Shopping success

Well, Saturday I woke up and ate the long-awaited pancakes. It was definitely all that I anticipated... and maybe even more. I had eight pancakes and lots of milk. Mmm, delicious. Need. More.

I then went and did some very unsuccessful shopping at the mall, which resulted in me being in a bad mood, like usual. If I ever go shopping for something in particular, I tend to return home in a very bad mood, usually because I haven't had any luck. I was looking for a dress, which is always tricky, but I also couldn't find a pair of jeans. I mean, how hard is that?

After the initial shopping failure, I went and got my hair did. It seems super-dark and gothic to me, but I'm sure I'm just adjusting. It already looks lighter today. When I got back to my parents' house, my mom and I decided to go fail at shopping again... and we did.

It's funny because then, I got up today and tried one last time - mainly to find a dress - and I happened to like the first one I tried on and found some jeans on one of the first few pairs. It's crazy how that works! Then, when I was checking out, I realized I went to high school with the girl; she threatened to kill me once because someone else was mad at me. While it sounds pretty frightening, I actually thought it was hilarious. I could tell the girl was totally embarrassed and I gave her the benefit of the doubt and acted like I didn't recognize her. Gotta love high school!

Then, I got some cute running shoes, which was really just the icing on the cake. I figured I'd take a stab at looking for some just since I'd been so productive already on the shopping trip. And I love them!

Happy birthday to my friend!

Cowboy Casanova

Let me just say that I love the song "Cowboy Casanova" by Carrie Underwood. I also love "Be On You" by Ne-Yo and Flo Rida. It's kind of funny that my favorite musical genres as of late are country and hip hop. That just goes to show you that I'm awesome, open-minded, fun-loving, and humble.

I have yet to eat pancakes, but I did eat a baked potato and it was pretty incredible. Pancakes are the first thing on tomorrow's to-do list.

Today I was trying to determine my favorite foods. Aside from candy, I have it narrowed down to three foods... 1) Mexican, 2) Pancakes, 3) Grilled Cheese. I don't think I have ever NOT been in the mood for any of those three food items.

So, I somehow managed to forget to bring pants of any kind with me to my parents' house. All I have are the dress pants I wore to work today. I saw one pair of jeans in my room and I can't wait to see if they fit. This isn't quite as bad as the time I came here for Thanksgiving last year and forgot all of my clothes at my house.

I am getting my hair did tomorrow afternoon. The jury's still out on what I will do.... I wish hair grew on trees. Actually, that would be gross. Seriously, though, I tend to keep my hair relatively boring because you can't really undo the damage once it's done. Until it takes three years to get back where you started.

Well, I took last night off of the Braves and am reenergized, but I will change channels before I get unbearably angry.

I <3 Pancakes

It's Thursday, which means tomorrow is Friday, which means it's pretty much the weekend. This is pretty much how an average week goes...

Mondays: My brain takes a while to realize it's Monday.
Tuesdays: The week is practically halfway over.
Wednesdays: Celebration that the week is officially halfway over.
Thursdays: It's basically Friday.
Fridays: It's the weekend!

Then I repeat that mindset over and over again. It actually works out pretty well because it seems like the week never even happened when you measure it in terms of the weekend.

This weekend I am going to stay at my parents' house for relaxation and worthlessness. I am pretty excited because I want some pancakes and I never have the materials to make them (or anything worth anything) at home. Mmmm, pancakes - That's a good breakfast food to eat in the car while driving on the interstate.

Today I went to this little pizza place by my work. I had a personal pizza with blue cheese crumbles, caramelized onions, grilled chicken, and buffalo sauce. It was incredible!

I am feeling a bit better today allergy-wise, although I'm still not 100%. That's a little lame, but at least it's an improvement.

Well, I'm going to figure out about some food.

RIP Zenith and Motorola

Hello.

So, there was a small storm this afternoon and it took the lives of two electronic devices in my house - The Motorola cable box hooked up to the main TV and my roommate's small TV in her bedroom. I feared that the microwave was done for, but I fixed that on the circuit breaker. Unfortunately, those other two items were not as fortunate and I guess were fried in a power surge. It's ironic that my TV and cable box are fine since I hardly ever use them...

While I'm on the topic of weather and natural things, the earthquake last night was actually the repaving of one of the lanes on my road. It was so loud and obnoxious, but thankfully the shaking stopped at a decent hour - the noise didn't.

On the way to work this morning, I literally saw a girl on the interstate eating some kind of breakfast that involved a spoon. It seemed like she was eating cereal, which is not safe. It was a little frightening to pass someone going 70 mph, only to see her lifting a spoon to her mouth. I mean, maybe whatever she was eating was balancing in her lap and she actually had one hand on the wheel. I'm not completely opposed to eating while driving, but preferably something that doesn't involve using silverware... That just seems dangerous. Maybe she should try a granola bar tomorrow. Or grits.

I was actually at the fitness center when the power went out. I was on the treadmill. I had just made an attempt to begin running, when my right knee started really hurting. I stopped and tried to stretch and start again, but it just didn't ease the pain. Thankfully, I was walking when the power went out or I probably would have fallen and knocked out some teeth.

I worked from home this afternoon because I wasn't feeling all that great. I sneezed about 15 times yesterday and was a little congested today, so I think I must be allergic to something. I am missing improv practice right now, which is saddening, but I think I need a relaxing night with an early start to bed.

Anyway, the Braves won last night (!!!!) and are starting to play right now.

Earthquake

So, I was just sitting here in bed and felt like I was shaking. I thought my legs were twitching, but it seemed like I was tremoring all over. Then, I looked at a glass of water sitting by my bed and it was sloshing. I honestly have no clue what's going on, but it's kind of freaky. It seems to have stopped, but it was intermittently shaking for several minutes. I texted my sister to see if her house is shaking since she's so nearby. She hasn't responded; hopefully her house hasn't collapsed already in the quake.

I don't think all of the coffee in the world could have helped me make it through the work day. After being completely and utterly lazy for the last three weeks, returning to work was an extreme challenge. Thankfully one of my coworkers brought me a bag of gummy bears, so that was the only lifeline I had going for me today.

THE BRAVES ARE WINNING. Sorry, I needed to get that out there before they sabatoge themselves.

Tomorrow is 09.09.09. I'm not sure why that kind of excites me - I guess because I'm a dork.

I didn't exercise today, which is kind of lame, but I was just so exhausted by the time I got home from work. Plus, I couldn't sleep last night - I was trying to get to sleep early like it was the first day of school or something, so of course I was just tossing and turning. I definitely plan to exercise tomorrow because I need to maintain this habit from the get-go.

Well, I'm sure tomorrow will be an improvement; returning from any vacation tends to be tough.

I have seriously taken two hours to finish this. That's why it's all over the place. I am just writing one thought at a time and then trying to resume 15 minutes later.... GOOD NIGHT!

Labor Eve Day

Well, tonight offically marks the end of my looooooong leave from work. It really went by pretty quickly, but I'm sure I will have forgotten it in no time by the time I get to work. I have already made a decision to get an iced vanilla latte on the way to work in the morning. I've also already taken an Ambien so I can hopefully sleep through the night. I clearly enjoy substances that regulate my energy levels.

I got up really early today and ran 5 miles. It was a successful run - I felt pretty good and nothing was hurting, which is very rare. Of course my first rib has been aching off and on all day and, ironically, it's the one opposite the one I displaced. Life has a funny way!

Then I prepared for what would end up being a somewhat mediocre pool day. I went to the store and got some snacks, cocktail materials, etc. and came home and got all coolered up. My friend got here a little after 1:00 p.m. and we headed to the pool. Within minutes, the mosquitoes started pool day infestation. We really tried to tough it out, but after ravaging the house, all I had for us was some Benedryl anti-itch gel (that we got to extinguish my sunscreen reaction at the beach). I mean, that helped stop the itching after the mosquitoes had already accomplished their missions. So, pool day didn't last all that long and was mainly spent being paranoid and swatting. Oh well!

The rest of the day was very anticlimactic. In fact, I did nothing except eat two turkey dogs and drink a little Gatorade. Now that's what I call sending the summer off with a bang!

Ooh, one other exciting thing was that I checked my mail today and the county criminal court was looking for another resident that lived here previously. There have been several tenants with records in this place, apparently. I get letters from law offices, letters from court, FedExed letters from CarMax asking for stolen cars back... Wooohooo! I feel like a rebel just living here!

Lids o' Lead

My eyelids are super-heavy right now. I am TIRED! I'm going to go to bed EARLY tonight.

I went for my follow-up doctor's appointment on Friday and it went well. I had to wait for an hour before even being called back into a room. I don't understand why doctors' offices have to make you wait all of the time. I mean, I realize doctors are notorious for running behind schedule, but I'm not sure why they don't just plan appopriately. It seems like, no matter what, they're going to find a way to make you wait - even if you're the first patient of the day. Maybe they think it will make people more appreciative to see them, but I just get ridiculously frustrated and confrontational.

Saturday I went running in my grandmother's neighborhood. I also went and visited my other grandparents, making me 3-for-3 on seeing grandparents yesterday. FUN! Always an adventure... I also had some good bar food for dinner and went to an improv show. Good times!

Today I went to the Braves game. When my friend and I were in line to pick up our tickets at Will Call, a guy came up and asked if we wanted two tickets. I said we already had them, thinking he was a scalper, but then he was like, "Oh okay, I am just trying to get rid of these." Then, as he was walking away, they looked like the good tickets, so I had my friend get out of line and get the tickets. They were 6 rows behind home plate - AWESOME! At least I got to watch that 12-inning loss front-and-center! I also saw a player get hit in the head with the ball and fall to the ground for several minutes. WHAT A DAY! Now my record is 7-2, which is stupid. The Braves are nauseating right now.

I enjoyed El Toro for dinner, so Mexican food was a good end to the day. Tomorrow is Labor Day and then I return to the office Tuesday after 20 days of being out. WOW!!!!!!!!

Finally PICCless!

