21 posts tagged “me”

Wow! This must have been one of the fastest weeks of my life! Is that another sign that I'm aging? Because seriously, I do not need another sign. I'm fully aware that I'm on the cusp of decrepitude. It wasn't because I was sick and "out of it" because that was my status beginning just last night. I did however and quite fortunately have a brief respite around lunchtime today which happily coincided with spouse picking me up for lunch and us going to Mongolian Stir Fry. I love that place and we have not been for far too long! It's a very basic premise of grabbing a big bowl and adding ingredients which include a choice of 4 kinds of meat, if you desire, and then countless variations of vegetables and noodles. Then you add special sauces and spices, then pass the bowl to the chef and watch him whip it up on the circular fry area and offer it back to you all ready to eat. There's also an area where you can get additional food choices like vegetable rolls, fresh fruit, and oddly, hush puppies (I love hush puppies!). It was delish and the neato thing is they are very moderately priced.

Anyway, now I am unquestionably sick. Spouse was sick for a week and now he's recovered. My youngest son had a 24-hour bug and he's all good now. Older son claims that all the super charged things he adds to his food and drink will ensure that his immunities will protect him. I held out pretty well I think, given all the crud floating around me but there's no denying now that I'm down for the count.

 

Went to the parent open house tonight. Spouse was crotchety. Most of the teachers seemed excellent. One or two tried too hard but they only have 10 minutes to do their whole spiel.

And we are full into having classes transfer to college credit and taking the test that will spell yay or nay. I'm feeling pressure!

What do you think of this reading list for AP Language and Composition (Junior year high school)?

 

Huck Finn: I like Mark Twain a lot but Huck Finn? Still?

Into the Wild, I realize was liked by many folks but the ending was so sad, I thought. Well written, compelling but I wouldn't read it again.

The Great Gatsby: I was made to read as a senior in high school. I hated it. There was nothing in Gatsby that resonated with me, not the characters, the story, the setting, or Fitzgerald's writing style.

The Things They Carried:  I have no idea about this book. I will though as we are buying it.

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest: Like it muchly. Have read it more than once.

Welcome To The Monkey House: Haven't read it. I'm not a huge fan of Vonnegut. I realize some people hold him in god-like regard.

Death Of A Salesman: Would rather see it staged--though I read it on my own.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recommended books were Ava's Man (not heard of it)

Ethan Frome (I'd need to re-read it to render an opinion).

The Awakening: haven't read this or the rest of the as I'm not a regular book reader.

 

The Glass Castle

When The World Was Young

Gang Leader For A Day

 

 

 

 

A well-made groin. (above–the rock thingy). Spouse just kept at it until he couldn’t doing anything else to it.

First, hello officially from the US.

It was so perfectly beautiful.

I went to Maple Lake three times between June and September 2008, staying for 4 weeks straight in July/August plus two extra long weekends. My original plan involved staying up to two months but by late May my son had decided to take Driver’s Education over the summer as there was no room in his academic schedule during the regular school year. Plus, the class is offered at about half the going rate(or less) than traditional driving schools.  Last summer he took Health Education and something else. Killed summer vacation dates then, too. But as a wise person recently pointed out, in only a short while he’ll be away at college! I’ll miss him terribly but the cottage is much more likely to be occupied by me and spouse is *cough* getting older and accruing some good vacation time–so he can stay awhile as well. He very much likes it which I think is kinda cute as he married into summering on Maple Lake.

***Don’t miss the last photo. It’s the best.

Spouse working doing stuff at the Lake.

 

Spouse removed an old stump and planted a patch of grass where it had been. That patch is now known as the best patch of grass on the property. LOL

 Ack! Tried to find a cool older (5 years ago) photo for comparison. It’s pretty amusing but I’ve used three PC’s in the last week and I’m not even sure which one they are are on–just which one they are not on. So… more later.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to Alice and Frank and my Dad (pictured, age 2 months) and my Mom for picking my Dad.

Frank, holding 2 mo. old Jim, Alice

I love how well this photo cleaned up (and yes, I know I could have done a better job) . My grandmother looks so pretty and, for the very first time I can see the same jawline on my grandfather, Frank as that of my Dad (and me to a degree). Very interesting and fun to know.

