Little Bit of This, Little Bit of That

Hello, everybody! *settles back in happily* I am back from vacation, and while I could easily - easily - handle another few months of that, it's awesome to be back at home, in my own bed, on my own loveseat.

And of course, I missed being connected. It's astonishing how much being connected means to me, but I don't mind it.

( I come bearing some pics! )

( Other stuff. )

And last but not least for today, my dad now has a journal of his own.

Welcome to DW, psyche29sdad!

1. It's Friiiiiiiddaaaaaaayyyy!!!

I tell you, this week has thrown me for a bit of a loop. I thought that Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday EACH FELT LIKE MONDAY. Then, to be irritating, yesterday felt like Friday. Imagine my shock and horror to discover it was only actually Thursday and I still had today to get through before the weekend!

2. SO ANYWAY. It's Friday, and I talked my supervisor into letting me out of here early. Like, I get to go home in an hour and a half. Which, let's face it, is good; I'm fairly useless today, anyway.

3. We leave tomorrow morning AT 5:30, ZOMG to drive up to Mikey's camp. We're picking him up there. I'm excited to see him, to see how the week went for him. Don't get me wrong, though - I have loved every second of this quiet week. It'll be hard to give up, but it'll also be nice to have him home.

4. Two weeks ago we did the whole 4th of July thing, saw fireworks and grilled with my parents and sister. Well, when they went home, I guess some of their neighbors were setting off their own fireworks, and they all went outside to watch. Well my mother, colossal klutz that she is, went back inside to go to bed, and tripped down the last two stairs. She finally went to the doctor just this last Monday (the 12th), AND SHE SPRAINED AN ANKLE ON ONE SIDE AND BROKE HER FOOT ON THE OTHER!!! Good Christ, the woman is an accident magnet, I tell you.

So of course, she's having issues getting around, but-. She'll still be able to come up to the lake in a few weeks, but she won't be able to go in it.

The only good thing about it at all, of course, is that I'll have a good reason for telling her she CANNOT come grocery shopping with me the first day to get all the food! *HEE*

5. It's 11:11. Make a wish.

1. Feeling better today - definitely a good thing. :)

2. Dinner tonight at Bunny and John's, and kiddo will probably sleep over, so quiet evening! YAY!

3. Dad is out of the hospital. He was released yesterday shortly after noon. The docs have concluded that the chest pains were NOT his heart, thankfully. However, they don't know what DID cause the pains, so we're at a loss, there. Dad has a regular doc appt coming up soon, if not today (because I'm really bad with time, OK?), and hopefully he'll find out what he needs to do to be able to continue walking, as that's the more imminent threat right now.

4. My friend I mentioned earlier now has an LJ! I'm so pleased, I can't wait to show her the ropes. She may yet come to DW, too, but I'm STOOPID and messed up the web address. *rolls eyes at self* Either way, I'm glad she has an outlet available to her! Next step: teaching her how to navigate a forum. XD.

5. You guys, these shoes have HEART-SHAPED HEELS!! ♥♥♥

I AM LUSTING FOR THESE JUST A LITTLE BIT.

Found over on Fluevog.

6. Just renewed a bunch of books from the library online - handy little tool. Finally finished The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho) the other night. It was such a wonderful book; I'll need to procure my own copy of it. If you've read it, I'd like to chat with you about it.

7. Friday, I love you. Thank you for FINALLY dragging your ass here, because I am so beyond ready for the weekend!

Talked to Mom this morning. She said she talked to Dad and they're going to do the test in two parts, so they'll keep him again tonight. She wanted to know if we were going to see him later, and if so, could we pick her up and take her along so she doesn't have to ask Steve again.

Of course we can, and we decided we WILL go to visit him, so of course we'll fetch her on the way, we know how she is about driving.

But at the same time, JESUS, Mom - I don't like to drive, either, but I CAN DO IT IF I HAVE TO. *rolls eyes*

This is just making her a basket case.

Well. More of a basket case than usual, anyway.

It makes me think of everything I'll have to take on should Bad Things Happen, which makes me feel selfish, but EXHAUSTED with the sheer enormity of it. I don't even know if I can coherently explain everything that would go into that kind of disaster. Just know that it would be Huge and Not Good.

Dear Dad,

I am your oldest and sanest child. I should not have to find out from one of the most unstable ones that you have had chest pains for three days and have been at the hospital since 2:30 this afternoon, after you finally called the nurse line...and that after she beat around the bush about being worried and forced me to roll my eyes and ask flat-out if she was planning to spill it or just be all vague about it.

I am aware that I am an adult and no longer really get to qualify as Daddy's Little Girl, but I do still expect you to instruct SOMEONE to call me, if you're unable to just do it your bloody self. I'm the one who will have to clean up the aftermath should Bad Things Happen, so I'm pretty sure I'm entitled to a call from you or someone else under your direction.

And dammit, you should have called me two days ago, when said chest pains had been present for 24 hours. I am Not Amused.

I expect a phone call tomorrow after your nuclear stress test to let me know how it went. I expect another phone call when you get the results from that test. And I expect phone calls for any subsequent tests and results. I know we live only a couple miles apart, and that I'm really not a Chat-on-the-Phone Kind of Girl, but there are reasons for having a phone in the first place. This would be one of them. Put your Dad suit on and CALL ME.