Yes, you guessed it. I got my PICC line removed today! The end result was/is awesome because I have two useful arms again, but the getting-there part was tricky. The psychotic nurse called at 9:00 a.m. to let me know she was coming at noon. Finally, at about 1:25 p.m., I was getting extremely impatient and called to see where she was and she claimed she was en route. Then, I hadn't heard from her at 2:15 p.m. and was about to blow a gasket. I called her and she said she was about to be there. Just for the sake of being confrontational, I told her I needed to leave to go somewhere 15 minutes AGO. Her response, "Oh, well I'll be there before that." I literally laughed on the phone, thinking, "I hope you're driving the time machine today, moron."

Then, after watching her highly unsuccessful journey into a parking spot, she got out of the car empty-handed. She walked in, started asking me all kinds of personal questions about how much I paid for my place, and then didn't really have anything prepared. She started looking for the stuff she needed and didn't have a suture removal kit for my stitches. So, thankfully, I happened to have one in my bathroom (rainy day activity) so she could perform the procedure for which she actually came. I swear she might have been smashed or something; there's no way she was at her maximum potential. I pray. It took all of my self-control not to be nasty to her.

Oh yeah, and she somehow inadvertently called my cell phone twice while performing the procedure. I didn't understand that one bit. Creeper.

Tonight we went out to eat Mexican for Kev-o's birthday. Deeelicious! I enjoooooooooooyed eating.

I listened to the Braves blow their lead as I drove home and proceeded to get increasingly frustrated through the remaining innings. I want to forget tonight.

Blur

Honestly, I'm sitting here trying to remember what I even did all day. I am getting so good at this unproductive life that I don't even have any recollection of the days anymore; it's all becoming a blur. This is going to be lame because nothing too interesting happened if I'm having to guess my way through the day's highlights...

Well, I got up and did my second to last IV just before 8:00 a.m. I got up again at 10:00 a.m. and did my last IV! Then it seems like maybe I went back to sleep or something. I have no idea. I did eat some Publix brand Frosted Flakes.

I went to the gym just after noon and exercised for over an hour. Then, I think I came back here and ate more... some macaroni and fruit to be exact. I think I got a shower after all of that eating and then went back to sleep.

I got up around 4:00 p.m., did some laundry, watched some trashy courtroom TV, and got ready to go to improv. Then, I went and got a smoothie and had a swell time at practice.

After I got home from improv, I ran in the house super-excited because the Braves rallied within one run of the Marlins. Then, we tied it up in the top of the 9th only to give up a home run in the bottom of the 9th. That was approximately 4 seconds after I sent a text to my brother, stating, "He's so evil it's hard not to trust him," regarding Mike Gonzalez. Oopsy.

Well, I still have my PICC line in, but it is supposedly getting removed tomorrow. I am so ready for this thing to be out of here! At least I don't have to do IVs anymore. I can't wait until tomorrow, my first completely IV-free day. AWESOME!

I remember in September

Can you believe it's September? I don't even know where August went.....

Well, I only have 4 IV antibiotic infusions left. Woohooo! The doctor tried to continue the therapy, but I quickly rejected that idea. It looks like a nurse should be coming to remove my PICC line tomorrow, so I'm really excited to be able to wash my hair with two arms again.

I can't even remember what I did all weekend.... I pretty much watched the Braves and got frustrated more often than not. I did hit up El Toro with mi hermana on Saturday night, so that was fun! My roommate and I made some Jell-O and other productive activities as well.

I have run 5 miles a day since I got out of the hospital, totaling about 40 miles. What a champion! Now try to tell me I need to continue the IV therapy. I like that when the pharmacist called me, she was like, "Well, you won the battle. We're taking it out." WAM, BAM, THANK YOU, MA'AM! I told her that I don't lose; that's just not something I do.

My uncle just came over and brought me Coldstone! I had watermelon sorbet with gummy bears. Deeeeeeelicious!

Gee, I'm super excited because Tim Hudson pitches tonight. I have missed him dearly all season. He is awesome! And he better be...

Hopefully this is my last blog with these silly cords dangling out of my arm...

I guess it's Friday

It's incredible how irrelevant the day of the week is when I'm not working. I guarantee you tomorrow won't be any different from the other days this week, except other people won't be at work. This is probably what it feels like to be retired. It's like the world is at my fingertips; I have no obligations. Except of course for the five IV infusions daily, but I would take this life any day.

Right now I'm watching the Braves play the Philles. I'm pretty confident we're going to win tonight even though we're losing right now. We tend to play well against good teams and then lose to the worst teams in each division. I got so frustrated earlier this weekend that I almost retired for the baseball season as well.

I had two goals for the night - 1) go to Coldstone, 2) win the lottery. Unfortunately it looks like neither is going to happen. I was too lazy to go get ice cream, which is an oxymoron in itself. I also just didn't really have the passion to win the lottery tonight. I mean, if someone handed me a ticket, I'd be down with that, but it's not worth leaving the house. I guess $333 million isn't worth leaving the house to me.

Sometimes I want to hit Ryan Howard in the face.

Well, it's rainy around here lately and I kinda like it, probably because I have nowhere to be. I love listening to the rain!

I guess I'll go shoot a huge syringe into my arm and try not to break the television if the Braves keep this up.

Home sweet home

Well, I came home Monday afternoon. My mom and I celebrated my coming home by going to El Toro for dinner. Unfortunately, I just didn't have the stamina I usually have. These IV antibiotics do a number to your appetite. Believe it or not, I lost almost 5 pounds in the hospital. That's incredible considering how short my stay was. It kind of makes sense, though, because if the IV antibiotics didn't cause me to lose my appetite, the overabundance of gravy would/did.

I was really unproductive yesterday. I did go to Steak and Shake, though, so I can't deem the entire day a waste. I spent a decent bit of time cleaning my room, too. I left it a total mess in the shenanigans leading up to the hospital, so there was a lot of damage to undo.

Today was more productive by far. I got up just before 7:00 a.m. for my first IV, and then got up for good at 9:00 a.m. I went to the fitness center at my complex and did five miles on the treadmill. I averaged 12 minutes per mile, so I spent about half of the time walking and half running. I'd say that's pretty impressive, although I'm already kinda sore. During my time in the hospital, I may have walked a total of half of a mile, all back and forth between using the restroom and pacing in my room.

Then I went to the pool for a while. It was pretty hot outside. I enjoyed myself reading Sein Language by Jerry Seinfeld. This is making me laugh out loud more than any other book I've read. I appreciate his sense of humor. I was just nibbling on Goldfish and giggling at the pool. Much like a small child.

Well, this intravenous drug user is going to wander around the house with no rhyme or reason.

Day 5: Do we need to change your bed?

WHAT A DAY!

Well, I woke up in the middle of the night to use the restroom and when I was walking back to bed, there was a gigantic roach walking up the edge of a cabinet. I almost flipped out and stood there for a few minutes strategizing as he made his way up the cabinet. I had one of two options... 1) stay up all night and panic, 2) call the nurse to kill him. So, I called the nurse. She walked in and I informed her of his locale.

At this point, he had walked into a box of sterile gloves. Oh, the irony. So, I let the nurse know that the roach was making a home inside the box of sterile gloves and she began investigating. She was banging those glove boxes around waiting for him to scurry out. I knew he appeared when she let out a shriek and she turned on the water to begin drowning him. She had gloves on and ended up getting a paper towel and grabbing him, turning her glove inside out. So, she carried his half-drowned carcass out in a blue glove, similar to the way a dog's owner carries its feces.

I had a lot of visitors today, so I'm pretty exhausted. It was fun, though. Tiring, but fun. I know some awesome people.

Right as I finished up dinner, I got up to throw a styrofoam cup of water away. I somehow managed to kick the cup out of my hand getting out of bed, so the bed and my pants got soaked. I had to call the nurse and tell her I wet the bed and she came to rescue me with new sheets. She asked what happened and I told her I kicked a cup of water out of my hand. That honestly takes talent.

Other than that, things have been pretty low-key. I've just been pretty tired. Can you imagine being in the same 12 x 18 ft. room for three days without leaving? I haven't left since I got an ultrasound on Thursday. Gee! I guess this is what jail feels like.

Well, I guess I'll go pace some in my cell.

Day 4: Oh yeah, how are your lungs?

So, I woke up in pain again today, but it was in my PICC line arm as well as my neck. It literally hurt to move my head. The doctors have been so busy thinking about all of these side issues that we really haven't thought much about my lungs. I feel as good as I did lungwise before I came here, so that's good since we're fighting different issues now. This is precisely why I don't like going on IV antibiotics. My body just doesn't want them and it's as simple as that.

The good news is that, as the day has progressed, I've been feeling better and better in my PICC line arm as well as my neck. I am finally sitting here not in pain for the first time since Thursday morning. Awesome!

I watched the Braves win tonight, so that was enjoyable. I also got a copy of The Big Lebowski to watch, so that should be fun. I might watch it as I'm getting ready for bed tonight. Why do I say getting ready for bed like I haven't been in bed for 4 days now? Good question.

I had a smoothie for lunch today because lunch was, and I quote my mom, "Meatloaf with some kind of salsa on it." Yeah, I totally passed on that. I don't even know that I touched the lunch tray, to be completely honest. Dinner was better, though. It was salmon. I had some salmon and a bite or two of Jell-O. Homemade Jell-O is much better than Snack Pack Jell-O.

Today was relatively calm, but tomorrow seems like it might be a packed house. A lot of folks want to visit. I hope it doesn't get too crowded because I've been pretty pooped lately on these medications and what not.

Well, I have 24 minutes left on this IV and then I'll see where the night takes me...

Day 3: I drink a lot of chocolate milk

Welcome to Day 3 - another painful day with the PICC line. I woke up in severe pain and it really didn't subside any throughout the day. I was doped up, though, so I was able to sleep through most of it.

Some work friends visited today and brought STEAK NACHOS from Willy's! Even though I was hovering over the toilet about to vomit an hour before they got here, I worked up an appetite in no time. They had to gown- and glove-up for infection control, so it was funny to watch them all eat in those goofy outfits. I, on the other hand, got to eat in pajamas. We had a good time!

One of the doctors worked a ridiculously long shift... like 24 hours at least. I asked him how he stayed up so late and he said he drinks a lot of chocolate milk. From that point on, I gave him a hard time about how rowdy he gets drinking chocolate milk.

I also got the largest gift bag ever today. It's literally probably two feet wide and almost as tall. I laugh when I see it because it's so gigantic. It was filled with all kinds of goodies... gummy bears, a lint roller, a neck pillow, a blanket, a farting keychain, a sticky hand, etc. Gosh, that bag is hilariously large.

