Screaming Banshee

Screaming Banshee
Make Sure You Laugh When There Are Days Like This!!!
Showing posts with label Insanity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Insanity. Show all posts

Monday, November 1, 2010

When did Cystic Fibrosis get here?

I know Ginny was diagnosed when she was 3 months old. It's a genetic disease, thus determined from conception. Before we knew it was CF, there were many tests done while in the hospital to figure out why she wasn't gaining weight, had anemia, vitamin E deficiency, etc. Once diagnosed and on the correct meds, things improved and life settled in.

Over the years, Ginny has had colds, coughs, strep, ear infections, etc. Those have been easily resolved with anti-biotics. Her lung function (PFTs) has always been in the 107% - 118% - ideally, you want your lungs to function at 100% so she's been in GREAT shape!

Ginny's weight was a struggle until they introduced us to "the hungry pill" (don't remember the medical name). The goal was to have her BMI above the 50th percentile. She was usually no higher than the 20th until that medication. They had started hinting at a G-tube, but we told them to come up with something else. They did. Within 4 months of being on "the hungry pill", her BMI% shot from 21% to 49%.

Don't get me wrong.....we've had our stressors and struggles with all of the appts, meds issues, germ warfare, insurance, trying to gain weight, trying to kick colds/coughs, etc. But, after the initial difficulties, we settled into daily life with CF......

...... That is, until her PFTs dropped to 89%....... we upped her meds, increased nebs, added Cipro and were to return in 1 month to check again............ they dropped to 81%...... *THUD*.....

She was admitted to the hospital -
She was in for 1 week of IV anti-biotics, respiratory therapy 4x/day, Chest PT 3x/day, and food galore. Just as she was finishing breakfast, snack would arrive - when that was done, lunch was delivered and all meals/snacks were wrapped around all of the other therapies. She has come home with a PICC line so she can continue the IV anti-biotics. There are 4 per day and we had to really schedule things carefully to fit them in with the proper spacing between - not to mention that thing called school, maybe even life.


Guess I can no longer live in my happy, little denial about CF. It's always been there, but now it's sitting at the table.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

The 24-Hour Whirlwind - The Taming of the Dew - Part III

*BEFORE READING THIS, PLEASE SEE "THE 24-HOUR WHIRLWIND - THE TAMING OF THE DEW - PART I & II" - IT WON'T MAKE SENSE WITHOUT THEM*
Okay, I haven't done this in forever, but I need to close it out so I can blog about all the other stuff going on.

When last we left our heroine, there was a phalanx of men with tools - ripping, sanitizing, examining, evaluating, and itemizing. Over $3,000 had already been spent and estimates were being calculated by the thousands. Troy, the sewer technician, was estimating the cost of ripping out 1-2 dogwood trees, tearing up a portion of the cemented, tiered walkway, and digging down 10-12 feet just to get to the pipe which needed replacement - with a minimum price tag of $10,000. Alan, the BGE guy, was pricing the replacement of a compressor (the most expensive repair possible when an a/c goes kaput, but he might be able to get it under $3,000).

On to the FINALE:

There I was, waiting for another $15,000+ worth of repair estimates to be thrown at me. Alan, the BGE guy, came in after having spoken to his warranty/parts department. Tim, the Servpro guy sanitizing my basement, was coming up the stairs at the same time.

HERE'S where things REALLY get crazy............

Alan tells me that the previous owners DID get the extended warranty. The replacemenet of the compresser would be done at NO COST to me. That means, the potential $3,000 a/c repair has ended up as a $0 estimate. He came in and made this statement aloud. There would be NO COST to repair my a/c. I looked at Alan, admitted that I didn't know him that well, but that I really wanted to kiss him. Tim from Servpro, who had just charged me $2500 to rip the crap (literally) out of my basement, just looked at him. Tim's response, "Great. You make the rest of us look bad.".........fer sure!!! Alan's big-ass repair was going to cost NOTHING!

