After my visit to the walk-in clinic yesterday, they discovered that my throat culture was positive for mono. The doctor said that since I've had mono before, any culture would have been positive for mono, whether it's active in my body or not. So technically, the doctor didn't tell me what I have, she just gave me a Z Pack (an antibiotic) and a few other prescriptions. And to think that Dr. Kirkland of FAMILY PHYSICIANS OF TIDEWATER told me to go home and take OTC allergy medicine. Adam has been so wonderful during all of this, though. He went to the store and got me applesauce, crackers, green tea, ginger ale, fresh fruit, and all different kinds of soups. What a great husband.
I wasn't scheduled to work until Tuesday morning (since Adam and I were planning a vacation...which obviously isn't going to happen) so I was a little shocked when work called me this morning and asked why I didn't show up. I apologized and told them I was sick and wasn't able to come in. Something was fishy. I waited until after the lunch rush to call back and talk to my GM (who was too busy to talk to me). Another manager picked up the phone and tried to help me figure out what was going on. Each shift, the managers have a slip called a "Phase Card" which shows, among other things, what time people are scheduled to work. Apparently another servers name had been crossed off and my name had been written in. There was no record of a shift exchange between me and this other server so there is no way I would have known RR wanted me to come in and work. The whole situation is beyond frustrating. Which is why...
I've fixed my resume and have started applying for new jobs. I didn't reach my goal yesterday of applying for 10 jobs because I slept for about 15 hours. This sickness is REALLY getting in the way of a lot of things I want and NEED to do.
The only thing worth blogging about for today is that Adam locked himself in the shed in our backyard earlier. For a minute or so while I was unlocking the shed, I was outside in the warm sunshine. Oh, it felt wonderful!
Back to being sick and tired...literally.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Big wheels keep on turnin
As soon as I finish this blog, I'm going to a walk-in clinic to get this sickness taken care of once and for all. My experience with doctor's over the past couple days has been awful! First, I made an appointment with my primary health care manager. The receptionist was rude and even hung up on me before I was able to ask directions to the new office location. I went in for a sore throat, earache, coughing, etc but when the doctor came into my room, he didn't even check out me ear/nose/throat. He simply told me to go home and take some Zyrtec and come back if it didn't work. I was flabbergasted. No tongue depressors, no ear-inspection-light-things...just assumption. The Zyrtec hasn't worked at all and I feel worse than I did yesterday so I decided to find a new primary provider. Of course, it's not as easy as calling and setting up an appointment. First, I had to call a half dozen different physicians before I found one accepting new patients. Then they told me I couldn't just come in for an appointment, I had to call TriCare and switch them to my primary health manager instead of the old place that I've learned to loathe. Once I completed that task (which included minutes upon minutes of automated, telephone prompt menus), I called the new doctor back. The earliest they were able to see me as a new patient would be June 13th. The way things are going, I might die of a sore throat before then. (That happens, right? People can die of sore throats, can't they?) Ive decided to go to a walk-in clinic and get it checked out. Hopefully, they'll look down my throat to figure out why it feels like I've swallowed sandpaper and lava.
The only upside of the miserable experience with FAMILY PHYSICIANS OF TIDEWATER was that Dr. Kirkland was able to tell me what was wrong with my heel! (This was the only time I was impressed with the knowledge of the doctor.) I have Plantar Faciitis which is some inflamed something or another that is caused by a combination of things: being on my feet all day with improper shoes and arch support was the main one. He said if I stop wearing flats, flip-flops, etc and do the exercises he showed me, my foot will be healed and pain-free in six months to a year. He advised not going to a podiatrist because "all they'll do is shoot cortizone into the sides of my foot" and maybe, if it's severe enough, recommend surgery. The surgery, he told me, takes up to a year and a half to recover from. He knew a lot about the subject because he had the same problem when he was my age. Thinking positively, it's always nice to have a reason to buy new shoes.