Rumor has it that I'll probably go home on Monday. I'm pretty glad about that, but it means I'll administer the IVs myself for two weeks instead of having it as someone else's responsibility. It's a double-edged sword.

There was a thunderstorm tonight, so that was fun to watch.

Day 2: Well, you have been running your mouth a lot

I slept surprisingly well last night, considering I'm in the hospital. An oxygen tank got knocked over in the hallway during the night and that woke me up like a mild earthquake might. For some reason, on this floor, it's necessary to come get blood from me at 4:40 a.m., so there's nothing like a needle going into your arm when you're half asleep. When the nurse came to hook me up for my 6:00 a.m. IV, I told him that my mouth and tongue were numb. With a straight face, he said, "Well, you have been running your mouth a lot. Do you think that has anything to do with it?" I laughed and told him I was also very tired....of him. Just kidding, though; he's a favorite!

I think it's safe to classify my PICC line placement as a disaster. In fact, I'm typing lefthanded because my right arm is out of commission. The actual PICC placement didn't hurt any more than I remember, but it didn't take long for me to realize something was wrong. I don't know if it was the excessive blood or the fact that my entire arm was throbbing. It didn't take long for me to start taking narcotics. The pain was truly unbearable and the pain medication really didn't help much. They ended up sending me down to do an ultrasound to see if there were any blood clots near the PICC line. Looks like it's just bleeding internally. WOOHOOO!

Some friends came by and brought some neat presents, most of which involved dinosaurs! I got these awesome dinosaur figurines that roar. I was thinking it would be fun to page the nurses' station and have one of the dinosaurs roar into the speaker. Perhaps tomorrow. I also got some socks that say SOCK IT TO ME BABY on them! They make me feel so alive. I also got the largest carton of Goldfish ever created. It's gigantic. There were a lot of other cute goodies, too, including some candy, a coloring book, and disposable razors. I got an enormous tube of Dr. Pepper flavored LipSmackers and I keep putting it on, although it is challenging because it is so large.

Honestly, I was so doped up that I'm trying to finish this later, but the entire day was a blur. Thank you, Lortab.

Day 1: Do you know why you're here?

Today has been an eventful day at the hospital. I got here at 8:00 a.m. like planned, and the person at registration was extremely confused. She asked if I was supposed to have come yesterday, and I told her that I specifically planned to come at 8:00 a.m. on 8/19, which was why I preregistered on the telephone yesterday. After waiting for 45 minutes in a waiting room, someone came to wheel me to a temporary room while my room floor was being waxed. That was extremely pertinent to get done.

When I was in the temporary room, everyone seemed like they had no idea where I came from, but I could have sworn we made this arrangement last Friday. Finally, at one point, a lady asked if I knew what doctor admitted me. Then, she literally asked, "Do you know why you're here?" I mean, do I look like an idiot? Of course I know why I packed my bags and came to the hospital. There was some kind of miscommunication (always), and they finally realized who I was. Then, a lady with a super-thick accent came in and was telling me she didn't expect me to be so cute. I guess my chart was ugly or something.

Fast-forward a few hours and I've gotten situated in my temporarily permanent room. A guy came to get me in a wheelchair to take me down to x-rays. On the way down, he yawned and I jokingly told him not to fall asleep on me. Then, he told me how he went out for his birthday the night before; they enjoyed Mexican food and the strip club. Good to know. So, I'm down there patiently waiting for my x-ray, decked out in protective gear to keep me from getting sick from anyone, but actually looking deathly contagious. A woman came out looking for Mr. Dotson and started trying to wheel a man away. I was telling her it was me and she proceeded to call this man Mr. Dotson. He had been groaning for the last ten minutes and grunted out that he wasn't Mr. Dotson. I continued to tell her she was looking for me and she forcefully tried to take the guy with her. Finally, on the 332532nd try, she realized that I was the person she was referring to as Mr. Dotson. Then she apologized about 7 times, like I think I actually look like a man. A very small, petite man with long hair and a female voice. I guess she didn't expect me to be so cute, either.

Other than that, nothing too exciting has happened. My mom went down to the food court and got me some legitimate food. I enjoyed some chicken tenders and onion rings. Mmm, healthy!

Wow, remind me knock on wood next time I say nothing exciting has happened. Right after I typed that they started yelling about a nonbreather in the room next to me and calling in code over the intercom. Perhaps I won't say that again, as there are about a million people out in the hall panicking now.

It's been a little while - a chaotic while - but my neighbor got taken to ICU. Well, I'm almost done with this medicine and can't wait to go to sleep. Right as I typed that, the machine beeped to indicate I am finished. I feel like I have super-powers right now. I want a cheese tray. Nope, didn't happen.

BEDTIME!!!!!!

Club Med

Well, GEE! Where to start! First things first, I am writing from the hospital. It's not particularly exciting, but sometimes we gotta do what we gotta do. So, let's give a synopsis of the last forever...

Friday - I hit up the doctor on Friday and that apparently went really well... just kidding. Anyway, forget about the doctor and just know that I made an effort to have a great time until checking in here today. Friday night I went to the Bravos and experienced my first loss of the season because Soriano is pathetic. I don't care if he reads this. I said it. Now I'm 7-1, but I still impress myself.

Saturday - I went rafting down the Chattahoochee. It was absolutely hilarious. Gosh, we had a lot of fun! We were running so late that we ended up bringing knockoff Lunchables to eat on the river. The river was so much fun that I had literally no energy to go anywhere on Saturday night. But holy Shoot the Hooch! I'm already excited to do it again.

Sunday - I went and saw Julie and Julia with my mom. I liked it! It could have been more fast-paced, but it was a quality movie. I wanted to go to the Braves game Sunday night, but I was so exhausted. I could have napped forever and still gotten there before it started with the rain delay and all, but oh well. Glad I didn't go or I'd be looking at 7-2. Lame.

Monday - Work and improv! Work was fun - My last Monday for quite some time. Improv was cool. There were only four people there, so we were literally in every scene. It was much more enjoyable than I thought it might be! WOOOOOHOOOOOOO!

Tuesday - My last day of work until further notice, plus the DIERKS BENTLEY concert. Gosh, we had a lot of fun! I am singing 8 million songs today! I wish I could still be there right now... watching rednecks and kicking drinks over.

Now, I think admittance the hospital deserves its own entry.....

A hot mess

I just got a headache. Perhaps some Jell-O will help.

Well, I met my brother's dog, Turk, today. He was so cute and calm! I can't wait to be responsible enough to have a dog. I would neglect the nonsense out of that thing. I'd need a different lifestyle and home before I could have a dog, but I'm happy to be an aunt to Turk. Dogs are so much fun, but I'm not interested in full- or part-time custody...

I had no idea that they made Pina Colada flavored Jell-O until I fixed it yesterday. It was a little frightening because I've never seen a murky Jell-O, but looks sure can be deceiving. I had some of it a few hours ago and it was absolutely INCREDIBLE!

I need to write my column for the CF newsletter. I always wait until the last minute. I bet it will end up being spectacular, though. I have about eight million topics that will fit, but I'm always hesitant because the audience is comprised of such a variety of people.

My new favorite jam is "I'm Alive" by Kenny Chesney and Dave Mathews. It almost gives me chills. Maybe I'll listen to it now...

Life is good. Fingers crossed for the doctor tomorrow!

MOST BEST

Tueeeeeeesday.

Today was a successful day of.....relaxation. I worked from home again today, allowing me extra sleep plus the relief of not commuting for an hour and fifteen minutes. It sure makes the days seem longer and less hectic. And I can work in whatever clothing I choose...

I'm pretty excited right now because I am watching the Braves win. They just scored again. Now I'm simultaneously rooting for the Cubs so that Philly will lose. I promoted my two Braves-jersey-wearing stuffed animals to the bed tonight. I'm pretty sure that's what the team needs right now. Sadly I'm pretty superstitious when it comes to baseball, which is why I used to sleep hugging my foam tomahawk as a child when we were in the playoffs.

Do I have anything exciting to say? Tomorrow I think I'll hit up Starbeezy on the way to work. It's just a fun thing to anticipate in the mornings.

Ooh, Saturday I am rafting down the Chattahoochee, so that should be awesome! I had so much fun last year and I've been looking forward to its sequel. Mwahaha! I hope I don't get eaten by an alligator and, if I do, that would be a courageous way to go down.

Well, bedtime for me. Good night, Braves. Sleep horribly, Phillies.

Tar te tar te tar

That title was me practicing my Irish dialect. I'm actually horrible at it.

I'm meeting some improv friends at 7:00 p.m. to eat Chinese food at a place called Cafe 101. I am such a chunkster at heart. I've already scouted out the menu and I'm pretty sure I've decided what I'll get. I cannot yet reveal my decision. I'm excited to go out with them because I've had a pretty relaxing week and look forward to a little socialization.

Today my sister and I went to the pool for a few hours. It was super-toasty outside - 95 degrees to be specific. There was a family there with obnoxious children. I could have slapped them, honestly.

So, Friday night before the wedding, my date texted me to let me know he had cut his nose shaving in a hurry. I was trying to imagine how this happened, really, but I guess he was shaving his moustache-area and nicked the end of his nose. Well, I figured he had over an hour for it to stop bleeding. He got here and had a paper towel piece stuck on his nose to stop the bleeding. When we got to the wedding, it was still bleeding pretty badly. I mean, within seconds of wiping it, it would bubble up again with blood. We were in the parking lot of the church laughing hysterically, because I was trying to convince him that nobody would notice even though I was lying. We ended up sitting in the back of the church, him constantly dabbing his nose with paper towels. He was afraid people would think he had a drug problem, but I just thought he looked super-emotional, like he was madly in love with the bride or something. Man, it was funny.

Anyway, I've had a good weekend! I'm looking forward to eating _______________.

What in the heavens???

I can't believe that I came here to write and had no recollection of writing earlier today. That's called finding the muse. I am living in an alternate reality.

I went to Big Lots today. Isn't that funny? I want to laugh when I think about it. How does a person spend $25 at Big Lots? I honestly amaze myself. That's more than I spend at the grocery store, usually. I bought some sketch pads, some canvases (canvi?!), some pens, etc. I was pretty much out of control. I was running amuck in Big Lots. Much like the rat my mother and I saw there when I was in middle school. True story. Different Big Lots.