*whew*

Troy came in after examining the option of destroying my front walk, 2 trees, and digging a 12-foot trench in my front yard. The look on his face was very confused as he told me that he thinks his machine was picking up my solar lighting features. He took the search for the underground beacon out to the backyard. Lo, and Behold........... the sewer line went out the back of the house, past the walk-out portion of the basement. The pipe was right next to the foundation of my deck, but the cost went from $10,000+ to just under $5,000.

*Wow!*

New estimates:
A/C repair = $0 rather than $3000
pipe dig-up/replace = $5000 rather than $10000+
downstairs devoid of sewage = priceless

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

The 24-Hour Whirlwind - The Taming of the Dew - Part II

*BEFORE READING THIS, PLEASE SEE "THE 24-HOUR WHIRLWIND - THE TAMING OF THE DEW - PART I" - IT WON'T MAKE SENSE WITHOUT IT*

So, the Friday craziness continues. Quick Recap: Brad the Plumber snaked my sewer line - $550 and Tim & Israel started cleaning up the aftermath once I paid $2500 up front....they gotta have payment up front because they aren't offering a product that can be re-possessed....and it's not like they can shoot your crap back into your house.

So, the next one to arrive was Troy. Troy is a Sewer Technician with myPlumber. He brought the camera to snake down the sewer line to confirm it was all cleared out and see if there were any tree roots or blockage. He fed the camera down the line and had a portable screen. Tim (from Servpro) and I couldn't help ourselves....we had to watch. I mean, how often do you get to see the inner bowels of your house. With fascination, Tim and I looked at the screen as it made it's way through the pipe. It was just a pipe, nothing interesting ...then.....EWWWWWW....... we both looked away as the camera came upon some messy stuff. Tim suggested that we stop watching, I agreed :).

Tim & Israel continued to soak up and sanitize my basement. Troy came up to announce there were tree roots in my line and that it was 90% blocked.... the roots were like fingers just waiting to catch anything that came by. The camera has a beacon on the end of it which was left at the roots while he took a machine outside to pick up the signal. He did this so they would know where to dig to get to the pipe to replace it.....GREAT! That won't be expensive or anything!!!
Remember that I originally stayed home on Friday for my A/C to be repaired? Well, while Troy was outside and Tim was going in and out of the house as he disposed of items, Alan from BGE Home arrived. When I explained that the A/C was tripping the breakers whenever it turned on, he expressed his hope that it was just a short somewhere and not the compressor. Thanks....I really need to worry about THIS worst-case scenario, too! Whatever!

Within the first 5 minutes, Alan was able to tell that it was the compressor which led me to share my sob story with HIM! Wow....he said....yes...Wow... The compressor would be a few thousand to repair. Because I have the service contract with them, labor would be free and I would get a discount on parts which could drop it closer to a couple thousand....great, thanks! Alan asked if I had the warranty information on it because most systems come standard with a 5-year warranty. No, I don't have that information and I've lived here for 7 years and how do I find out how old the system is and if an extended warranty was purchased? (Because I needed one more thing to research and make calls about right now). Alan told me that he would call the service department, find out any warranty information, and get the repair quote...might take about 15 mins....Okay......great.....I'll miss you while you're gone....... *sigh*

While Alan was in his truck racking up my next bill, Troy asked me to come out front to talk about my tree roots and his findings. Along the walkway to my house are 2 dogwood trees. There's some sort of water main type thingie to the left of them. Troy told me the beacon was responding just under the dogwoods...... that would mean the pipe is coming from my basement out the front of my house which is not a walk-out. That means the pipe is about 10-15 feet down and to get to it, I would lose 1, maybe both dogwoods...... this would be a 5-digit job....ummmm...that means $10,000 or more....... GREAT!!!! I had just spent over $3000 on the snaking and the clean-up and I was informed of my layoff less than 24 hours prior to this...... what's another $10k......, along with the pending compressor estimate.......... THAT'S IT!!!!! I can't do this anymore....I just can't do it....I can't afford any of this.... I wish I lived somewhere else!!!!!

