Distracted/OCD

So I've been a little distracted this week. I finally got my 3G iphone and I've spent two days playing with it non-stop - I'm hooked. In fact I've gotten a little compulsive about it. Now that I think about it I've been a little obsessive-compulsive about a few things...

I got an email last week with an offer to join the Disney Movie Club - so I did. I ended up buying about 15 movies in 3 different orders. I made the initial purchase and then received an email with a 25% off offer - so I bought a few more. Then, at checkout got a 20% off coupon...etc, etc. By then end of it all I'd made a few purchases - and some obscure selections as well.

I got it in my head last week that I had to have a Bowflex - I bought one Sunday. I also decided last week that I needed to start a Medical Transcriptionist training program to bring in extra money - so I did. My bank account isn't too happy with me - which became another source of obsession yesterday. I couldn't stop messing with my budget.

I'm starting to recognize these little episodes, but couldn't figure out why my OCD had increased so much. Then, I remembered. When my shrink put me on the medication for Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS), he warned me to watch out for increased obsessive-compulsive behavior. It's apparently a pretty common side effect and with my predisposition for compulsive behavior he thought he should warn me. Now that I've connected it to something and have realized I'm doing it, I can try to control it more. The medication is working, so I'd rather learn how to cope with the OCD.

Someone's needy...

This is Luvie. She's always needy, but today she's extra needy. And when Luvie decides that she needs to be loved on, all work comes to a standstill.

Carved in Stone

Well, it's official. My grandmother really is gone. It's as though I've been able to ignore the fact - or I've done my best at least.

Mark is going to go with me in a couple of weeks for a turnaround trip. I want to show him some of the antiques, check out the cemetery, and show him where part of me is rooted...God help him!

My mom sent me these pictures today that were taken after her headstone was installed. While it's sad, and hard to believe still, I had to smile. She was so proud of her place in the cemetery. She was in a blood battle with one of her brothers for that spot in the family plot. He finally gave in - as long as she went first.

About 5 years ago at her youngest sister's funeral she came up to me and whispered for me to go with her somewhere. We walked over about 10 feet and she pointed down with a big smile on her face - there was a little granite grave marker with her name on it. It was official - the spot was hers. She was so proud. I, on the other hand, was not amused. Now, looking back on it and all of the jokes and comments about "when I die you'll have to drag my body up this steep hill," etc, I think it helped to have been able to laugh with her about it all.

This is just another step in the grieving. The weirdest part is that it just made me realize how much I've been in denial about it all. I still don't feel like I can think about it emotionally - it's all very detached in my head still.

Quick Post

Ok, a very quick post because I'm crazy busy at work this week. We have two people out today and when you only have six to start with, that makes a big difference. And one of them is the warehouse guy which means I get to spend time today loading people's trucks in a 115 degree warehouse - in addition to my already full workload.

But enough bitching...I have to post a picture per Mark's instructions. If I don't do what he says he beats me, so here's a picture of me sitting at my desk this morning...



WOW! That's about as bad a picture as I can take...I look like shit - sorry about that. I need more sleep, I think!

Time to get serious...

It's time to continue with the further adventures of my weight gain and loss. Most people, if they're going to, gain weight in the winter. Not me. I tend to gain weight in the summer. I think it's because I spend so much time inside under air conditioning. I went to buy clothes last week and realized I was looking to larger sizes again. I promised myself never to go down that road again and I meant it.

I've gained about 15 pounds and I'm stopping it there. Some of my favorite clothes are getting lonely because slowly over the past few months they've been fitting less and less and I just can't wear them right now. It's depressing - I was in such a good place with my weight for awhile and I've let it go...so this morning is the start of counting points again. I brought my WW points counter to work with me and am cracking down. The nice thing about counting points is that it becomes a challenge to me. I get very focused - almost like it's a puzzle to work through.

Wish me luck...

I've converted

I've finally converted. I went to AT&T yesterday and ordered my 3G iphone. It'll take about 10-20 days to arrive. It's a long time to wait for a new toy, but I was tired of hunting one down and really hated the prospect of waiting on line for hours in 100 degree weather. This way I know I have one.

I'm switching my service from T-Mobile so I had to have a credit check - a regular source of anxiety. I guess cleaning up my credit is paying off. For the first time ever I was able to get a cellular account without needing a deposit! It was very exciting.

New JibJab Cartoon

The guys at JibJab have done it again. Here's their latest:




If you are having trouble viewing, click here.

George Michael - 25Live

Last night was probably the best concert I've ever seen - at least for the time he was on stage. My only complaints - and they were quickly forgiven - are that our tickets stated "8:00pm Prompt." I don't know what's prompt about and 8:50 start. I was getting a little annoyed. Then, after about 45 min to an hour, he said "Back in 20." and took off. The lights came up and a 20 min countdown appeared on the screen. Other than that he left nothing to complain about.

I sat in between probably the two biggest GM fans there are - Mark on one side and a very closeted Marine on the other side. They were both talking about the other cities on the tour and comparing how it was so far compared to his European tour. Through the entire concert they were both guessing aloud the next song. I have to admit it was a lot of fun sitting with the two of them.

Oh, there was another negative that had nothing whatsoever to do with George. We had an obnoxious George impersonator sitting at the end of our row. He was obnoxiously British - continually talking through the show, drunk off his ass, horrible body odor that I could smell 6 people down from him, confrontational, and I think he actually believed he was George. Sad.