Seriously, I am about to go eat at El Toro. The Bull. It is going to be so exciting. I am already pumped up about it. It seems like I haven't eaten Mexican food in an eternity, but I actually had it yesterday for lunch. It's pretty neat how I have lost track of all sense in recent days...aka yesterday.

I really need to clean my room when I get home from dinner. It is getting as messy as my mind, but not in a good way. I am intrigued to see what I put on to go out to eat. It ought to be an adventure.

Anyway, time to get some queso poppin' off at The Toro.

Holy rejuvenation

I am just smiling on the inside today. I want to laugh at everything.

Yesterday was incredible. The writing class I went to was literally life-changing. Holy. Mack. Er. Al. I can't even explain it, so I won't try. Just know that I am really excited and woke up feeling like a changed person. Part of me wonders if subliminal messages were playing throughout the duration of the class, but, whatever the case, it worked. WOOOHOOOO! Mark yesterday in your day planner, children.

So, I heard an interesting thing yesterday - "The longer it takes you to do anything, the more screwed up it's going to be." I've never really thought about things that way, but it totally makes sense. I heard, "Think about it - If it took me fourteen months to make a cake, would you really want a piece of it?" For some reason that makes me laugh uncontrollably. How true is that, though? Sometimes people think the amount of time put into something makes it better, but the length of time is irrelevant.

Anyway, I ate some Jell-O this morning. SIDE NOTE.

Tomorrow I have off work and am going to a wedding. Weddings are always interesting to me. It should be fun, and I'm looking forward to it.

Well, have a swell day, and don't bake a fourteen-month cake.

Yo Banana Boy

Hi. Did you know that the title of this blog entry is a palindrome? Neat, huh?

Well, I left work early yesterday because I wasn't feeling well. I missed improv and then worked from home today. I am going back into the office tomorrow, and then will be telecommuting Thursday and off on Friday. Hopefully this week will help me get reenergized naturally.

I ate some Moose Tracks yesterday and it was everything I dreamt it would be. Possibly even more. I am totally going to have a bowl of that goodness soon. Perhaps after I take a bubble bath. Pampering myself? You got it!

GUESS WHAT! I am so excited! Tomorrow I am taking a 3.5-hour writing class! Good night, I can't wait. I have been looking forward to this for weeks. I hope I learn some super-valuable information to help with my motivation. And if I don't, perhaps I will be motivated to write about how horrible it was. Anyway, I am ready to learn. I miss school.

I had a Jell-O cooking mishap in my kitchen today. You would have thought a little child was left alone to try to cook Jell-O. I got distracted for what seemed like five seconds, and next thing I knew, Jell-O was overflowing out of the pot. I swear that stuff was flammable. It started bubbling up and the bubble turned brown and it started smoking. In all of this fiasco, I tried to hurriedly get Jell-O into little bowls, spilling it all over the counter. Then, when I was moving the bowls into the fridge, I got Jell-O all over the floor. Sigh. If only I had watched the pot; it would not have boiled.

Time to hop in the tub and eat some Moose Tracks/Jell-O.

Moose tracks

So, I got some Moose Tracks ice cream today and was pretty excited about eating it. I decided to wait until the Braves scored a run to eat the ice cream because I knew I'd probably eat seven bowls if I could eat it whenever I wanted. Well, it's the bottom of the 5th inning now and I am still Moose Trackless. Now it's already so late that I will be up all night if I start eating my MT. I'm not sure why I made this deal with myself, and I have no idea why I haven't just broken the arrangement with myself.

I actually didn't make it to the library yesterday, but I did go today. I had a good time and got six different books. I already read one and I'm about one-fourth of the way done with another. I am pretty excited about them! The library was a madhouse today. The parking lot was almost full and people were in line for computers. My flip flops were squeaking so loudly in the library, so I was having to walk strange.

Yesterday I went to my seventh Braves game of the season and, yes, I still have a perfect record. I am pretty impressed with myself because the Braves' overall record doesn't make a 7-0 personal record easy for me. Well, I'm glad to have continued my winning streak, yet sad that the MOOSE TRACKS ice cream is yelling my name.

I went out last night and got rained on pretty significantly. My hair got pretty stinkin' wet. Then I noticed my high school prom date who I hadn't seen since prom, basically. We started talking and shared some good laughs. His friends were saying I looked like Tina Fey, so that was interesting. Then today I got an Elizabeth Shue, so I am pretty confused. I think I agree with Elizabeth Shue more than any of the others as of late, including Shawn Johnson.

Well, I guess I'm gonna go drink some orange Gatorade and look at the unopened Moose Tracks. SIGH!

A list

I am somewhat tired and at my wit's end, so I am going to make a list of trivial things that excite me.

Trivial things that excite me:
-When I let a car over and see the driver's little hand wave 'thank you'
-Hearing the word 'drew' used in a sentence
-Putting a new sticker on my license plate
-When people compliment my star necklace
-Doing the tomahawk chop
-Self-scanning aisles at the grocery store
-Having my name written on my Starbucks cup
-Drinking milk out of the gallon (my own gallon)
-Looking at menus
-Reading horoscopes
-Checking out the 10-day weather forecast
-Laughing at text messages
-Dining-in a food establishment by myself
-Going to the library (tomorrow!!!!)
-Looking things up in the dream dictionary
-Not getting IDed

On that positive note, I will go to sleep!

Burnout

Hi. My name is Drew and I am experiencing burnout.

This week has flown by, yet lasted forever at the same time. Does that even make sense? I don't know, but I'm sure there's some lunatic out there who is reading this and understands. I have jumped from one thing to another all week and can't wait to sit at home and take it easy this weekend. Now we'll just see if I do that because I have a feeling I might go back on my word. werd. drew.

The highlight of my day was that I had Ben and Jerry's at work. I got chocolate chip cookie dough with Reese's Pieces and chocolate syrup. Deeeeelicious! I had a Moe's burrito for lunch and nachos/spinach dip for dinner. I am eating so much lately and exercising almost none. I can't wait to have a non-hurting rib so I can workout more.

I'm trying to think back to whether or not anything exceptionally amusing happened this week. Apparently the answer is no. I have really been chasing my own tail all week.

I can't believe it's already August...almost. I don't even know where the summer went. Geez, I am so absent-minded right now because I'm just exhausted to the max.

On that note, I am going to go check on my laundry and reflect on the fact that there was absolutely no reason to write this.

It's tee time

It has been a buuuuuuuuuuuuusy weekend.

Yesterday I went to visit my uncle in the hospital. He had quadruple bypass surgery on Wednesday after getting hospitalized on Monday. He is doing well. He was telling me how he would let me borrow a golf club, but he was seriously worried for me to have any kind of weapon like that in my hand last night. I don't blame him, as he has seen me in all forms and fashions.

Wow... Last night was incredible. The bachelorette party was hilarious - the most fun I've had in who knows how long. We looked absolutely absurd and our actions were in line with our costumes. We carried around this foam golf club that got transformed into a guitar, a stick pony, etc. I truly can't think of many times that I've ever been as crazy as I was last night. Gosh, we were a sight! Having on someone else's golf glove really made me feel like a superhero. I think we could all agree on one thing, though, and that was that I attract the creepiest people.

Tomorrow is the start of the first five-day work week I will have had since the week of June 15, I believe. And the three weeks before that were one two-day week and two four-day weeks. Now I am really wondering how I'm going to hold up! Only one month of Summer Fridays left.... AHHH!

I am about to go eat Mexican food and see a movie. I haven't been to the movies since last December, I think. I hope I can stay awake; movie theaters tend to put me to sleep!

Adios!

I <3 the WEEKENDS!

Well, it's Friday. I have had an incredibly productive day....not. I went to sleep last night at around 11:00 p.m. and didn't get out of bed until 10:30 a.m. I'm proud of myself. I used to be envious of people that could sleep so late, but it looks like I've become one of them. I don't know that I could do it regularly, but I can at least do it when I'm so sleep-deprived that I'm slurring my speech and getting dizzy.

I headed to Smoothie King late morning and got a smoothie because it seemed like the appopriate thing to do. Then, I stopped into Marshalls to see if they had anything to complete my golfer outfit for tomorrow's bachelorette party. Well, the Marshalls gods took care of me today. I walked over to the little girls' section thinking there might be something ugly and golferesque and BOY, was I right. I got these hideous yellow Ralph Lauren shorts that have pleats on the front. To seal the deal, there is a navy and white belt attached to them and it has a polo horse on it. I was truly embarassed to buy them, but I know I'll get a hole-in-one with these. HAHAHAHA!

I haven't done much of anything else all day. I did go to the pool for a while, then came home and took a two-hour nap (pathetic). I am about to go out to dinner and gorge myself shortly. I am totally looking forward to that. Perhaps I will wear the new brown dress I got at Marshalls today. I never pay full price there.

This weekend ought to be ridonkulous.

Wednesday Zensday

Greetings.

I am excited because my friend and I are going to eat steak nachos for lunch.

me: YES!!!!! i haven't been out to eat all week

except i went out for mexican on sunday and monday

I am looking forward to the weeeeeeeeeeeeekend. I've got Friday off work (again!) and a bachelorette party on Saturday night. It should be packed to the brim with fun! I'm kind of in hokey-mode right now because sometimes I need to force enthusiasm when I am creating things at work. AKA all the time.

Did you know that whatever program is automatically spell-checking this says that bachelorette isn't spelled correctly? Now it's saying it is. I guess it doesn't know and wants to be right one time. Why am I even talking about this? Good grief, Charlie Breezy.

I am bordering on delirium.

This morning I walked into Starbucks with a price tag hanging out of my shirt, so I've been pretty excited about that. Thankfully I had my hair up, so I'm sure nobody missed it. I'm just proud I got a good deal on the shirt and that everyone will see that it was on clearance. As a matter of fact, the price tag says $4.99, but when I got to the register, it was even half off of that. Maybe I should go back and let everyone know that I actually got a better bargain than they are all telling their coworkers.

Thank you.

Sunday Funday

The weekend is coming to a close....already. It was fun, though. Friday the Braves obliterated the Mets, improving my season record to 6-0. Ahh, what a great feeling! Saturday I went to spin class, got an oil change, got my hair did and went out. I had a good time people-watching and hanging out. Today I slept late, went to the pool, ate Mexican and am now sitting lazily on the couch watching the Braves.