But, I don't! I live here, and it is mine to deal with. So, I shall deal....*breathe*



*TO BE CONTINUED*
Please....bear with me....the fun stuff is yet to come....really.... I promise....this IS a sitcom!






Saturday, May 1, 2010

The 24-Hour Whirlwind - The Taming of the Dew - Part I

*BEFORE READING THIS, PLEASE SEE "THE 24-HOUR WHIRLWIND - THE MORNING DEW COMETH" - IT WON'T MAKE SENSE WITHOUT IT*

Friday, April 9, 2010 was quite the adventure! I had so many men rolling through my doors that it MUST have impressed my neighbors!.... either that or generated TONS of sympathy!

My first man of the day was Brad, the plumber. Brad arrived with scary, crazy-loud equipment to snake my line...... I really don't want to know too much about that! Upon hearing the story of my previous 24 hours, he knocked 10% off the price of the "sewer-line snaking". Thank you Brad!!!!
While Brad was here, Tim and Israel from Servpro arrived. Now I had TWO service vehicles out front of my house. They instructed me and my brother (okay, mainly my brother because my head was swimming in all of the crap...) to begin removing everything from the storage area.....EVERYTHING??!!?? Do you mean 7 years worth of storage and junk that I just kept dumping in there??? Time to clear out all the junk I'd dumped since my sewer line decided to take a "dump" on my stuff.. (actually, it didn't take so much as it gave!). Items from the damaged area which had not been in contact with the contaminated material would go into the finished area of the basement which had been spared. Sewage soaked items were escorted outside.
As I finish up and pay ($550 on credit card!) Brad's work, Tim was surveying the poopy damage with Israel and determining the course of action....and the cost!!! Brad left with the promise that a camera crew would be coming out to run a camera through my line to see exactly what/where the blockage was. GREAT!!! A whole-house colonoscopy! Pretty!

So, I call the insurance company to update the claim submitted the night before with the additional "crap".....BTW, in case you hadn't caught on, there were so many "crap" jokes flung around that day, it was a "stinkin' " riot!!! While I'm on the phone with the insurance company, Tim from Servpro tells me that he needs to speak to them so he can get approval to begin the work. No problem, I've got her on the phone so this would be the perfect time.....NOT!!! She tells me that she can't approve the clean-up because she doesn't know if the blockage was in my line or beyond mine and into the county. WHAT??!!?? My basement if full of water and sewage....visible sewage.....I'm supposed to wait for the whole-house colonoscopy??? That wasn't going to happen for about 4 more hours.........and my house STINKS!!!!! Sewage en masse in an enclosed area is not very pleasant....

Here's the deal with Servpro.......they won't begin the clean up until there is insurance approval or payment up-front....and my insurance wouldn't approve it...and I'm broke and have just been laid off.....Sometimes, life is priceless...thank you MasterCard.... Heck! What's another $2600? ...... Put that on the credit card since the insurance company won't fight for me as I put in a call to Brad - myPlumber..... He calls back and I tell him that I had to pay Servpro upfront so they could start the work and my insurance won't cover it unless the blockage was on my end, not the county.... "No problem" says Brad. "Have the adjuster call me and I will confirm the blockage is on your end"........... Again, Thank You, Brad!!!!

In the meantime, since I'd handed over the plastic and signed off my life - Tim & Israel put a plastic tarp down across the floor of the basement's finished area from interior door to exterior door. Love them!!! We could haul my "crap" outside without dropping it in the "clean" area!

*TO BE CONTINUED*

The 24-Hour Whirlwind - The Morning Dew Cometh

*BEFORE READING THIS, PLEASE SEE "THE 24-HOUR WHIRLWIND - THE DAY OF" - IT WON'T MAKE SENSE WITHOUT IT*

So, after cleaning up the sewage spew of the previous evening, I was first on the list for the plumber on Friday morning. Before Drew left for the day, I asked him to take a peek at the basement to see if there had been any further sewage flooding. Ummmm..........................