On top of all this, I've decided my life needs a makeover. My body, my mind, my job, school...everything! I'm starting small, with baby steps, because I feel if I tackle all my demons/problems at once change would seem overwhelming. However, I need people to continue encouraging me so I don't get complacent and fall back into old habits. Adam is helping me work on my self-esteem (or lack thereof) and my goal for today is to tweak my resume and apply for 10 jobs. Red Robin is slowly draining my soul, one miserable day after another, not to mention, Adam brought up the idea of getting a roommate to split the costs of living. (He's obviously struggling with the bills so it's time I step up). I need change all around and I'm ready for it!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
So I made my Twitter account private cause I found out the property manager that is leasing us the house was following me. I don't have anything to hide from her but I don't know her at all and the fact she could creep around on the internet and see things made me uncomfortable.Now if you want to follow me, you must be approved.
Adam heard from the skipper and his next move is to meet with the admiral (tomorrow) then the commander (who knows when?). This week has caused Adam to be filled with anxiety and I really hate it. Obviously Adam wants to continue flying but I hate all the stress he puts on himself. Is it too much to ask to see him happy and worry-free? Needless to say, house hunting has been placed on indefinite hold. We're still looking around to get familiar with what's available but we're forbidding ourselves from falling in love with anything...just in case.
We've noticed trails of a mouse being left under our sink and, once, I saw him scurrying around the corner of our kitchen back out the hole in our laundry room. I hated the thought of a mouse in our house, so close to our kitchen and food, but we had tried everything to catch him...until: Two guys from work told me the easiest way to catch a mouse is to put peanut butter in a trap. So last night, while making myself some peanut butter toast, I placed a dab on the sticky-trap in our laundry room. This morning I was about to go take a shower so I went to the dryer to get the clothes I needed for the day and heard a terrible uprising of squeaks. I caught the little guy! Of course, my heart was pounding 'cause I was terrified and I didn't dare touch the thing. I mean, who knows what diseases it has or if it wanted to sink it's teeth into something other than peanut butter?! I did what any sensible woman would do...called her husband and told him to take an early lunch break to take care of the situation. (Please don't judge me!) Adam came home and took the mouse outside. After noticing that his legs weren't broken, he managed to remove Mouse from the sticky trap and send him away...into our neighbors yard. One second chance is all he gets, though. If he comes back again and I'm leaving him for the birds!
Apparently, I've been quite the animal trapper lately. Just yesterday I was sitting in Adam's recliner (shhh, don't tell him), wondering what my darling little Papillon, Piper, was doing. Usually she naps on our bed so I didn't think about it too much. I didn't even noticed she was trapped under the recliner until I sat back down and kicked to footrest up. She didn't whine or yipe so I had no clue she was under there but she refused to look at me for the rest of the day. I know, I'm an awful owner! Also, in completely useless puppy-news, Luca is so addicted to his tennis ball, he's starting to sleep with it...in his mouth. People laugh when I tell them it's his pacifier but it truly IS. Hey fellow iUsers: follow me (jennypeeps) on Instagram to see more photo updates like this one.
Kelly, I promised you meatloaf fun so here you go! We're constantly changing and modifying our recipe but here's what we've got so far:
After preheating the oven to 350*, I mix 1 lb of spicy sausage and 1-2 lbs of ground beef (depending on how many you're trying to feed. Usually 1 lb of ground beef gives us enough for leftovers the following night). Anyway, mix the meats together in a large bowl. Then mix in half a can of tomato paste (3-4 oz), one egg per pound of ground beef, and bread crumbs. We use actual bread and not the canned crumbs because I think it makes the meatloaf taste better. This is the part I kind of eyeball; too much and your meatloaf will be super bready, not enough and it will just taste like burger. That's the base mixture. From there you can add anything you like: bell peppers, onions, spices, etc. Usually I make a mixture of Red Robin seasoning, garlic, pepper instead of actual meatloaf seasoning. If you decide to use Worcestershire, go easy on the salt-based spices cause it will end up VERY salty. Learned that the hard way. Also, I want to try adding a package of ranch mix into the meatloaf next time. Instead of the typical "loaf" most people make, I make, what Adam lovingly refers to as "Meat-wads". I ball up the meatloaf mixture and drop it into an ungreased muffin pan. The portion sizes are perfect and it's a little more interesting than sliced loaf. If you have any ideas or ingredients to add, let me know. Like I said, we're always trying to improve.
I finished my trash chair a while back but every time I've gone to update my blog, the internet craps out. (Here's to hoping I didn't jinx anything this time.) So, here are the step by step pictures:
Fresh off the curb
Electric sanding at night. It was only 9pm but I'm sure the neighbors LOVED me.
