Winter Blues

Well - that does it. I have bhronchitis. Day 9 of flu-ness and counting. I just got back from Urgent Care.

The doctor told me that it was all viral, but gave me antibiotics to start to take if I don't feel better without them by Friday. Goody. I leave for Big Bear on Saturday and the sister-in-law is showing up on Christmas day. The house is still in shambles, no shopping is done, even though I've burned through a ton of money, and I have to cook for X-Mas day. Oh - and all the deadlines I have for work. Fun. Pffffttt..

Off to bed...

What a wierd day.

Flu sickness: Day 8 and counting.

I was up before the crack of dawn to run to the tailors, mail a package before 7:30 AM and make it to work to get cracking on the hideous deadlines I have going right now. I got most of what I set out to do finished, but the damn client never got back to me. They wanted to order about $37,000 worth of furniture and begged and begged for the drawings. I got it to them complete well before they wanted it and I still have yet to hear from them. Bastards! :) Hurry up and wait. At least I could bail out of work about a half an hour early. That was a plus!

My contact at the above mentioned client is a real asshole. He can't sit up straight even if his life depended on it. He slouches in his chair across from me in meetings with his knees spread apart so far I figured he had some sort of fungus. He might as well have been grabbing his nuts. He stopped by my office reaking of smoke and cheap cologne and all he did was waste my time. He ogled my wedding ring (it's a real nice one - toot toot, beep beep - about 3.5 carrats total) for a few minutes. About a half an hour later, he calls me up and asks if I really was married. I could hear a gaggle of baboons behind him in his office. Yes - I'm really married - five years - to an ex-navy seal. Since that conversation, he has treated me like dirt. Contradicting everything I say, not letting me finish sentences, not listening. What an ass. I can't wait until this job is finished. Ugh.

Today was our company holiday party. We have been doing very well this year despite all of the declining economy crap. The company is going to start to pay 100% of our health care benefits - 50% for dependants. Our co-pays will go up to $15.00, but I don't really care. Way cool.

It was also the company owner's 40th birthday today. We all got him gag gifts. I got him some Just For Men hair color. Especially for black folks. It got a good laugh. Somebody got him a medic alert bracelet. Other gifts included a potty light, a pair of bi-focals, Centrum Silver and other similar items.

We played Pictionary. Wow. (That 'wow' was VERY sarcastic.) It was fun until people got all bent out of shape. I had to leave for a minute. I couldn't handle the school-yard bickering. We all got tickets if we got a picture right and for other things. There was a drawing at the end for big gifts. I got a $10.00 gift card for Blockbuster. Ohh ahh. The biggest gift was a very large TV. Others were luggage sets, leather day planners, etc. The TV/sound system went to our 17 year old intern who had been with the company for less than a week. Nice. There are people there who have been with the company since the beginning who got nothing. It's random and all, but some people were way bent. A few in particular. Oh well.

All I can say is that I count my blessings. Paid-for health care. That's awesome. I wish more people had that. It sucks that the people who need it most can't get it or it's just too damn expensive. I've always been lucky. The other half is covered by the VA for life, I have free optional benefits w/ the VA, and now I'm all paid for. At least something is going right.

Things I'm thankful for:
Good heath care.
Dogs of all shapes and sizes.
A marriage that is growing through extreme pain and difficulty. (Maybe more on that one later.)
Our ski trip.
My job.
My gifts of patience and wisdom.
My artistic talents and that I have a job where I can use them.
My ability to listen.
My husband's life.
An awesome place to live and the potential to grow into something better.
RadioParadise - awesome music and an awesome community. So diverse and so deep - many times my eyes have been opened, and my beliefs and values have been reinforced.

Well - we saw Return of the King last night.

Wow.

It's interesting to see the differences between the book and the movie. I can't believe that the extended version is 1-1/2 hours longer. Crazy! That mental-movie-length-clock that us movie freaks have built in went off after the battle was won at Minas Trith. Oh, wait - what about Frodo? Actually, it was more around the time I was asking myself, Oh, wait, what about Aragorn? Too funny. I'd have to say that one of my favorite parts was the lighting of the beacons. Wow.

I've got to get moving today. I have done no Christmas shopping yet. The house is in need of a good scrubbing, and I haven't thought about packing for vacation yet. At least I got my skis in to be waxed & sharpened. I'm going to be working like crazy for the next three days to meet deadlines at work and all I want to do is stay in bed. I can't shake this flu thing. I feel better, but if I'm up and about for more than an hour or so, I feel all lightheaded and achey.