*MORE BAD NEWS*

The landing, powder room, and ENTIRE laundry/storage area was a puddle of water & sewage....ah Poop! The toilet had erupted a sewage volcano. How did I get SO lucky!!!
My A/C broke, I got laid off, and there was Lake Poopy in my basement.
Work from home/Air repair day had turned into mourning the loss of my job and wallowing in crap. I had more men coming through my door than a sorority house on a Friday night, only none of them were drunk.
The day began with a 7:00am call to myPlumber as I was already first on the list. When I explained the situation had gotten worse, they were VERY sympathetic and helpful. They asked if it was something I could clean up myself or would I need a water mitigation company.....a what?? They work with Servpro and would call them and get the ticket started for me. THANK YOU!!! Nice! One less call I had to make.
The best call I made that day was to my brother. I asked for help.....I'm not so good at that. When I first called him he asked me what I needed him to do. I couldn't tell him....all I could say was that I had no A/C, was losing my job, and had a basement full of crap. I didn't know what I needed except to call the plumber. After calling them and realizing that Servpro would be coming out to rip up and clean out my basement, I knew what I needed. I called Charles back and asked if he could come over and help me move my belongings out and go through damaged items. My brother took the day off work to come over and slosh through my basement, help with the physical moving of my belongings, but mainly.... I needed him for me, to be the stability, the person unattached to the possessions, the person who could answer questions when my mind had enough. He was all that and more. It was as though he picked me up and carried me around in his arms that day......and we had a really great time together! I know that sounds crazy considering all that was going on; but, because we were together, I was able to laugh through the tears, stress, and the crap that was consuming my day.

*PLEASE STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER IN "THE 24-HOUR WHIRLWIND"*

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

The 24-Hour Whirlwind - The Day Of

*BEFORE READING THIS, PLEASE SEE "THE 24-HOUR WHIRLWIND - THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM" - IT WON'T MAKE SENSE WITHOUT IT*

Thank goodness for my service contract with BGE Home, they told me they could come out on Friday, and it would not cost me a thing to have the problem diagnosed. They would do the annual inspection and cleaning at the same time which might fix the problem. *Awesome!* Wouldn't that be great! Thanks!!!!

I put in the request to work from home on Friday so I could wait my turn for the tech who would arrive at some point between 8:00 & 5:00....way to narrow it down! A rather sympathetic understanding of the need to address the situation led to the approval of working from home. See, I work with people that have also had the pleasure of "home-ownership drama". It just sucks, and we all know it! I went to work knowing that I didn't have to worry about the A/C for the day. I could put it aside, and know that it would be waiting for me to deal with on Friday.

At least I could focus on work.......not so much! The afternoon of Thursday, April 8, I was told that my grant ended in November 2009 (which I knew), and there is no further funding for me (which I didn't know, but was scared of). My contract that goes through June 30, 2010 will not be renewed. My skills, and the things I do are not a fit for the work needed to be done. There aren't enough full-time, project-manager level tasks to justify my employment during times of budget cuts and lost grant funding.
I DO NOT HAVE A JOB PAST JUNE 30, 2010. Well, that sucks!

Sucks though it may, I didn't feel the need to throw myself on the floor and cry, panic, scream. That was a bit more energy than I felt needed to be expended. Good thing I held back.....

When I got home, the kids told me that the downstairs toilet had backed up which led to a water/sewage flood. When you walk downstairs, there is a landing/foyer area, with a powder room straight ahead. To the right, behind a closed door is the finished basement. When you go down the stairs, to the left, there is another door which leads to the laundry room and storage area. Sooooooooooo............ the sewage back-up was in the powder room, foyer, and a portion of the laundry/storage area.

WOW!!!!!!!! My A/C busted, I got laid off, and came home to shit in my basement in less than 24 hours...........now that's a bummer of a day!!!!

*PLEASE STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER IN "THE 24-HOUR WHIRLWIND"*

Monday, April 12, 2010

The 24-Hour Whirlwind - The Calm Before the Storm

In our lives, there are certain events, or series of events which suck. They are upsetting, stressful, ridiculous, etc. Some of these incidents cause friends to say, "well, you'll look back at this in 5 years and laugh". But, have you ever had a series of events occur in a 24 hour period that would be too much to handle over the course of a year?