Completely sanded. I didn't take a picture of the "distress" step but I took a pillowcase full of nuts/bolts/screws and beat the chair with it to make it look older than it probably is.
Now time for the stain. I used MINWAX's English Chestnut.
Finally, the Polyurethane. I used MINWAX's Clear Satin because I didn't want it looking TOO new and shiny.
Final product...at my breakfast table.
Adam heard from the skipper and his next move is to meet with the admiral (tomorrow) then the commander (who knows when?). This week has caused Adam to be filled with anxiety and I really hate it. Obviously Adam wants to continue flying but I hate all the stress he puts on himself. Is it too much to ask to see him happy and worry-free? Needless to say, house hunting has been placed on indefinite hold. We're still looking around to get familiar with what's available but we're forbidding ourselves from falling in love with anything...just in case.
We've noticed trails of a mouse being left under our sink and, once, I saw him scurrying around the corner of our kitchen back out the hole in our laundry room. I hated the thought of a mouse in our house, so close to our kitchen and food, but we had tried everything to catch him...until: Two guys from work told me the easiest way to catch a mouse is to put peanut butter in a trap. So last night, while making myself some peanut butter toast, I placed a dab on the sticky-trap in our laundry room. This morning I was about to go take a shower so I went to the dryer to get the clothes I needed for the day and heard a terrible uprising of squeaks. I caught the little guy! Of course, my heart was pounding 'cause I was terrified and I didn't dare touch the thing. I mean, who knows what diseases it has or if it wanted to sink it's teeth into something other than peanut butter?! I did what any sensible woman would do...called her husband and told him to take an early lunch break to take care of the situation. (Please don't judge me!) Adam came home and took the mouse outside. After noticing that his legs weren't broken, he managed to remove Mouse from the sticky trap and send him away...into our neighbors yard. One second chance is all he gets, though. If he comes back again and I'm leaving him for the birds!
Apparently, I've been quite the animal trapper lately. Just yesterday I was sitting in Adam's recliner (shhh, don't tell him), wondering what my darling little Papillon, Piper, was doing. Usually she naps on our bed so I didn't think about it too much. I didn't even noticed she was trapped under the recliner until I sat back down and kicked to footrest up. She didn't whine or yipe so I had no clue she was under there but she refused to look at me for the rest of the day. I know, I'm an awful owner! Also, in completely useless puppy-news, Luca is so addicted to his tennis ball, he's starting to sleep with it...in his mouth. People laugh when I tell them it's his pacifier but it truly IS. Hey fellow iUsers: follow me (jennypeeps) on Instagram to see more photo updates like this one.Kelly, I promised you meatloaf fun so here you go! We're constantly changing and modifying our recipe but here's what we've got so far:
After preheating the oven to 350*, I mix 1 lb of spicy sausage and 1-2 lbs of ground beef (depending on how many you're trying to feed. Usually 1 lb of ground beef gives us enough for leftovers the following night). Anyway, mix the meats together in a large bowl. Then mix in half a can of tomato paste (3-4 oz), one egg per pound of ground beef, and bread crumbs. We use actual bread and not the canned crumbs because I think it makes the meatloaf taste better. This is the part I kind of eyeball; too much and your meatloaf will be super bready, not enough and it will just taste like burger. That's the base mixture. From there you can add anything you like: bell peppers, onions, spices, etc. Usually I make a mixture of Red Robin seasoning, garlic, pepper instead of actual meatloaf seasoning. If you decide to use Worcestershire, go easy on the salt-based spices cause it will end up VERY salty. Learned that the hard way. Also, I want to try adding a package of ranch mix into the meatloaf next time. Instead of the typical "loaf" most people make, I make, what Adam lovingly refers to as "Meat-wads". I ball up the meatloaf mixture and drop it into an ungreased muffin pan. The portion sizes are perfect and it's a little more interesting than sliced loaf. If you have any ideas or ingredients to add, let me know. Like I said, we're always trying to improve.
I finished my trash chair a while back but every time I've gone to update my blog, the internet craps out. (Here's to hoping I didn't jinx anything this time.) So, here are the step by step pictures:
Fresh off the curb
Electric sanding at night. It was only 9pm but I'm sure the neighbors LOVED me.