 

 

 well-made groin. (above–the rock thingy). Spouse just kept at it until he couldn’t doing anything else to it.

First, hello officially from the US.

It was so perfectly beautiful.

I went to Maple Lake three times between June and September 2008, staying for 4 weeks straight in July/August plus two extra long weekends. My original plan involved staying up to two months but by late May my son had decided to take Driver’s Education at Fremd High School over the summer as there was no room in his academic schedule during the regular school year. Plus, the class is offered at about half the going (or less) than traditional driving schools.  Last summer he took Health Education and something else. Killed summer vacation dates then, too. But as a wise person recently pointed out, in only a short while he’ll be away at college! I’ll miss him terribly but the cottage is much more likely to be occupied by me and spouse is *cough* getting older and accruing some good vacation time–so he can stay awhile as well. He very much likes it which I think is kinda cute as he married into summering on Maple Lake.

***Don’t miss the last photo. It’s the best.

Spouse working doing stuff at the Lake.

 

Spouse removed an old stump and planted a patch of grass where it had been. That patch is now known as the best patch of grass on the property. LOL

 Ack! Tried to find a cool older (5 years ago) photo for comparison. It’s pretty amusing but I’ve used three PC’s in the last week and I’m not even sure which one they are are on–just which one they are not on. So… more later.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to Alice and Frank and my Dad (pictured, age 2 months) and my Mom for picking my Dad.

Frank, holding 2 mo. old Jim, Alice

I love how well this photo cleaned up (and yes, I know I could have done a better job) . My grandmother looks so pretty and, for the very first time I can see the same jawline on my grandfather, Frank as that of my Dad (and me to a degree). Very interesting and fun to know.

Hey There!
Apologies that I've been MIA. 'Suppose it's pretty egotistical to think anyone noticed.
Sorry too that I had my message notification off--I have no idea how I did that.

After about a week here I realized just how much dedication it takes to be a good Voxer and since I hate to do anything half-assed I decided to truly be on vacation--as it relates to Vox anyway.
I have truly missed a number of you and I hope that you are better than well.

With much affection,
Cyn

P.S. Sorry for the post spam.
These are cut and pastes from a couple other sites that I do paid posting on--these are the freebies. ;)
Comments are off on them as I'll feel compelled to answer--or more likely, feel guilty when I don't.
C.

 

Torbay Cottage, North Bay~

Well folks, it’s t-minus about 64 hours and the clock is ticking down to my momentous leave of my entire family for a week at Maple Lake (they’ll join me for three more weeks at the end of week one).

It’s a bit unnerving and I can feel the anxiety starting to creep in–not about a week alone (are you kidding?–nirvana!) but of leaving the guys behind. With the youngest being almost 16 y.o. no one really needs me but I’m a control freak so I’m completely beside myself that they’ll forget to do all the things that I always do–and then what? Probably no big disaster–but tell my itchy brain that!

My main concern is the additional three weeks when spouse and younger son and our dog, Raven will join me at the lake. I’m afraid that eldest son, who does not have the vacation time to use so is staying here, will let my plants die.

I should be getting anxious about the near-700 mile drive there–but I’m not as I’ve done it so often–either alone or with a kid or two.

Moving along.

I stopped by Maple Lake Ontario  today to check on the weather and the bugs and before doing so I checked on the the sun setting in Ontario and what a beautiful sunset it was!

I have a number of really pretty sunset web shots to share, then long-range weather, then bug forecast.

*About the webcam shots. It’s quite hard to obtain a good webcam shot due to factors including that most webcams are outside so the lenses get dirty, the webcam gets skewed to a strange angle, and bug juice collects. What I do is grab the shot and most times or in the case of the Dorset and Haliburton webcams, always clean them up and try to bring out as natural a photo image as I can.

Kincardine Harbour~ from Lighthouse One

Kincardine Channel overlooking the Penetangore River which connects to Lake Huron.

Silver Lake Resort~

Dorset Sunset, July 15~

Haliburton Sunset (enhanced)~

Once again the goofy neon car image at the top right area is where the road turns sharply, avoiding a plunge into Head Lake. I used to love going around that as a kid. Still do.

Extended Weather Prediction for West Guilford:

That looks really good to me!

Hrm. Don’t forget your DEET!