Well, let me tell you about a 24 hour period that was so full of shit that you won't believe me. You literally will not believe me! You will think I'm exaggerating, embellishing the truth, or flat out lying. I assure you, my friends, the following is all true. No creative license has be taken to embellish the truth.

After being pounded with chains of blizzards and feet of snow, the Mid-Atlantic region broke yet another weather record. We broke the high temperatures last week by getting into the 90s in early April. It became ghastly hot on Tuesday, April 6th. I had not used my heat in a month and wasn't even CLOSE to ready for the air conditioning, so I refused to turn it on. I put on a fan and peeled off outer layers. I made it through the night, and toddled off to work the next morning feeling proud of my success. Wednesday was another ghastly hot day. When I got home from work, it was 80 degrees in my house, and the afternoon sun was beating through the windows. On Tuesday, it had been just me, but the kids were home on Wednesday.

When the temperature got up to 84, I broke and turned on the air conditioning (henceforth, to be referred to as the A/C). A cool-down was forecast for Thursday evening and Friday so I knew we would be able to head back toward saving electricity for the good of the planet, and my big-ass electric bill.

About an hour after turning on the A/C, I noticed that it didn't feel much warmer. Checking the temperature revealed that it was still 84 degrees. My wonderful son, Drew, checked the fuse box and reset the breakers for me. Thank God that was an easy one.....But, Wait!!!! No, the breakers tripped every time the A/C went on. That was one HOT night! Fans and light clothing wasn't really enough.....little did I know this would be the least interesting, stressful, or difficult thing that would happen to me in 24 hours.

*PLEASE STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER IN "THE 24-HOUR WHIRLWIND"*

Monday, November 9, 2009

The Ineffective Middle Finger

There are ways to be effective and ways to be ineffective. I'm guessing that most people have the goal of being effective. Only a dumbass would strive for ineffectiveness. Well, I met one such dumbass last week. Here is the story of our encounter......
I left work and took the exit for 95 south. I go only one exit until I take the route that travels east to take me home. A car behind me headed down the ramp to 95 south, at close range. Rather than go around me, he remained closely behind me in the right lane. We both took the exit to head east. Upon merging onto the eastern route we both wanted to move to the left lane as there was slower moving traffic in the right. Here is where the fun began.
As I was in front of the tailgater on the southern route, on the ramp to the eastern route, as we merged onto the eastern route, I was still in front of him as we moved into the left lane. Apparently, this was not pleasing to him and caused anger. He shoved his hand very far forward in the front window and raised his middle finger. This was effective. It revealed that he was angry and didn't like me. It was even effective in that it elicited a raised middle finger from me in return. Because there was a line of cars to the right, he couldn't go around me which may have led to more frustration.
Having exchanged middle fingers following proper protocol, I believed our encounter was over. However, being the good driver that I am, I followed the 3-second rule and looked in my rearview mirror. It was at this time that I noticed the angry man driving with both hands on the wheel with the middle finger still extended. My thought was "whatever". However, the finger continued to be extended as I drove on. In fact, this continued for the entire eastern route of 13.8 miles. 13.8 miles?!?!? Wow.....that is one angry person.
Funny thing is that after about mile 2.4, it was losing its effectiveness. It became funny, but was also no longer the most noticeable thing on the road. Just as a hood ornament can be seen as you glance in the rearview mirror, the finger remained in place. This person's anger with me caused him to lose his control of the situation. Eventually, it turned around and my behavior controlled his action........ for 13.8 miles.
Now, that's ineffective.....but it was really funny!

Sunday, November 1, 2009

An Ode to Panties

I dream of panties
pretty, lacy, and small;
Not the ones that look like my Granny's
I don't like those at all.

But, I pluck and pull
to make them fit right;
Now, I'm starting to mull,
"Is it really worth the fight?"