Completely sanded. I didn't take a picture of the "distress" step but I took a pillowcase full of nuts/bolts/screws and beat the chair with it to make it look older than it probably is.
Now time for the stain. I used MINWAX's English Chestnut.
Finally, the Polyurethane. I used MINWAX's Clear Satin because I didn't want it looking TOO new and shiny.
Final product...at my breakfast table.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Still no news from the AWSTS squadron about Adam's fate. Still anxiously waiting...
Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that Osama Bin Laden has been killed by SEAL special forces. The news itself was shocking and I couldn't believe it (I mean, it has been over a decade since he went into hiding) but I'm finding it difficult to attach any emotion to the event. Don't get me wrong, I DO feel that if you are a figurehead of a "religion" that kills thousands of people in multiple terrorists related incidents over a period of 20 years, you'll get what's coming to you...but I'm sort of indifferent about the situation.
The house hunting is getting more and more difficult with a deadline quickly approaching. Our current realtor said we can begin month-to-month renting after our lease is up; however, Adam and I hate the company so much we'd rather just find somewhere else to rent. Anything to get out of here, really. Unfortunately we were turned down for the tall, skinny "birdhouse" and I like to call it. The house itself was in our budget but with all the added necessities; multiple insurance packages and HOA fees, it would have upped our mortgage another $400-something per month. Needless to say, we've been scrambling to look for houses of all kinds. The two that really stuck out (to the both of us) during our impromptu tour yesterday couldn't have been bigger opposites. One is a move-in-ready, open floor plan, lofty condo with no garage and zero storage for Adam's car junk and the other is a 1910 period Victorian style SHORT SALE with lots of charm but in need of lots of updating and renovating. Each list has it's pros and cons which is making the decision difficult. I'm leaning more towards the condo but asking Adam to give up working on cars (since there's no space or garage for that) would be absolutely awful. That boy and his cars! Adam is leaning towards the Victorian because there's a huge concrete slab next to the house that's "...just begging for a garage". Whatever we decide, we must be out of this current house by the end of this month. Who thought making grown up decisions would be so difficult?!
Sidenote: If any of you would like to waste your Memorial Day vacation helping us move, we'd LOVE your assistance!
Off to work so I can pay my bills...(also an adult thing that I really, really hate).
Can I go back to living at home?!
Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that Osama Bin Laden has been killed by SEAL special forces. The news itself was shocking and I couldn't believe it (I mean, it has been over a decade since he went into hiding) but I'm finding it difficult to attach any emotion to the event. Don't get me wrong, I DO feel that if you are a figurehead of a "religion" that kills thousands of people in multiple terrorists related incidents over a period of 20 years, you'll get what's coming to you...but I'm sort of indifferent about the situation.
The house hunting is getting more and more difficult with a deadline quickly approaching. Our current realtor said we can begin month-to-month renting after our lease is up; however, Adam and I hate the company so much we'd rather just find somewhere else to rent. Anything to get out of here, really. Unfortunately we were turned down for the tall, skinny "birdhouse" and I like to call it. The house itself was in our budget but with all the added necessities; multiple insurance packages and HOA fees, it would have upped our mortgage another $400-something per month. Needless to say, we've been scrambling to look for houses of all kinds. The two that really stuck out (to the both of us) during our impromptu tour yesterday couldn't have been bigger opposites. One is a move-in-ready, open floor plan, lofty condo with no garage and zero storage for Adam's car junk and the other is a 1910 period Victorian style SHORT SALE with lots of charm but in need of lots of updating and renovating. Each list has it's pros and cons which is making the decision difficult. I'm leaning more towards the condo but asking Adam to give up working on cars (since there's no space or garage for that) would be absolutely awful. That boy and his cars! Adam is leaning towards the Victorian because there's a huge concrete slab next to the house that's "...just begging for a garage". Whatever we decide, we must be out of this current house by the end of this month. Who thought making grown up decisions would be so difficult?!
Sidenote: If any of you would like to waste your Memorial Day vacation helping us move, we'd LOVE your assistance!
Off to work so I can pay my bills...(also an adult thing that I really, really hate).
Can I go back to living at home?!
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