I can't believe it's already nearing the end of July. It seems like time is passing so much faster than ever before. I guess maybe that's what happens when you stay busy and enjoy the days. Time flies when you're having fun (I thought of that on my own). I love summertime so much. I need to look into moving somewhere that has summer year-round.

I ordered a book on Amazon that should be getting here any day now. I was actually kind of expecting it already, but I will be patient. It's the 2009 Writer's Market and I'm excited for its arrival! Awwwwww, SNAP!

Well, I just popped off an Ambien in hopes of getting a good night's sleep. I figured my body would want to stay up late since I was up last night, so I proactively took a sleeping pill. What a responsible substance-user I am!!!

Saddle up

It's FRiDaY. Woohooo! This is the first Friday that I've had to work since June 19. It's okay - I have next Friday off.

I am going to the Braves/Mets game tonight - GOOOOOOO BRAVES! They are also doing a ceremony to retire Greg Maddux's number, so that should be neat. Tomorrow night I'm going out in the Highlands with some peoples. It's gonna be a good time! Other than those two plans, I hope to relax some this weekend. I live for the weekends!

I have been thinking a lot lately about food. I have no idea why. Right now I am thinking about a steak quesadilla. I could totally hit up some Monterrey's restaurante mexicana around lunchtime. I may just eat something lame I have in the freezer at work, though. I don't know how/why I deem this important enough to be debating at such a time in the morning, but I am. I live for lunch!

So, let's see. I spent the last two nights at the theatre. Not sleeping there, obviously, but practicing on Wednesday and watching the show last night. It was enjoyable! I hadn't been to a show in quite some time, so it was fun to see a performance again.

Well, I guess it's about time to start devising my lunch plans. Yeah!!!!

Tuuuuesday

So, I went to the library on Saturday and had a great time. I got five new books and have already finished two of them. I got a book by Ellen DeGeneres, one by Steve Martin, two books of essays and a book called Torture the Artist that a friend recommended. So far I've read the Ellen book and one book of essays and enjoyed both. I was so excited when I was leaving the library. I wanted to clone myself several times so one of me could start reading each of the books. That's probably one of the least dorky thoughts that's ever crossed my mind.

Yesterday I worked from home for half of the day and then had a doctor's appointment. They 'medicated' me once I got there and I was really expecting it to be a somewhat enjoyable experience. I got Xanaxed, but it really didn't seem to be doing what it should be. If it did, I probably wouldn't have yelled a profanity at the top of my lungs during the appointment. It sucked pretty badly, but I took a nap when I got home, went to improv, and then started drinking beer.

I go to physical therapy again tonight, so we'll see how that goes. My rib(?) is feeling so much better than it was last week. I hope I get to bask in the heating pad again; that was fun! Wooohooo! It hasn't ached all day...knock on wood.

Anyways, what an exciting Tuesday. Gotta love it!

Freaky Friday

Geez, the week flew by! I was so sleep-deprived this week because, after Monday's physical therapy session, I found myself in a lot of pain. I had trouble sleeping all week because every position was uncomfortable and caused pain. I am feeling better after going yesterday. We tried a different approach to getting the rib where it should be, and that seems to be helping. Now I have costochondritis, which is the irritation of the cartilage where the ribs connect to the sternum. I'm telling you - I am a piece of work! I feel pretty good today, though. This is the least pain I've been in all week. WOOHOOO!

I went to Chick-fil-A tonight because I was craving a milkshake. I didn't really realize it was Cow Appreciation Day until I got there. There were several patrons dressed in cow costumes to receive a free meal. I hope those cow costumes were from something else because there's no way I'd buy a $30 cow costume to get a $5 meal. Anyways, when I was walking out with my milkshake, nuggets, and buffalo sauce, I saw another strange occurrence. There was a guy in a motorized wheelchair in the drive-through. I mean, literally between two cars as if he were a car. He had on a white undershirt with spots drawn on it as his attempted cow costume. I don't say any of this to criticize; I am just still confused.

Anything else interesting happen this week? Umm, oh yeah. I won an award at work called the Spirit of Swoop Award. It is a quarterly award given to someone who is 'contributing' within the workplace and outside. I was recognized for my revamping of our email communications as well as the SUCCESS I had fundraising for the CF walk. It was a pleasant surprise and a good beginning to the week (Tuesday).

Otherwise my week was pretty low-key, but good!

Manic Monday

Well, today I went to physical therapy for my SC joint. Although I have said for the last four months that I injured my SC joint, it appears that I might be wrong. The physical therapist thinks that I displaced my first rib instead, which also connects to the sternum. Regardless, he tried to pop it back in and was not successful. I will say that it was somewhat terrifying for a Monday morning, but oh well. I go back Thursday and will do more 'exercises' and we will try again.

I had fun at the lake on the 4th of July. I wish I had gone to physical therapy before the 4th so the guy could have told me to do whatever I wanted. He said that I could do anything I wanted as long as it didn't hurt. I bet being dragged behind the boat wouldn't have hurt....because I was drinking beers. So maybe it's good that I didn't go, but he said I'm not going to make it worse; it just flares up when I aggravate it.

I just ate lunch and my stomach is growling. Maybe I should go get something fun after I finish up filling in at the switchboard. I could really eat some nachos right now. I could also eat onion rings.

Crippled thing

I have felt pretty crippled lately. Can you believe that it's already July and my SC joint is still bothering me? I did something to aggravate it lately, but can't figure out what it was. Regardless, I have been feeling more limited in my motion than I was back in March when the injury initially happened. Somehow the pain can now be felt when I move my uninjured arm, too. Does anybody feel sorry for me???????????????? JK, but even moving my head feels risky.

Today was an EXCITING day. I slept 12 much-needed hours. I ended up bailing on last night's Braves game so I could get some sleep. I was clearly in need. I went up to the pool and read for a bit. Then, I headed back from the pool to meet the plumber. Oh, the joys of homeownership. There were some water stains on the downstairs ceiling that have only appeared since I bought the place, so I was concerned. I've had some overdramatic dreams about the ceiling falling down, so I figured maybe it was about time to call.

The plumbers thought that there was nothing to be worried about. It didn't seem like the stains were caused by anything that was currently happening, so we attributed it to a flooding of my bathroom that happened back in January. The toilet went nuts one morning and starting shooting water everywhere, so hopefully the water stains are just from that incident and there isn't a huge problem brewing in the pipes... They cleaned out the drain in my bathtub and there were some plastic parts and random shenanigans in there. I look forward to showering in the morning without wading through the tub. The simple things...

Anyways, the Braves just won their fifth game in a row. WHAT UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Red roadside wildflower

Well, I just got home from the Braves game where I improved my season record to 5-0. Pretty impressive, I must say. I'm hoping to extend to 6-0 Thursday night. Tonight was fun, although it's the only game I've been to in the last week where I didn't see someone get arrested. Last Tuesday at the Yankees game, there was a fist-fight near us that resulted in intervention from the Atlanta Police Department. Then, Sunday at the Red Sox game, a drunken fan ran onto the field and got absolutely pummeled by the security officers. Wild stuff! I really thought I saw a fan run onto the field today, but I may have been hallucinating.

I had a doctor's appointment today and I was there from 1:45 p.m. to 5:35 p.m. It was absolutely absurd. I'm not even sure how it's possible to wait over an hour and a half to see the doctor. I started to get extremely impatient and confrontational. Thankfully, throughout all of the waiting, I had time to go through the cycle of frustration many times, so I wasn't too rude when I actually got face-time with the doctor.

Hmm, what else?! Improv was pretty fun last night; we had a character workshop. I did two characters for the first time and I think they went over fairly well. I could definitely use some improvement and get more into my comfort zone with the characters, but it was pretty successful. I'm actually pretty bummed because I just read that tomorrow's practice is canceled. It's a long week anyways, so I guess I could use the break.

Well, it's time to get my sleep on because I. AM. WORN. OUT. I hope that accurately emphasized how tired I truly am. Good night, fans.

Hand model

So, I was off of work yesterday for the first of three consecutive three-day weekends. Man, I am loving this weekend! I can't believe there is still one entire day left in the weekend.

Anyways, I was sitting at the pool yesterday when I got a call from an unknown number. Since I'm in such high-demand and have phone calls coming in left and right (ha!!!!!), I didn't answer it. Well, when I listened to the message, it was a casting agent calling to see if I could be a hand-double for Katherine Heigl in the movie Five Killers. Unfortunately, yet fortunately, when I spoke to the lady on the telephone, she realized about the stars, so that was a no-go. While I won't get to do it after all, I definitely got a good laugh out of it.

Tomorrow I am going to the Braves game; the Red Sox are in town. The Braves have lost the previous two games in the series, so I have a pretty good feeling about tomorrow. While I've only been to three games this season, I am glad to have a perfect record so far and I plan to continue it tomorrow. I also have tickets to the Phillies on Tuesday and Thursday. Well, I don't technically have Thursday's tickets yet, but I plan to go. I am going to try not to start any fist fights. :o)

Anyways, today has been the laziest day and it has been everything I hoped it would be. I actually got up early despite staying out until after 3:00 a.m. I hit up the gym, then came home and proceeded to be lazy. I read a lot and took several naps. Finally, around 6:45 p.m., I decided I better run a few errands, knowing that tomorrow will be hectic. Today has seemed sooooo long and I've loved every minute of it!

Hard worker

So, yesterday we had our annual staff retreat. We did an activity where we had 25 adjectives and had to match each adjective with one of the 25 staff people. We then went around the room and wrote the adjective we had selected on each person's respective sheet. My totals were as follows:

Hilarious - 7
Jokester - 6
Word smith - 4
Quick-witted - 2
Life of the party - 1
Out of the box thinker - 1

I am not sure if I should be concerned that I didn't get a single "self-starter" or "reliable" or something like that...A few people may have had 4 of a certain word, but they were fairly scattered across the board. Maybe I should be more dull at work. Or perhaps not.