I want something that won't roll down,
maybe something that won't pinch;
Not bloomers that belong to a clown,
why can't it just be a cinch?

So, I pull out the briefs
cotton, white, and boring;
Oh my Goodness Grief!
How will I ever be alluring?

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

The Harrowing Experience

More about Baby!
When I arrived home from work yesterday, I didn't see Baby anywhere in the yard. I did, however, see Momma. She was on the fence with a bug in her beak, giving the "I'm here to feed you" chirp. I could hear Baby responding, but wasn't able to see her. After much searching, I discovered that her chirps were coming from the other side of my fence, under my neighbor's raised, wooden patio. She had somehow be-bopped her way under my fence and gotten lost under their patio. There isn't an opening between my yard and the underneath, but there are little paths that were probably created by the chipmunks that pop into my yard every so often. Baby couldn't find her way back out. I would go to the fence, call her name, and she would respond with her little chirps.
I spent the next couple of hours trying to figure out how to coax Baby out. I tapped on the fence, tried to move the dirt around so she could see light and find her way out. I remembered the glow sticks, bracelets, and necklaces that Ginny wanted for 4th of July. I grabbed a long necklace and put it under the fence hoping Baby would follow the pretty color out of the dark tunnels under the patio. This proved to be the most successful as it brought her closer to the fence, but she wasn't coming out.
Finally, I got a flashlight and my gardening gloves. I laid down on my stomach in the dirty garden filled with worms & slugs. I could see Baby's feet! With the gloves on, I put my hand behind Baby and guided her out. She squawked and flapped, but made it out. Momma stood by chirping loudly, but not attacking.
I can't believe that I spent hours on my belly trying to save a baby bird. I have become so attached to Baby.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

The newest addition to the family

It all started last Friday, July 3rd. The kids and I woke up late since it was a holiday. Ginny let the dogs out back and went down into the yard with them. Suddenly, there was screaming, birds squawking, and a flurry of activity. I ran outside to Ginny screaming that there was a baby bird in the yard and the puppies were trying to get it. I helped get the dogs inside, then went back out to assess the situation. Sure enough, there was a baby bird in the yard that didn't look too good. The neighbors were out on their deck and said they had 2 of them when they woke up that morning, but that they thought the birds were gone. The birds weren't big or strong enough to fly yet so it looked as though the nest had been blown out of the tree....Hence, Momma Robin who kept swooping down to attack when we got close to her baby. I was pretty sure the baby wouldn't make it through the day, so we kept the dogs out of the yard.

DAY 2: We kept the dogs out of the yard again because the baby spent the day hopping around all over the entire yard. She still didn't look great, but she was getting around. Throughout the day, we saw Momma bring bugs and/or worms around. She would sit on the fence and chirp. The baby would chirp back, Momma would fly down, the baby would hop over and open it's mouth VERY wide at which time the food would be dropped in.
In the meantime, the neighbors didn't see their birds anymore (they may have been behind the shed) and let their dog in the yard. I was out on the deck when their dog found the babies. As the neighbor's dog attacked, 4 robins swooped, screeched, squawked and yelled in pain. It was awful!

DAY 3: The baby was looking healthier and better every moment. Momma was feeding her numerous times throughout the day, and we kept the dogs out of the yard. By this time, I was able to stand right next to the baby and say "Hi, baby!" without Momma attacking me. She would only attack if I put out a shovel or rake to try and get the bird to jump on so I could put her up high. At that point, the baby would squawk and the Momma would swoop.

We have just ended DAY 5. We have named our baby bird "Baby", Momma still feeds her and no longer attacks. Baby new responds with a chirp when I call out "Baby".

Stay tuned....there is more to this story, including the harrowing experience of Day 5. It was a draining day of which I will blog later. I've really become attached to my newest Baby. (pictures coming soon).

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Hey, Big Spender!