I am Irritated With You.

But I Still Love You, You Bonehead,

Kim

My sister Valerie is in town with her husband Bailey and the ridiculously named "Phoenix."

( And he's so happy and adorable, I can hardly stand it! XD. )

1. I love lazy days like this. No place to go, nothing pressing to do. It's 11:21 A.M. and I'm still in my PJs. Yes, most certainly a lovely day.

2. Mom's surgery went well; it took just under an hour, and it only took that long because the node was wedged right up against a nerve. The biopsy came back and the growth was benign, so all is well. And I can already tell Mom's moving better. Thank you for any prayers and thoughts that were sent her way - she appreciates them.

3. Mikey has a retainer now. He has to wear it all the time except while eating and brushing his teeth. He hates it and complains about it, but is pretty good about not arguing too much. It looks like a slice of watermelon - he got to choose what it would look like - and even after two weeks, we can see the difference. We still don't think he'll manage to get out of having braces, but this is definitely helping. The first few days were amusing; we couldn't understand a word he said. ;)

4. Also, what IS it with this kid and his ability to lose crap?! I have lost three separate pair of gloves this season alone because he's lost three pair of his own, and mine in replacement! He's also lost two hats and a "burglar" hat, and a couple of scarves.

5. At work, Blanca taught me how to say "kiss my ass" in Spanish! *LMAO* She's so funny, she was like, "But it's REALLY bad, so don't tell anyone I told you!"

6. I MADE MY OWN HOMEMADE CHAI MIX. No more paying ridiculous prices for it in the store! Now I can heat up a mug of water and put in a few spoonsful of my homemade mix! Message me with your email addy if you want it, I've got it saved in Word format.

7. Finally made my oatmeal blueberry pecan cookies yesterday. SO. GOOD. I used my mom's oatmeal raisin recipe, but substituted blueberries for the raisins and used pecans instead of the usual walnuts. herminia wanted me to post the recipe, so here it is:

( Oatmeal Blueberry Pecan Cookies )

8. Went to the library yesterday, picked up The Love of a Good Woman (Alice Munro) and Artemis Fowl (Eoin Colfer), as well as One for the Money (Janet Evanovich), which is the first of the Stephanie Plum novels. I've read through nine or ten, but want to start over so I can remember everything, as it's been a while.

9. That's about all - I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend!

1. We went to the library on Saturday morning. I re-checked out The Stillest Day (Josephine Hart) since it was on the shelf, and also found Fire (Kristin Cashore) and The Magician's Guild (Trudi Canavan). I finished Fire before I went to sleep that night - it was VERY good.

( Updated Reading List )

2. Had a lazy weekend, did a lot of reading. Went to Bunny and John's yesterday for split pea soup and grilled cheese sandwiches; watched the football game (YEAH, VIKES!!!) and got a fabulous box cut RIGHT ALONG THE CUTICLE on my left thumb. Bled like a stuck pig, straight through the first bandaid and well into a second. It's fine now, but MAN, did it hurt at the time.

3. Mom's CAT scan on Friday went fine, she gets the results today, so I'll have to call her later and find out what's up, since no one ever bothers to call me and tell me of their own volition. *rolls eyes*

4. Going up to Duluth for a little get-away next weekend. Cabin's all booked and I can't wait. Even if all we do is hunker down for the weekend inside the cabin, it will nice to get out of town for a couple days. I leave work early on Friday, and we come back Sunday afternoon - in time to watch the game!

5. GO VIKINGS!! I actually don't really know who will win - my team is excellent, but the Saints are AWESOME. It's going to be a tough game. I think we could win, but I have no delusions whatsoever regarding the Vikes' capability of bombing it. Either way, we'll tune in.

6. Go away, monthly annoyance. You're not wanted in this body.

So last Thursday, Matt picked up Mikey from school and then drove down here to wait for me to get off work, as per usual. He mentioned to Mike that Jenn (his brother Steve's wife) had their new baby the previous evening, and somehow the topic got on to how it was a C-section. So Mikey asked what that was, and Matt explained that it meant the doctors cut a small opening in Jenn's tummy and took the baby out.

Mikey asked if he was born like that, and Matt said, "No, you were born the regular way." And not understanding, Mike wanted to know what the "regular" way was.

Keep in mind, this kid has no idea what sex is, how babies are made, etc. He thinks it's "sex" if two people are naked, in bed, under the covers, and kissing. And he thinks that babies are made by Mommy kissing Daddy while "thinking real hard about wanting a baby." And remember, too, that this is the 11-year-old who firmly believes that girls don't have crotches because they don't have a penis or balls, and no amount of description or definition or authority will make him believe it.

So Matt tells him the regular way is when "the baby comes out where the girl's private parts are."

Mikey thinks for a few minutes, then says, "So I came out where the pee comes out?"

And Matt, laughing, said that "no, of course not - you came out from the same area, but not from where the pee comes from."

Another few seconds pass, and Mikey, the picture of incredulity and confusion, asks in exasperation, "But where's the third hole?!?!!"

*dies*