes.

I had a great and busy day today!  I started my morning by having coffee in Seattle with a fellow Zumba instructor friend that I have not seen in over a year...we have talked on Facebook and text messaging but we have not actually seen each other since last February when the dance studio we worked celebrated the one year anniversary.

After catching up, I filled up my tank and headed up to Marysville where I had lunch with another fellow Zumba instructor.  I love hanging out with her!  On my way home, I got stuck in afternoon traffic...assuming it was for shift change at Boeing.

I really do not mind sitting in traffic.  I love to crank up the music and sing.  The part that gives me anxiety is being stuck next to semi trucks.  I cannot breathe.  I cannot think.  I literally move my whole body in the opposite direction of which ever side the truck is coming up on.  My heart feels like it is going to stop when one comes up behind me.

I cannot think of anything worse than being stuck in traffic by semi trucks.  Well I am going to bed...until next time!

UBC Day 16 - Sharing Is Caring

I am not going to make a big deal about sharing this post because it is mainly to vent.  The other day I posted a status update on my personal Facebook page about being concerned about someone I love...someone I care about very much.  This person is going through a very rough time right now.  It is not my place to spill publicly what is going on in his life so I do not share the very little details that I do know.  I do not mention his name or anything.

My update was very vague.  So much so that it could have been about anyone.  This person is similar to myself in the fact that when times get tough, we shut down.  That is something that I have been trying to work on but still suffer...it is a huge reason why I lost so many people when my ex and I went through our divorce...because I did not want to talk about it.  I did not want pity.  If I wanted to talk about it, I would seek out the person I wanted to talk to.  That hurt me in the end.

Going back to the second sentence in the last paragraph...it could have been about ANYONE.  Have you ever been worried about someone?  Have you ever posted a status update about it on Facebook?  Do you post those things looking for pity, kind words, negativity, or just to vent?  What gets me is when people jump to conclusions and throwing out negative comments when they do not know what is going on.

How do these people know that I was not talking about my cousin?  My uncle passed away a couple of months ago from a car accident.  How do these people know that my cousin and I could have gone from talking every day to all of a sudden him shutting down?  They jump to the conclusion that it ALWAYS has to do with my love life.

The person that I was talking about means a lot to me.  I love him.  I care for him.  I cannot imagine what he is going through and I just wish I could be there for him.  Anyone who knows me, knows that THAT is the kind of person I am.  Hell, I am going to school for Psychology.  I am a good listener.  I love to be there for my friends when they need someone...even if they just need someone there and do not talk.

Next thing I know, I am being bombarded with comments from people telling me to "move on", "he is not worth it", "you deserve better than that", etc.  I can respond to those with vague answers but I ended up deleting the post after someone who used to be a really good friend of mine wrote a novel of a comment.  I only remember a few parts but the part that sticks with me is when he said to imagine it to be me in that situation and how I would feel.

I was in that situation.  Two years ago.  I did the same thing he is doing.  I shut down.  I did not talk to my friends.  I did not talk to my family.  I stayed away from Facebook and Twitter and my only escape was taking or teaching a Zumba class or some other fitness class at the gym I worked at.  I had no one I could trust.  I had no one I could turn to.  My ex turned to everyone we knew and told lies...which he apologized for...too late of course because the damage was already done.

Even through all the hurtful and hateful things that he put me through...leaving me with nothing and taking everything...at the end of the day, I hoped that in the end that he would eventually find happiness.  I lost everything.  I lost my house...my "family" (because that is what you get in the military...not friends...but family)...my dogs...my financial stability...my ability to take care of myself.  I was left with no other option but to move back home.  Something I never wanted to do.  I live with my mom.  I am freaking out because there is a possibility that my sister might be moving in this summer depending on where she gets in for her Masters program and I might be out of a place to live.

So I know what it looks like from his eyes.  I was accused of some of the same things he has been accused of...as far as I know, my ex did not cheat on me...just accused me of doing so.  All I ask is that if you have something that you want to comment on, before you hit "enter" or click "post", re-read it.  If it sounds like it could be construed as negative, cut it and paste it into a message.  Make it something private.  That way you do not look like an inconsiderate jerk and people that really have my back do not jump down your throat and defend me...because that has happened...and I love them for it!

I cannot see it from her eyes because I would never and could never do what she has done.  I am not a typical girl.  The things that get to most women tend to roll off my back.  Case and point...my ex husband spent like $600 at a strip club...my exact words to him after he told me how much he spent were "...and how do YOU feel about that?"...followed by a laugh.  Just remember the old saying of "Think before you speak"...except "Think before you type/comment".  Any negative comments will always be deleted.

Until next time!

Mind Blowing Revelations Happenin' Here

Let me start with today and work back to the mind blowing part.