This is pathetic

Hellooooooooo. Well, today had an interesting start. I was heading to Midtown to meet a friend for a goal-planning session. I was on GA400 approaching the toll plaza, fumbling in my purse for 50 cents. As I neared the plaza, I pulled off on the side of the road because I was having a hard time finding the appropriate amount of change. After I emptied my purse and scoured the car for loose change, I only had 46 cents. I was so annoyed because, at this point, it was too late for me to take a different route considering the toll booth was just up ahead. Anyways, I pulled up and said, "This is pathetic, but go ahead and ticket me because I only have 46 cents." You could tell the lady agreed that I was pathetic and told me just to give her the 46 cents. What a sweet, sweeet lady.

Then, when I got to the coffee shop, I saw a girl get in her car and start to drive off with her cup of coffee on top of the car. I honestly watched it happening and was kind of suffering from the bystander effect. I mean, I thought about getting out of my car and trying to hurry to say something, but I was also slightly amused. She started backing out with it still on the car, and then thankfully a better samaritan ran and waved her down and handed her cup in the window. Then, I turned and saw a woman lose her balance on her bike and fall off. She was able to catch herself by holding on and made it off the bike landing on her feet. I felt like a cameraman was watching to see if I am a helpful citizen or something. Apparently I'm not.

I had Mexican food twice today. I seriously ought to calm down. I'm starting to concern myself a little because I have an addiction. Oh well. I haven't eaten at home lately, so it makes sense to eat my favorite type of food if I'm paying to go out to eat. TAKE THAT!

I'm gonna hurt myself

So, it just hit me why Mr. Willy's warned me about hurting myself... Monday I had Moe's. Tuesday I had Willy's. Wednesday I had Los Loros. Today I had Monterrey and Pozole. I am overdosing on Mexican food and I LOVE IT! I mean, this has got to be unhealthy or something. Bad for the body, wonderful for the soul. Bueno.

Tomorrow it is supposed to be 100 degrees. That is absurd. I wish it was my Summer Friday so I could spend it chillaxing at the pool. I will, however, spend it at work. The good news is that the next three weeks are only four days each, considering my Summer Fridays on each side of the July 3rd holiday. HECK YEAH! There's something refreshing about a four-day week.

I went to the Highlands after work with some peeps. We had a swell time. It kind of felt like a Friday night. Speaking of, it's probably time that I go to sleep.

Today my mom gave me a new book called Nudge, recommended by my former former boss. I have only read 24 pages so far, but it seems very interesting. I love books like this! It's so interesting to read about psychology, philosophy, human interaction, etc.

Well, I guess it's bedtime. I have no idea how my stomach could be growling after all that it has gotten to eat this week. Ree. Donk. U. Lous.

Strawberries and creme

Heeeeeelllllllllllllllllo. Today was swell. I felt pretty honored today at Willy's. When I walked in, they literally fixed my order without even having to speak to me. That's called dedication. I was a little confused at the checkout because another guy goes, "Don't hurt yourself." I'm not sure if I was looking especially masochistic or if it somehow had to do with the fact that my nachos were larger than Stone Mountain, but it was pretty amusing.

I met my old boss, Kurt, at Starbucks tonight. It was honestly a night I will not forget for a long time. We talked about everything under the sun and it felt great. We touched on all different topics and it was just incredible. I felt so energized walking out of there. He truly is an amazing person who has worked hard and played hard. Wow - He just emailed. STRANGE! Anyways, he is a great mentor and a great friend. Enough sappiness there.

I wrote the most incredible essay last week and put the finishing touches on it a few days ago. It took a few days for me to remove myself from it, but I am actually very proud of the accomplishment. I think the book on creative immersion really helped me get there. I wrote it during a time of vulnerability and didn't worry about its purpose as I wrote it. It turned out to be pretty freakin' amazing if I do say so myself.

Finally, I received a newsletter in the mail the other day and was surprised to read my article. I mean, I knew it was going to be there, but it was a lot better than I remembered. Yes, I am tooting my horn right now, but I feel pretty successful. Cocky, anyone? :o)

Welcome to Atlanta

Well, I just got home from the beach today. I went to Ponte Vedra for the annual family shenanigans. We had a great time. It was relatively calm. The highlights were probably when my grandmother threatened to take me out of her will during a game of dominoes and when I had an allergic reaction to sunscreen.

The sunscreen incident put a damper on the final day of the trip. I had been using sunscreen every day and used a different tube on the last day. After a short time out in the sun, I started feeling like I was getting stabbed by needles. It progressively started getting worse. My mom and I were on a walk and I started twitching like a crackhead. I came in and tried to scrub it all off, but the damage was done.

They went to the store and got Benadryl for me and I spent the evening doped up on that while they went to church. Thankfully, they picked up some Benadryl anti-itch gel on the way home from church and I was able to discontinue my crackhead spasms. I am still Benadryled right now and am going to keep this gel handy tonight.

I just stubbed the silly out of my toes. Two of them parted ways on the foot of my bed. That caused me to collapse and bang the silly out of my knee on the frame. I am a failure!

Anyways, I know it's early, but I'm about to try to go to sleep. I threw my sleeping patterns off at the beach - staying up until 11:00 p.m. and what not! I've gotta get rested up for the week back at work...

Mr. Sparky

Well, I was a total woman yesterday. A few months ago, three lights in my house stopped working within a week of each other. I tried new lightbulbs and couldn't get the lights to work. Since Mr. Sparky had previously come and done some work on these same switches, he came out again to take a second look. (By the way, I realize his name is not Mr. Sparky, but it's easier that way.) Being the generous woman that she is, my mom met him here so that I didn't have to take off of work.

Anyways, it turns out they just needed new lightbulbs. Somehow I had gotten a 'bad pack' of lightbulbs, so all of the lightbulbs I was using to test the lights were broken. Oops. Sorry, Mom, for having to face the electrician. I bet he was really happy. Lesson learned: Try a lightbulb from another pack.

In other news... Hmm, do I have any other news? Not so much. I am acting like a senior citizen. I'm sitting here watching a game show and there's an AARP magazine and a library book on the couch with me. Sometimes I wonder how I aged so quickly. Every other commercial is about retirement and life insurance and what not, too.

Dang, it's almost 8:00 p.m. I better start getting ready for bed!!!

I'm all hopped up

Today was not the best day of my life. I will go ahead and throw that out there. I am not even afraid to admit that.

The good news was that I had a doctor's appointment that I went to all hopped up on Vicodin, so that was adventurous. My uncle drove me there and got to hear an entirely new side of me as I rambled in the car. I almost couldn't sit still in the car because looking out the window was like an out-of-body experience. I was being so loud in the car and then had to turn on my game face when I walked into the doctor's office. I was just kind of staring off into space. I am still kind of spacey if this doesn't seem as logical as usual. Not that I'm ever logical.

The appointment itself was horrendous, but the narcotics were amusing.

It isn't even 9:00 p.m. and I'm getting ready to go to sleep. I know that's slightly elderly of me, but I'm tired and feel like I might be getting a little sick. My SC joint is actually hurting some, too. I just popped a numbing patch onto that bad boy. Do I sound like an overmedicator? Cool.

Today I had a smoothie AND El Toro. What a swell eating day!

No talking in the library

Well, I'd say I've had a pretty productive weekend. I went to Coldstone Friday night, the pool Saturday afternoon, out in Midtown Saturday night, and spent today enjoying the sunshine and hitting up the library.

Call me a dork, but the library is so much fun. I just wanted to walk up and down the aisles all afternoon. I have seven different books checked out right now. It's interesting what the books I'm reading say about me. None of them are fictional books - those were the two I returned today because they didn't intrigue me soon enough. All of my books are nonfiction books of some kind and I think they say a lot about my life. I will just leave it that vague and continue on to another topic.

Oh yeah, I got a smoothie today and it was making me feel absolutely crazy... in a good way. It had strawberries, pineapple and kiwi and I had a great time with it. It put me in the best mood! I was just laughing hysterically at everything, acting somewhat intoxicated. I love FOOD!

Last night when we were out, this guy kept trying to talk to me and get me to dance. Needless to say, I wasn't having it, but at one point he was just like, "YOU ARE SHAWN JOHNSON." It was funny because I used to get that during the Olympics and it just picked up a bit because of Dancing With The Stars. I still think that nobody would tell me that if we weren't similar in size...

Chocolate milk

So, I finally got around to fixing that glass of chocolate milk that I talked about yesterday. It was just as incredible as I figured it might be. I think the anticipation over 24 hours might have helped.

I won the $45,000 bonus round on Wheel of Fortune tonight. The answer was "Court is adjourned." I think anybody would have been impressed if they had seen how few letters I had when I solved that puzzle. Yes, I measure my self-worth by how well I do on game shows sitting in my living room alone. And thankfully I do well, so I feel that life is worth living.

Today I had steak nachos for lunch for the second consecutive day, so that was exciting. I don't know if there's ever been a moment in my life that steak nachos didn't sound appetizing. I seriously amaze myself when it comes to Mexican food. When asked what I'd like to eat, I don't know that anything OTHER than Mexican food has come to mind first. Seriously. Occasionally I come up with something else I would like because I feel like other people are judging, but I usually make it pretty clear that my answer is going to be the same regardless of the day.

I have to get fuel for the Batmobile before I go to work tomorrow, so I'm about to hit the hay. On the way home from work, I decided I'd rather get up 15 minutes early than prolong my trip to the couch by 15 minutes. I think I made the right decision.

Tomorrow is FRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDAY!

I'm bringin' home a baby bumble bee

Won't my mommy be so proud of me?! You're darn right. My mother is always proud of me. I don't blame her.

So, I'm considering getting off of the couch and fixing a glass of chocolate milk. I would definitely drink one if it were in my hands right now.

I am watching Pyramid right now - this is such a great show. One of my goals in life is to be on a game show. I think I'd be pretty great at Pyramid. I'd actually be great at anything that doesn't involve trivia. History and geography are lost causes for me. Word games like Lingo are my forte. I am such a game show nut. My favorite is Family Feud... I actually got so sidetracked watching Pyramid that Family Feud has started now. HECK YEAH!

I can't believe it's almost the weekend already. I love four-day weeks. Which is why I looooooove Summer Fridays. Next week we start Summer Fridays, so I'll have every other Friday off work. Count. Me. In.

I'm too tired to say anything worth a hoot.