Karen tagged me. The instructions are to summarize my life in a six word memoir, with optional photo illustration and to tag six others but y'all have already done yours. Feel free to do another! 

"I want to live in Disneyland."

This is me in front of Jack Sparrow's throne (Pirates of the Caribbean II). The lady working there took the pic. Everyone  in Disneyland is nice. I enjoy behaving like a 10 year-old in a place where it's OK to do so. It's sort of freakish, I know. And now you do, too.

 

Show us the person you'd most like to switch bodies and lives with for one freaky Friday.

 

Cindy, age 20, Maple Lake, Ontario

My 20-year-old self. She needed to have a good talking to. ;)

Seriously, I'm not desirous of going to back to do things differently but it would be interesting to compare where my line of thinking was going compared with today. In some ways "we" seem like completely different people. And I suppose that's how it should be.

Despite having been on my own for two years by the time this photo was taken, I was still acting as a child when I reflect back on the cascade of disastrous choices I made. Regrets? No. But a desire to get perspective, which is impossible from this standpoint of time seperation--that would be enlightening.

What's the one thing you're most neurotic about?

Ack!

Again with this picking only one!

OK. I'd say the one thing that gets under my skin in the most irrational and uncontrollable way is my complete overreaction to stains. Stains on clothing, furniture, THE CARPET, even non-stain stains like water marks on the  faucet and sink handles. Stains on people's faces are icky as well.

Stains do not belong. The worst stains are the ones that I discover on my clothes when I'm in a public place where I cannot do anything to remedy the situation.

Why do I feel so strongly about stains? In a nutshell they say "dirty," "unkempt," "has no regard for her appearance." or in the case of my house, no regard for it's appearance. Or in the case of my children, no regard for their appearance or my spouse, well you get the picture.

When did I become such a neurotic freak about stains? During my childhood of course! Why? A parent of mine is exactly the same way and made a huge hairy deal about anyone having stains on their clothes at any time. And the other parent seemed to never wear a shirt that wasn't stained, driving parent number one into near fits.

Yes. I'm scarred for life and oh crap, a scar is like a stain that won't go away--only worse!

Well, this is day nine of what is confirmed to be “the flu.” I prefer to think of it as “a” flu as I was vaccinated against “the flu” and I don’t want to think that the vaccination was for naught.

Regardless, if you are unfortunate enough to be wondering if you too have The Flu here’s a rundown of how it’s progressed.

Days 1 and 2: tiredness, general feeling of being run down, beginning of clear runny nose. Headache. Slight nausea.

Day 3: Nose is now running literally like a tap. If you remove the tissue in your hand that you’ve being steadily wiping your nose with–even for a moment–your nose will run into your mouth. At first this will gross you out. Then, as you develop more symptoms it becomes merely annoying. The headache and  nausea continue.

End of Day 3: Your upper lip begins chapping, your nostrils as well, you develop a non productive cough, you are still feeling run down and it’s getting worse. By evening you are bedridden. You have hot and cold spells. Your cough deepens and you begin to hack up mucus. Your nose is slowing down a bit on the running and instead you are getting very congested. You sweetly (though your voice comes out like a growl) ask spouse after a very rough night if he will get the the following: Robitussin Cough DM, Vick’s VapoRub, Tylenol, chicken soup, and before he does all that would he make you a cup of tea because you’ve become averse to all things cold. Headache comes and goes. Nausea under control as long as you are  flat on your back.

Day 4: Your head is clogged up–one ear closes but your nose still runs. You go through massive quantities of Kleenex. You test your sense of smell by trying to smell the (usually very pungent) VapoRub. You smell nothing. Your deep cough continues but the Robitussin is helping you get some rest. You are still very weak. Your upper lip has turned hard and crust-like. You decide in a moment of impetuousness to peel it off. The next morning you look in the mirror and see that you are missing the top part of your upper lip. Both ears and sinuses are completely stuffed. Your head aches. You smell and taste nothing. Thank god for texture. You don’t get around to showering this day and you don’t care.