In looking back at my previous entries, I'm seeing that i'm whining quite a bit. OK. So what. This is the place where I can get all the whine out of my system before I face the world on a daily basis. Right? OK. I am a very deep and wise person. People come to me for help, advice, support and laughter. I'm easy to approach and people like me for who I am. OK. I'm easy to get along with and I'm pretty easy on the eyes as well. I just need to vent all the nasty stuff before it comes spilling out to hurt some unsuspecting holiday shopper or a loved one. I hate it when I let all the crap build up and then it explodes. I have learned to wait about ten seconds and review what I want to say and how it will affect the person I'm saying it to. Good thing. When I get ready to blow, people need to stand back. I have a very long fuse, but it lasts for only so long.

Now I must go shopping. I usually don't look at shopping as a curse. Too bad I do today. Bummer.

Still sick and addicted to Ny-Quil.

Rick wanted to play golf at Torrey Pines this morning. I went with him to get breakfast at the Lodge. It usually takes 2 to 3 hours to walk on at Torey. We figured we would take our time eating and he would practice putting for an hour before he even got called.

We had just ordered and his name was called! What? That never happens - especially on a holiday weekend. He took his name off the list and we ate. Awesome service, awesome food. I had corned beef w/ potatoes and poached eggs. Yummy. Every once and a while I splurge and eat cow. Must remember to take the pill before I pay! Damn UC - can't eat anything nice!

Rick went to put his name back on the wait list and they had a spot for him immediatly. North Course. I'm glad he got to play today. It's been a tough few weeks for him.

Rick's mom called and she needs us to find a GI Joe Navy Seal Para-trooper set for Ian. Ian is so hooked on the Navy Seal thing. We got him a t-shirt last Christmas that said "My Uncle is a Navy Seal". I guess he wore it every day until it had holes in it! He's so damn cute! I need to find out if she wants us to send it or send it home with Lori when she leaves after our ski trip next week.

I'm worried about Christine. She just found out that her 11 year old boxer has lymphomic cancer. He's had two rounds of chemo so far and is eating and drinking again. The vet said that the cure rate is over 80% and they usually get another year or two out of the dog. She really needs Deogie to be well right now. What a drag for him to get sick just before Christmas. She's a wreck. Her divorce will be final in a few months - and even though it was the best thing for her to do, it still hurts. She misses the companionship, but not the stress and agony of dealing with an alcoholic. I'm glad he's gone. He spends a lot of time at the bar he owns. That bar was the downfall of their mariage. Too bad. We hear stories about him every once in a while. He drinks way too much and is not showing up for work or to follow through on promises. He's chosen his path.

I had a dream about him the other night. He was in the hospital with some sort of disease caused by too much drink. Yuck. I'm so glad Rick got away fromn all of that. Moving off the island made such a huge difference. I'm not sure where we would be right now if we still lived two blocks away from the bar. I'm all for drinking w/ freinds & having fun, but too much too often is very scary. They get so damn angry. I think Homer Simpson said it best the other night. "To Alcohol! The cause of - and solution to - all of lifes problems!". Words of wisdom form the yellow round man himself.

We need to get a dog. I'm so tired of not having one I'm sick over it. There is nothing like waking up to adoring beady eyes! Our company is right on track for us to get our bonuses next August. I can't wait. I'm on a wait list for an Italian Greyhound puppy in August - and I'll have enough money to pay some bills off and pay someone to pack us up and move us to a place where we can have a dog. We can stay in the same apartment complex, just have to move to the other side of the jogging path. No problem! Rick want's a regular Greyhound. That's fine by me. I'll get one of those from the rescue place out in ElCajon. I know the owner. It will be fun!

I'm off to blend into the couch and take a little nap. Need one in a BAD way...

What a long week. I've had the flu. I've had crazy deadlines that I wasn't planning on having. Of all the weeks.

Go figure.

We're going to go see Return of the King tomorrow. I can't wait. I want to watch the first two before we go just to brush up. We were supposed to go tonight, but I'm just not up to it. The UC is acting up again, and I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it through 3-1/2 hours tonight. I need to let the little blue pills kick in. Nothing like having your intestines run your life.

Rick is trying to get a job here at my work. I'm not sure what Vince is up to. We'll see. He's interviewed here before with no luck. I just don't want him to get caught up with the money thing and blow off school. He needs to start school this next semester, not try to land a high-pressure sales job. He needs to go work for BBBS.

Later.

Crazy busy week. Flu. Too many deadlines. Yikes. Tired.