Wake up, go to the bathroom, go to prison

So, I was looking at www.ajc.com today and found myself laughing hysterically at a quotation in one of the articles. The article was about T.I. and his farewell concert before his 101-day prison stint. Here is what Kue Brower, a producer for T.I.’s opening act Southern Comfort, said in the paper:

“Prison - that’s not even a question,” he said. “Going to prison is like waking up in the morning. It happens to everybody.”

SERIOUSLY?!?! I mean, how many mornings have you literally woken up and thought today might be the day that you do something that lands you in prison?! Really? It 'happens' to everybody. It's kind of like the woman who said her son was in the wrong place at the wrong time when he chose to kill someone. WHAT?! It's not like going to prison is one of those inevitable life changes you encounter... ya know, one of those completely external circumstances that you find yourself facing.

Tomorrow is the day back to work after a holiday weekend. That's always a tough one. I am working on figuring some things out, though, so my life is heading on the up-and-up.

Accidents galore

So, let's talk about something crazy. I was driving home from work and nearing the exit ramp for Roswell Road. I was stopped and glanced in my rearview mirror to see a car rearend the car behind me. It scared me and my heart started pounding so I pulled over to make sure I hadn't been hit as well. The three of us were on the side of the road looking at the damage and my car had not been affected.

As we are looking out into the interstate, I see something ugly about to happen. Another car was stopped on the exit ramp and a car came barreling towards it at about 40 miles per hour. I felt the air from the impact about 10 yards away from me. Pieces of car went airborn and I swear my heart stopped. The three of us from the first collision were all standing there in shock, as this literally happened right before our eyes.

At this point, there are six cars on the side of the road and we are all in states of shock, waiting for the police to arrive. I debated about leaving, but didn't want to leave since I had now witnessed two car accidents. Just when I thought it was over, I heard a screech, turned my head, and witnessed a third car accident about fifteen yards away.

I was seriously speechless. It is still surreal to me. When the cops came, I was freed to go since there were enough people who said there was no debate about what had happened in any of the accidents. Oh man! I can't even believe it.

Then, on a sad note, a friend was in a car accident in which two people were killed. Thankfully he is okay, but it was just so overwhelming. So many lives seemed to flash right before eyes. I guess it goes to show you that anything can happen at any time.

Immersion

HAPPY FRIDAY. It's the Friday before a holiday weekend. Heck yes! I am in the process of getting caffeinated. It would be so awesome if people didn't need sleep. I love sleeping, but being tired sucks.

I check the weather all the time and I have no idea why. It's not like it matters what the weather is like when I am sitting inside. Maybe checking the weather becomes an obsession when there isn't a window in sight. Or perhaps I'm just a fool.

So, I heard something kinda cute on the way to work this morning. Someone on the radio said this little bit of wisdom: "A smile is a curve that sets everything straight." How adorable is that! It makes me think about how great it is when you find yourself laughing at something in your head. I have found myself doing that a lot lately. Not in a psychotic way, but in a smiling-on-the-inside kinda way.

Oh yeah - So, I just glanced at what I had already titled this and realized I hadn't talked about that yet. Anyways, I am reading a cool book titled Standing at Water's Edge. It's about creativity and it's really interesting so far. It kind of helps dissect the creative process and the thought processes of creators. It is about how people enter into states of creative immersion through different hobbies, relationships, etc. I know this is heavy thinking for a Friday morning, but I want to read more of it, so I figured I'd yap about it for a moment.

Time to focus. Peace out, player-haters.

Subcommittee of the committee of the...

Well, I got a library card on Sunday and checked out five books. I've only decided one of them is worthless so far. If I had actually looked at its cover, I would have judged it and wouldn't have gotten it. That just shows you to always judge a book by its cover. I started on a different one, but haven't gotten into that one yet. It may be time to move on...

I am telecommuting today. I have a doctor's appointment on the other side of creation this afternoon, so my employer was kind enough to let me work from home. I'd rather be at work than the doctor, but at least I'm making the most of the opportunity!

I really want to go running for some reason. I know it would be absolutely stupid to do considering the SC joint, but it sounds so freeing. For now, though, I will stick with lower-impact exercise to preserve the fact that I have two arms. On a side note, my arm/shoulder/chest is feeling good.

I just woke up and am already tired.

Walk it out (Walk it out)

Today was the day! Despite the horrid weather predictions, it actually didn't end up being too bad for the walk. We got misted on for maybe .5 or 1 mile, but it was great otherwise. It wasn't sunny or anything, but it beat what I thought it would be. I had a team of eleven folks, so we had a good time!

I did not perservere enough for the cotton candy. I waited in line for about ten or fifteen minutes once and it just wasn't moving like I hoped it would be. Then, a little later, my mom went back and waited in line for another ten minutes or so, but the line was just at a stand-still. I guess I didn't go for the cotton candy anyways, but it was slightly disappointing! At least the hot dog was good.

I have had an otherwise lazy day. I have felt unbelievably tired; I think it's the allergies battling against me. I was planning to go to the Braves game today, but felt that I had maxed out my outdoors time this morning. I'm just ready for this pollen nonsense to pass. I am watching the Braves on television and don't mind that I am sitting in the comfort of my bed for this loss. I shouldn't act like this game's over yet...

It's bedtime. I am going to go to spin in the morning to try to alleviate some of this allergy craziness!

Sinus Magee

I am beyond ready for allergy season to be over. My face feels so crowded right now. I have high hopes that I am nearing the final stretch.

Tomorrow is the walk for CF. I am excited that it is finally here, but kinda wish my team had exceeded $10,000 in donations. There's still a chance that it will happen since the donation deadline was extended through June 30. A swell friend of mine also already has a fundraiser in the works for June 13, so that's pretty awesome! Right now, I believe the team is maybe about $500 short of $10,000.

Anyways, the weather predictions for tomorrow aren't looking so hot. But the cotton candy prediction is promising. I should have starved myself all day so I could make room for cotton candy. Now that I think about it, is it possible to get full on cotton candy? I mean, it's basically a liquid by the time it makes it to your stomach. I guess you could eat it until you got sick from the sugar and vomited. Note to self. I'm hoping for some good weather for a good morning with good friends!

Today I started rereading The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. What a great book. I highly recommend it to anyone who may have stumbled upon this. It made me think about a lot the first time through, and I found myself thinking about even more in the chunk I read earlier today. I admire him.

I guess I'm going to get ready to sleep. I took some Benadryl in hopes of straightening some shenanigans out within my face. Sinus pain SUCKS!

I'm hoping for a great day tomorrow!

What a day!!!

Well, today was a grand success if I've ever seen one. First off, I got up at regular time and worked from home for several hours. Then, I used some comp time to relax for the afternoon. I feel like I accomplished a lot.

I went and picked up my new license plate for my car, so that's nice. A part of me was hoping to get some really cool letter and number combination, so there was some slight disappointment when it looked like any old license plate, but I can't win them all. I got 50% of the letters from my first name and 67% of the numbers from my month/date birthday, so that's success. Yes, I realize that it's dorky that I have already thought about this, but this is why I will beat you at nearly any puzzle or game show. In that case, I can win them all.

Then, I went to the gas station and grocery store. It was adventurous going through the grocery store during the day because there were lots of elderly folks blocking the aisles. It's okay, though, because I considered the trip to be a speedy success. I spent $40, which is good for me, because I usually end up at the checkout with hardly anything. I didn't get anything exciting, with the exception of oyster crackers. Gosh, those are great.

I came home and my uncle hooked me up with his TiVo. That's exciting because maybe I can start working on my New Year's resolution, which was to start watching more television. I have failed miserably so far. I recorded my first TV show tonight - The Office. I look forward to trying to figure out how to watch it. My uncle and I also hit up Coldstone, where I got the traditional watermelon sorbet with gummy bears. It was incredible!

Finally, I have saved the best news for last... I have been fundraising for the Great Strides CF walk that takes place on Saturday morning. Today, I exceeded my personal fundraising goal of $5,000, so I am very happy to have met it despite getting off to a slow start! I have had the support of many amazing people and seeing the progress brings me tears of joy. I won't be able to thank folks enough when CF finally stands for Cure Found. :o)

Wrong place at the wrong time

So, you know how people sometimes say that someone was just in the wrong place at the wrong time? I just heard it on the news. This mother was saying that her son was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Her son shot and killed a bartender and was previously charged with armed robbery and a home invasion/shooting. How does that even make sense?! Being in the wrong place at the wrong time is like innocently walking down the sidewalk eating an ice cream cone when a car jumps the curb and hits you. I don't think executing premeditated crimes constitutes as being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But maybe I'm crazy...

In case anyone was wondering about my candle-handing-out experience last Thursday night... Believe it or not, I was a candle-handing-out failure. I was talking with someone about something on the computer at work and walked outside and all of the people were gone. I ran around the corner to find them all already holding candles. My bad. I failed miserably at my responsibility for the night. Thankfully everyone got a laugh out of it when I came running outside and realized I missed it.

I have been in a neverending battle over homeowner's dues with the property management company of my condo complex. It's like they're drunk at work every day or something. After relentlessly arguing, I finally got them to remove about $800 that were incorrectly billed to me. Today I got an email from the guy letting me know that now all I owe is $56.71 for October's prorated dues. Thankfully, I was able to conveniently attach the document he provided me last month showing that I already paid that amount. Get it together, moron. I don't think he realizes how stupid he looks. Or maybe he does considering I Facebooked him and he had a picture of him licking a statue of a woman's breasts. So professional... Makes me feel like I'm dealing with a stand-up guy. I wish I could have uploaded a photo when I filed my complaint with the Better Business Bureau.

Anyways, I guess I'm gonna hit the hay. I sat in on five interviews and a two-hour training today. Needless to say, I don't even remember my name right now.

Red Beezy

OMG. I am drinking a Red Bull. I am so not like this, but I've already worked over 40 hours this week and it's Thursday. Today I have been that delirious level of tired where I seem intoxicated.

I went to the SC joint doctor on Tuesday and got some good news...ish. He said let's give it two more months before considering anything 'invasive.' I'm happy to hear that, but I also wouldn't mind kicking the pain to the curb. I was prescribed a few different medications administered through patches, so that has been helping a little. Whatever... I'm a champion.