Day 5: You continue what has now become ritual, Robitussin every four hours (you are not even dismayed that it has started to taste good), slathering on of VapoRub on your neck and upper chest. It has a very faint aroma. Your stuffy ears are hurting so you take Tylenol. Your nostrils welcome the periodic slathering of fish-oil ointment to sooth and keep them somewhat healed. Blistex is coated on your lips twice as often as the fish-oil cream ‘cos it comes off faster. You still have zero energy. It is horribly cold outside and your next-to-the window bedside position provokes you to burrow further into the covers. All cold things are yucky, including water. Earl Grey Tea tastes (feels) wonderful and provides a level of comfort. Your energy level hasn’t changed. It is still non-existent.

Day 6: Very much like Day 5 except that after attempting to act like a family member and joining them for a chili dinner you regret it later when you find yourself writhing on the floor in agony, forehead beaded with sweat. You wish you’d had the chicken soup. Your younger son comes to your bedroom door to say goodnight. From your fetal position on the floor you growl in what passes for your voice that you are having “an issue” at the moment. After about an hour of writhing the pain subsides enough that you can swallow a couple more Tylenol. You have a miserable night wondering if the stabby pain is from a strained muscle from coughing, from the chili, or worse case, something new--  maybe an issue with an ovary? Oh please, don’t let it be an ovary.

Day 7: You are trying to get caught up with computer-related stuff and for a brief couple of seconds it’s as if a small wind tunnel has opened in your left ear. Then it closes. You have a slight increase in energy but your cough w/ phlegm is still in full force, all things sinus and ear-related are plugged. You still slather on VapoRub though you can smell it a bit more pungently if you inhale it deeply from the jar. You do this several times to prove that something is functioning.

Day 8: You have not stepped outside your home since this started but you have a Cardiologist’s appointment today that you’ve already rescheduled once. You seem slightly better so you decide to go. The waiting room has only people old enough to be your parents in it–plus 2 women waiting on their elderly father and they too, are older than you.

The two women’s incessant chatting is only mildly annoying as both your ears remain plugged.

This is only the second time you’ve been to this doctor–a heart failure specialist. The guy you’d seen for years moved away and referred you to him.

His office has converted to new technology as of the 1st of ‘08 and he needs a nurse to walk him through accessing my info. My numbers are “great.” (He had ordered up a battery of tests including a sleep study upon our first meeting.) My blood pressure is high-normal. I suggest that my being sick is most likely the contributing factor but he’s having none of it.

He begins to tell me everything I already know. I could/should lose weight (though I’ve dropped a couple pounds since last visit) He asks me the most insane question ever. What do I want to weigh? I want to LOL. I’ve been “a big girl” All My Life. I typically put on 5-10 lbs. each winter and then take it off in the spring summer. Very much like the bears. Even so, I should probably lose another 20 pounds on top of that but him having me keep a “weight diary” is not going to do it because I’ve tried that oh, 20 times before and it worked and then when I stopped keeping the diary because it is an obsessive behaviour which I couldn’t stand–when I stopped being on a diet my weight came back. Can we go back to how my numbers are great?

He blathers on. He knows nothing about the mentality of a fat girl though I catch a sympathetic look from the nurse that is still with us in the room. Here in the dead of winter having not exercised in over a week I weigh four pounds more than I did when I took off forty pounds ten years ago. I did that because I was newly into heart failure and radically changed my diet from typical American to low sodium and fairly low fat.

Mr. Fancy Heart Specialist Guy has no idea about how much I have obsessed about my weight in my lifetime. About how devoted I am about sticking to the low salt/fat thing and regular exercise. He just dispenses his “wisdom” like Pez candy. Specialist: stick to your area of expertise because when you wander away from it you sound like a stoopid-head and you offend me. I know I should drop more weight. I will continue to work on it every day for the rest of my life. Can I go now?

Day 9: Today. My ears hurt. My nose still runs, I still have the cough with phlegm. I am getting energy back–for housework–ta-da! I have some dizziness which has been the norm throughout this adventure and which I blame on equilibrium issues due to the clogged ears.

Mr. Heart Failure Specialist Guy answered my question on Day 8 about if there exists any decongestants that are safe to take with my heart meds (he cannot remember the name of the chemical I should avoid) by telling me “not Sudafed,” and that I should talk to my pharmacist because that’s what he gets paid paid for. Pharmacist is helpful. I get home and read the box–for which I was carded(!) and it’s a generic which proudly touts it’s similarity to…Sudafed. I take it. I get a crushing headache and have the feeling that my skull is being squeezed.