 

I ran some errands today.  I stopped at Verizon to find out WHY my upgrade suddenly changed from the beginning of January to the end of March.  If you did not catch my post about the issues of my cell phone then here is the skinny: 

• Phone does not ring or vibrate most of the time when a call is coming in.
• Phone does not notify me half the time that I have a missed call, voice mail, text message, etc.
• Phone has to be turned off for a couple of minutes and turned back on after every other call because no sound transmits out or in.
• Phone shuts down, turns off and back on all by itself and for no reason...even in the middle of a call.

That is just a few of my problems.  It is something that I was willing to live and deal with thinking that I only had a couple more months but almost five and a half months...no way!

Turns out that when I originally got my phone in January 2010, it was under my ex-husband's upgrade that he did not use and passed on to me.  Unfortunately his piece of crap phone finally died and he upgraded in July 2011 which was apparently my upgrade due date.  Since he used mine (we did not split the accounts until January of this year), I am not eligible until March 26, 2013.  Needless to say I have a replacement phone coming to me either tomorrow or Monday.  Hopefully this one will not cause me NEARLY as many problems as the one I currently have in my possession.

I stopped by my gym and had them freeze my account for another three months since I still have no answers about my knee.  Called the clinic and had them fax over my doctor's note saying that I cannot workout and then actually got to talk to my doctor about my knee.  There obviously is not anything he can do about getting my orthopedics appointment any sooner BUT he put in another order for an MRI with contrast.  That was the original order but the imaging department at the VA Hospital decided that it was not necessary.  He said that if I do not get a phone call on Monday to get an MRI with contrast scheduled, to call him immediately.  I will be giving it until 4pm on Monday and if nothing, then I will be calling him!

That was a huge relief!

Here is the GINORMOUS MIND BLOWING REVELATION that I had Tuesday.  I was curled up on the couch, watching some of my shows on the DVR, cuddling with my mom's new puppy, Cooper (the stinky pooper...as I call him).  It made me miss my puppies terribly!  Then it got me thinking about wishing I could be cuddled up in a certain someone's arms.  I get this tingling fuzzy feeling in my stomach typing this.  While I say a certain someone's arms, there is not a SPECIFIC person just yet.

Anyway, it was a foggy day.  It was the kind of day that leaves you wanting to be cuddled up with someone special, in front of a fire, with a GIANT cup of hot cocoa, watching movies all day.

And that is exactly what I wanted.  Now I am not going to lie...there was someone that I was thinking of specifically.  I do not know him all that well but I want to.  I have hung out with him a few times over the last few weeks and then a couple of times over the last several months.  We had an interesting conversation that really got me thinking.

I have made it well known that I am enjoying being single.  Since getting my divorce in July 2011 I have felt FREE!  I have felt like myself.  Hell I have even had people call me funny which is a total foreign concept to me to be completely honest.  I have said repeatedly that I do not want to get married again.  Been there, done that, do not want to do it again...but what I was thinking about all that I would do differently and what I want and need in return (first and foremost a man who would tell me that he loves me...and not every once in awhile).

It made me tear up thinking about it...married to a wonderful man...having a family...I suppose if I find the right man then I might change my mind.  I guess until then, I will have sweet dreams about the perfect man (and we all know that "perfect" and "man" put together does not exist...sorry guys...had to say it...lol)!

Until next time!

Up, Up, and Away!

It has been a long week and today is only my Wednesday!  Remember when I had one of "THOSE" days?  Not really?  Let me refresh your memory here!  Today seems to be another one.

My head is killing me!  Seriously...it feels like it is going to split open at any given moment...or I am going to vomit everywhere.  These are a few of my current stressers that I know are the reasons behind these nasty headaches:

A)  The fact that the VA (Veteran's Affairs) overpaid me and sent my money into an account that my name is not on and I have ZERO access to (which means having to talk to my ex husband...and only via email so there is a paper trail if he decides to go into douche bag mode).

B)  I am enrolled in an English Literature class being assigned to read work that looks like English and sounds like English but when you put the individual words together to form phrases and sentences, I am screwed!

C)  Speaking of school, I got my work schedule for this coming week and I am only working 17 hours...which after taxes will not even cover my payment for my class let alone the other bills that I have (car insurance, cell phone, credit card, storage unit, and rent) or the fact that I have to put gas in my car to get to work and I need to be able to feed myself something with a better nutritional value than Top Ramen (only beef flavored thank you)!

D)  Then there is my knee!  I do not have the added stress of trying to figure out how to pay for the X-rays, MRIs, Physical Therapy, and doctor's visits since that is all covered by the VA BUT those people are so damn slow!  I originally hurt my knee 8/12/12.  I was first seen by the Physician's Assistant (because my doctor was on vacation) on 8/13/12.  I had X-rays on 8/14/12.  A week later I went back in, with my pain still as high as ever, and demanded an MRI because even though he (the PA) put in a referral for PT, I was not able to get scheduled until 10/15/12.  Seriously!  After several messages I obtained another number for the Radiology department at the VA Hospital in Seattle and got scheduled for Friday 8/31/12.  After playing phone tag for over a week, I finally found out that the MRI came back normal...so I am in pain for no apparent reason but we are going to do PT for four to six weeks and when that does not work (which I highly doubt it will) then I get my MRI with contrast (which I should have fought for in the first place).  We are looking at down time until December at the earliest!