I'm about to have to go hand people candles. That is my task for tonight. Saturday I was assigned the task of THE Beer Supervisor for a party with over 1,200 guests. Good idea? Not so much. My job description said to look for visibly intoxicated people and take them to the medic tent. I say that in the past tense because I think I switched shifts with someone. Anyways, yeah... As exciting as it sounded, I don't know that I want to be in charge of regulating drunks.

Well, it's candle time. I can't wait to go home!

Exhausted

Man, it's been a little while since I've written, huh? I guess almost two weeks. It seems like I've been really busy, but I can't even think of exciting stuff to say I did.

I went and got ice cream at Coldstone three times this week. I got berry yogurt with gummy bears twice and watermelon sorbet with gummy bears once. That watermelon sorbet was so good that it makes me salivate when I imagine it.... I wish I was drinking some milk right now, but I'm too lazy to go downstairs and get any.

My sternoclavicular joint is causing problems. Yesterday and today it felt like it did a day or two after I injured it, which sucks because it's been about eight weeks. I really hope that some miracle happens before I go back and see the doctor on May 12. I read online about options to fix it if it's not healing on its own. Let's just say that none of them seemed really exciting.

I can't believe it's May already. Last night was really the first night since the allergy escapade that I slept through the entire night without waking up coughing..... Knock on wood. I am hoping for another good night tonight. I just took an Advil PM because I have an excruciating headache. Time to go to sleep! I can't wait!

A Braaaaaaaaand Neeeeeeeeew Caaaaaaaaaaaaaar

Well, I officially got my brand new car today! It is just as beautiful as I imagined - maybe even more. Man, it's nice to feel like I've treated myself to something. I hardly ever buy things for myself.

Sometimes I am really thankful that I hate shopping. Shopping is an addiction for most girls, but it's a hassle for me. Occasionally, I feel like going out to get something new, but it's usually a seasonal escapade. Also, when I say 'something new,' I literally do mean one thing and at somewhere super-cheap. I can't remember the last time that I went and got multiple things for myself. I tend to spend money on necessities, such as food and gasoline. And candy.

I am feeling a lot better today. I have really, really stepped it up on my treatments to try to get better. I have been going above and beyond and doing more than is prescribed to me in order to try to kick this. I believe it's working, so I'm really excited! Too bad I don't make this extra effort all the time, but at least I have fun when I'm feeling well...

Time to get ready for bed like the grandma that I am. It is ridiculous that it's not even 9:30 p.m. and I am already in bed. Oh well! I am proud to be me!!!!

REBORN

Well, today I bought a new car. It is cute. I will make it look good. My mother said that I was a great negotiator - I am emotionless, shrewd and stoic. Heck yeah! These are all of the qualities I strive to achieve on a daily basis. Just kidding, but it helped in the car-buying arena. My mother said that people should take me with them to buy cars. Looking back on it, I am surprised at some of the things I said. I remember being like, "Look me in the eyes right now." It was quite emasculating and I enjoyed it.

I got my hair did today. It looks cute, like usual. I feel a lot cuter than I did yesterday. It's amazing how sometimes the littlest things make me feel so much better. Now, if I could just enjoy some time outside without choking on pollen and ending up in the ER. The warmer weather always gives me a boost of energy and motivation. It's so easy to get blaaaah in the winter.

I think maybe I should begin hibernating in the winter. I guess I do to an extent, but the winter months always drag for me. I did better this winter because I stayed pretty busy and had some exciting things going on, like a new house, new job, etc.

Speaking of those new things, I cannot believe my birthday is in a week. I am not a birthday person AT ALL, but this has been the longest year of my life. Seriously. I have lived three different places (apartment, Gran's house, my house). I have had three different jobs - (marketing assistant, marketing consultant, programs coordinator). I have had two different cars (old, new). There have been a TON OF CHANGES!

I am excited to use this next year of living to make more changes to my life now that I'm settled into a house, a job and a car. It's time to get a move on, children!

Dee-Rugs

Hi. I am home from work. Ill. It has been a ROUGH week. I ended up having to go to the ER because I literally was almost passing out coughing so hard. Despite all of my home 'remedies,' it was impossible for me to get to sleep. They said it was the worst case of seasonal allergies that a person could have. You should have seen how big of a mess I was.

I was coughing my brains out, and barely choked out the words, "Will you take out some stiches?" So, the doctor took out the stitches in my shoulder. Meanwhile, I am coughing and holding my sternoclavicular joint because it feels like it is dislodging. They were like, "Are you okay?" and my mom told the doctor about the joint incident. You could tell the guy thought I was the most pitiful little thing he had seen.

Regardless, they ended up putting me on some steroids to try to stop the bronchospasms and narcotics so that maybe I could stop coughing temporarily and sleep. Booooooooy, are those relaxing!

Purple Drank

Hiiiiii. I have allergies to the extreme. I seriously feel like death and am in major pain. Not only is my throat raw, but every cough hurts my sternoclavicular joint. I mean, I am something else. I was trying to get my hands on some heavy-duty cough medicine, but couldn't. So I have concocted a rum and Benedryl night cap. I know I sound like I have substance abuse problems, but I haven't felt this rough in a long time. And I don't have substance abuse problems.

In other news, I am getting my hair did on Saturday. I have tried to get away from the whole hair-highlighting gig because it costs money and can be hard to maintain, but let's face it - I will look good. I haven't felt very physically attractive lately, so I am looking for a boost. I need a CHANGE.

I have a birthday coming up. I have no idea what I'll do to celebrate, but there's a good chance I won't do anything. I am not a big fan of holidays in general, as they tend to be disappointing. I'm not one of those people who forces someone else to create an Evite to act as though I am popular enough to have someone voluntarily planning a get-together on my behalf.

Anyways, it's time to refill the rum so I can get this show on the road. OOOOOOOOOOVER IT.

I am still alive

Hi. I am still alive. Despite reaching an uncharted level yesterday, I have lived to tell about it. Yesterday was absolutely fascinating. Although I got stuck by needles 28 times and exercised to the point of not being able to speak, I am glad I participated. I literally rode on an exercise bike in a 90-degree heat chamber for almost three hours.

When I got off of the bike, I literally felt close to death. I felt as though I was going in and out of consciousness, much like the feeling before going under anesthesia. I wasn't sure if people were truly talking to me or if I was hearing voices. I also wasn't sure if I was responding or if I was simply thinking the responses. It was an extremely strange feeling.

Being that I'm a very independent person, I knew that I was at a point of desperation. I had to have someone help undress me and help me use the restroom. The researchers had to collect a urine sample after the exercise section, and a lady literally held the urine sample container under me because I could not do it myself. It was a neat feeling to be at a point of helplessness because I'm not sure that I've been like that before. The closest I've ever been was in the midst of an asthma attack, but at least I knew what was happening in those situations.

I am glad I participated, even though I don't feel as though my head is entirely back. The researchers were concerned that I could have been suffering from hyponatremia, so I was literally eating and drinking salt in order to help correct my electrolyte imbalance, if that's what was happening. Yesterday was crazy! It was a thrill! I don't think I want to do it again, though...

It's Friday night and the moon is bright

Actually, it's not even dark out yet, but I was just singing a childhood song.

I am watching the Braves preseason game, doing some laundry and being a bum. It's ironic that I've been busy every single night this week, so I'm sitting at home on a Friday. I don't usually feel the need to find stuff to do on weekend nights. In fact, I find that I use them to reenergize more often than not.

Today I really sealed the deal on my nutrition log. We had a bunch of food leftover from yesterday's work prom, so I was eating cookies by 9:00 a.m. I was actually eating them at 7:35 a.m., but I went ahead and just put when I finally stopped in order to save some embarrassment. Whatever!!! Hopefully eating like a slob doesn't disqualify me from the study.

Tomorrow I have two little biopsies taken from my shoulder blade for the study. I'll need to think of a really cool story for what happened. I guess I'll have to see how the scars look before I make up something good. Depending on how close they are, maybe it will be a staple gun fight wound.

Well, I have had a successful week. I rode on a bike wearing a snorkel, I made grown men in construction cry, I announced the first work prom king/queen and will get in a staple gun fight tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. AWESOME!

Nutrition Log

So, I am participating in this study testing salt loss in the sweat of individuals with CF when exercising. Was that confusing? Anyways, as part of the study, I am supposed to keep a nutrition log of what I eat for the three days prior to the second half of the study. Well, I am nearing the end of my second day of logging what I eat.

Have you ever written down what you're eating? Man, it's eye-opening. These evaluators are going to think I must be a total headcase. Of course I've been at events both afternoons/evenings of my first two days. So, after coffee in the morning, they will see that I ate jelly beans yesterday and gummy bears today. Then, I've had the same exact sub sandwich for lunch both days (half yesterday and half today).

However, since I have been at little 'cocktailish' events, I have had very unusual eating patterns. I could see them being concerned that I have been drinking alcoholic beverages at 5:00 p.m. and 2:55 p.m. on a weekday. Hopefully they'll be able to infer that my dinner last night of 3 baby quiches, 2 tiny turkey sandwich squares, 8 cheese cubes, 1 cucumber sushi roll and 1 two-bite brownie was not a meal I prepared for myself.

There are days that I do eat somewhat legitimate meals, but of course I don't have to keep a mandatory log on a day that I look like a civil human being.

Shirts = Dangerous

So, first and foremost, I have done an extremely crappy job of keeping up with this. Whatever, though. It's not like anybody even knew about this yet.

Today will be an important day in the life of me - my return to LA Fitness. About three weeks ago, I was involved in an accident at LA Fitness. On the stair-stepper? No. Elliptical? No. Playing basketball with boys? No.

I was actually changing my shirt to work out and something went horribly wrong. I felt an extremely sharp pain in my chest and was afraid to move my right arm. After visiting an urgent care moron who said to 'use it like normal,' I went to a real doctor. He examined it and told me I had torn ligaments in my sternoclavicular joint - where the collar bone meets the breastbone. Anyways, he said not to use my arm for four to six weeks and hopefully it would heal itself.

I have gone on a few walks since then, but have not been exercising. Today I plan on taking a stab at returning to spin class because the doctor mentioned that cycling might be my best bet. I hope it goes well because my arm has actually been bothering me the last few days and I felt like the healing had regressed.

Regardless, it will be a successful morning because I am meeting a friend at IHOP in exactly two hours!!!!!!!!!!!!! PANCAKES!