The minute I walked in the joint....
I received a JCPenney's bill on my card under my previously married name. I haven't used that card in over 2 years. It was paid off and I really should have closed it, but I put it in my desk planning to shred it later which I failed to do.
The bill contained a dozen transactions at 3 different locations between 11/30/2007 & 12/16/2007 totalling $1,755.24. Since I had not used the card in over 2 years, I knew they were not my charges. The other telling point was that there were toddler purchases as well as men's shirts & neckwear. "Considering I no longer have toddlers and have rid myself of the men in my life, that was another strong indication that the charges were not mine", I explained to the voice on the other end of the phone at the JCPenney service dept. The explanation produced laughter which was what I needed in order not to scream, cry, throw things, or fall on the floor and throw a tantrum.
Anyway, they will gather the signatures, send them to me, and I will send them a copy of my driver's license to prove it was not me. Shouldn't be too hard considering my driver's license is a different name. The account has been cancelled.
THE FUNNIEST PART is that they spent so much, that I was automatically upgraded to platinum level and received my new card today which was sent out before I got the bill and made the call.

Hence, I am a woman of distinction, a real big spender!

Friday, December 28, 2007

Darn, I don't have a medical problem!

So, I have no explanation for the constant viral issues I had all summer, the 30 lb weight gain over this year, or the chicken pox-like marks all over my legs.
No diabetes, cholesterol, or the ever-hoped for Thyroid problem to explain why my arse doesn't fit into any of my pants.
So, the diagnosis is: Fat and scaly, but otherwise, healthy..........great!

Friday, December 21, 2007

Life IS Stranger Than Fiction!

I've spoken a couple of times about Cystic Fibrosis. It is in our lives, and it's not our favorite part. Some days I deal with it better than others. I cringe when my daughter coughs, sniffles, has stomach aches, or gets tired from regular activity.
So often, I feel alone when dealing with this. There was no discussion or feeling of connection in my marriage with Cystic Fibrosis. My ex used to say "her issue" instead of actually using the words Cystic Fibrosis, disease, chronic condition.... so I felt alone there also. It was always better to ignore things because they might go away if you did.
The strangest connection came about today. I work with many people, some of who have been at CTE-JHU for a while, others who have been there a short time, like me. For the first time, I made up Christmas Cards and put candy on all of the envelopes. I've not really done this in previous jobs, I'm just so happy to be there, I was caught up in the excitement of the season. The cards I made up were the ones which I purchased from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF). I even put the cards in so when they were pulled out of the envelope, that is what would be seen before the lovely face of the card. It's just my little way of putting it out there to get into people's minds.
Today, one of my co-workers said that she had noticed that my cards were from CFF and she wondered if I supported the charity. I told her that my daughter has it. She smiled and said that she also has Cystic Fibrosis.
WOW!

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is a day to enjoy good food with family and friends and be thankful for what we have. Well, here's how my day has gone and what I'm thankful for:
1) I'm thankful that when my closet door fell off in my hands this morning (yes, reminiscent of the shower doors) that it didn't hit me in the head.
2) I'm thankful that the 2 charges which appeared on my credit card this morning from Lord & Taylor totaling $322.52 are not mine. Hopefully, I will not have to pay for the person who has taken my credit card number and shopped a store that is too expensive for me to afford. That's probably just a pair of pants and a tee-shirt :). I will find out more tomorrow when the billing dispute office is open.....which leads to:
3) I'm thankful that the billing dispute folks at my bank got the day off, thus don't have to worry about the charges on my credit card as I do.
But, MOSTLY.........
4) I'm thankful for Boston Market who were there for me when I needed my tryptophan, carb, and gravy fix to make it through the fun I've had today.....now, let me sleep, Oh Great Chemical Tryptophan!

Monday, October 15, 2007

Enter my insanity, if you please.....

I decided to create this blog because I have too many stories and weird things happen to me to keep them to myself. My guess is these things happen to everyone and I'm not really that unique in this world. I'm just one of the few who tells everyone that these wacky things happen to me. Does that mean the rest of the world doesn't let others in to their insanity? Well, I'm happy to share mine! So, Enter my insanity, if you please........