I had actually intended on writing posts about my knee and the whole VA overpaid fiasco but have not gotten to it yet!  However the VA thing is still unfolding so there is PLENTY of time!  Now you see why I have a constant headache!

Then factor in a person.  We have all met that one person right?  The one where just the slightest glance makes your head hurt...yep.  I have one of those people.  Friday I had a headache from the moment I saw this person until the moment he left.  Really...like as soon as he was gone, my headache faded away!  I guess that will be one up side of only working two days this week.

I had a conversation with one of the company's customers today who owns his own plane.  He offered to take me flying if I ever wanted to go and said that his plane has dual controls so if I wanted to, I could get some hands on time.  I politely thanked him but told him that I prefer to just look out the window.  I do not want the responsibility that comes with flying a plane.

I told this conversation to one of my co-workers and told her that being up in the air is really my happy place.  From start up to shut down, my eyes are out the window.  I love to watch the runway fade on take-off.  I love to just look out the window at the cities below.  I love to be above the clouds where the sun is shining and the sky is the bluest of blue.  I love watching the runway get closer and closer until touch down.  After describing that to her, all I have been thinking about is getting up in the air.  I need to.  It is just so peaceful.  I hardly talk when I am in the air.  I physically have to force myself to talk when someone is with me.  Does not matter if it is in a little puddle jumper or a commercial flight.  I just clear my head of any and all thoughts and worries.

Prepare yourself for what I am about to say...it will shock anyone who knows me...it works better than Zumba.  There...I said it!  Flying leaves me with the high even after the flight is over...it lasts for at least a couple of hours.  Anyone remember my flight in the Super Caravan?  Just talking about that flight relieves some stress temporarily!

Now that I have avoided all aspects of my class this week I should at least make an attempt at responding to a classmate or two.  Until next time!

Can You Read?

It is a simple enough question, right?  Can you read?  I can read.

But there is an underlying question, you see.  Can you understand what you are reading?  Not always.

When reading for fun or pleasure (and ladies I use that term loosely...hahaha), you might stumble across a word you might be unfamiliar with.  You might not know how to pronounce it or know what it means.  However there are a few ways to figure out what it means.

• Read the full sentence...you might get the general idea.
• Dictionary.com...not only will you find out the meaning BUT (and this is what I love about it), for most words anyway, it will actually SPEAK the word so you know how to pronounce it!  BTW...I have it downloaded to my Droid 2 from the Google Play Store (I was going to attach a link but as I am currently logged in I do not know if the link would work).  Oh and it is FREE!!!
• Even though I always have my phone with me, sometimes I could care less on having the word spoken to me, in which case I love reading from my Nook Color.  All I have to do is press the screen at the word I want to look up and simply press the "Look Up" button and it will give me the definition.
• Just a side note...it really drives me INSANE when the word is used as part of the definition.  Really people?  I do not know what the word means and you are going to use it as part of the definition?  That would be like the definition of SLEEP being TO SLEEP...okay but what does it mean...(I seriously just spent like a stupid 10+ minutes trying to come up with something cleaver and that is really what I came up with...it has been a long day!)

When reading for the sake of learning, you will come across terms that you do not know but can look them up, like I mentioned above or in the glossary if your book has one.  In my case I am just screwed.

I have officially completed my first week of English Literature: Beowulf to 18th Century as of 5:59am tomorrow morning (6am is when week two will start).  As I am a VERY slow reader, I wanted to start reading next week's material this week while it is just the introduction week and no real work is being done.  I have three reading assignments:

1. "Beowulf"
2. "Caedmon's Hymn"
3. "The Dream of the Rood"

Prior to this class, I thought that Beowulf was an era of writing in English Literature.  I did not know that it was a poem (if it did not have punctuation I would relate it to Homer's "The Odyssey"...except I understand that one) originally written in Old English and translated.  Same with "Caedmon's Hymn" (which I have not started yet).  These were translated into English yet I have absolutely no idea what I have read!  Seriously!!!

I just came to the realization though that the link to "Beowulf" in my classroom (check it out here and tell me if you can understand it...)and the eBook that I downloaded from the library are translated by someone name Gummere...HOWEVER when I was having issues trying to figure out how to download my eBook from the library to my computer and onto my Nook, I placed a hold on the hard copy the library had and I just pulled it from my backpack and discovered that it is translated by someone else...Seamus Heaney...and when I opened it up I could read it AND understand it!!!  It may not be the version that my professor wants me to read but it is the one that I can understand and, damn it, it is the one I am going to read!

This post just too a turn with this new discovery!  Okay...well now that I know I will understand it, I am gonna go read!  Plus I plan to watch the 1999 version of "Beowulf" on Netflix after I finish reading.  Wow...Until Next Time!