All of that aside - the show was amazing! George's voice was amazing and he had all of his old moves. He sang songs for us that weren't on the European tour and one song that he had never sung onstage - it was the first song he'd ever written...when he was 8. He definitely made up for the tardiness and the 20 minute break. He had a couple of encores and ended the show with "Freedom".

I have to say, there are two songs I couldn't believe he left out - "I Want Your Sex" and "Monkey", but I'm not one to complain...I think I'm still in shock over the fact that after waiting for so long, I finally got to see him in concert!

Read a more professional review here...

A New Pill

For several years now I've had Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS), but didn't know that it was actually a medical condition that's treatable. I just always figured it was poor circulation or something. It is annoying as hell and the only thing that seemed to help was to get up and move around...unfortunately that can be a little difficult to deal with when you're trying to sleep.

So, the doc prescribed Mirapex. It was actually developed for Parkinson's, but they discovered it also relieved RLS. I took my first one last night along with my normal regimen, which includes a pill to help me relax and sleep. All I have to say is that I don't have to take the sleeping pill anymore. I was dead to the world - and am still feeling groggy and drugged.

I went on the drug's website and actually laughed when I read some of the warnings. I discussed it all with my doc, but reading the actual warning just struck me as funny...

"MIRAPEX may cause you to fall asleep without any warning, even while doing normal daily activities, such as driving. When taking MIRAPEX, hallucinations may occur and sometimes you may feel dizzy, sweaty or nauseated upon standing up. The most common side effects in clinical trials for RLS were nausea, headache, and tiredness. You should talk with your doctor if you experience these problems.

Patients and caregivers should be informed that impulse control disorders/compulsive behaviors may occur while taking medicines, including pramipexole, to treat Parkinson's disease and RLS."

Fun, huh? Don't worry about the falling asleep without warning thing - that's why I take it at night. At least, I hope I don't have to worry about it during the day...that would suck - I like to drive too much...

Goodbye Cherie

This is about an 8 or 9 year old picture of Cherie, so I apologize for the quality. I couldn't find any of my current pictures. Anyway, Cherie is one of our showroom cats. Today we came in to work and she was struggling to breathe. After a trip to the vet and some x-rays it was determined that she either had cancer or fluid putting a lot of pressure on her lungs. The vet said that she had only a few days to live, if that. It was decided that we needed to let her go.

She came back to the showroom for the afternoon and different customers, former employees, mailmen, etc came by to say their good-byes. By this point she didn't have much left in her which was bizarre to see. She was the dominant cat with a very strong personality who usually was the one chasing after the smallest cat, Julia. Well, today Julia walked right up to her and Cherie did nothing...not that she didn't want to, she just didn't have the energy or strength. It was sad.

So, she's on her way to Kitty Heaven tonight. It'll be sad and a little quieter around here for awhile. We've had 5 cats for about 3 years now. Now, we'll be down to 4 (one of which is 18 and another that's 15). I just hope this isn't a little trend with the kitties around here.

Something's in the air...

Well, to start, I know I didn't write anything about Disneyland yet. Not a lot to say other than it was the perfect vacation. We were relaxed, had a great time, there were no glitches (because we're both very anal about travelling), no arguments - nothing negative. The only thing that didn't work out as planned is that on our return flight we landed at the airport at 12:02am instead of 11:50pm. Not too shabby for a 4 night, 5 day trip! Last night Mark selected about 200 pictures of the almost 900 that were taken. They've been uploaded, but he's still working on them. We are both still working on uploading videos of parades and fireworks.

Regarding the "Something's in the air..." thing, I was asleep by 11 last night (usually 12:30 or 1:00) and was up at 5am - no alarm, just woke up. I got up, showered, and put together a pot roast that should be done about the time I get home today. Now I'm sitting here, drinking coffee and writing and it isn't even 7:00 yet. I have a shrink appointment at 8:00, so I'll be heading out soon...

I just love getting so much done so early!

DISNEYLAND here we come!

It's going to be really hard for anyone to break my mood or remove the grin from my face today. In less than 24 hours, Mark and I will be on our flight to Anaheim. The past few days we've been watching Disney movies and behind-the-scenes documentaries gearing up. We're both Disney dorks, but at least we know it.

When we were there in February we both just kept saying how we wished we could just stay there. We weren't ready to leave at the end of the day. Well, this time it's just the two of us and we can stay as long as we want and not just for one day, but for four full days! What I love about that is that you can pretty much do everything in 2 days, but this will give us a chance to do a lot of wandering and just take our time.

There's something about being there that makes me relaxed and happy. I enjoy running around and riding everything, but I also enjoy just sitting and watching people, enjoying the environment. It's just so comfortable.

Today is going to be one big countdown. I don't think I'll sleep very well tonight. Mark is right, I'm like that dad in the Disney commercials that can't sleep the night before.

Something Stupid This Way Comes...

There's something in the air or water that's spreading. It started yesterday morning bright and early and is continuing to grow like a tumor. What is it you may ask? I have no freakin idea, but it's making people stupid.

Every phone call was some weird or unusual request or problem, usually having to do with someone's stupidity. Don't get me wrong, they weren't all based on incompetence. Some were just bizarre and unusual or simply just a pain in the ass. At first I figured it was just me and my negative attitude - nothing new. Then I started listening in on other people's conversations.

I realized that this thing was becoming an epidemic. We all found ourselves repeatedly instructing people how to fill out forms or how to install certain things (even though these were experienced installers with detailed installation instructions.) And regarding the forms - if blanks like "Address", "Visa or MC", or "Name" on a form throw you off you should probably go back to bed. It was like suddenly overnight people's IQ's had dropped suddenly. Just bizarre.

And it continued today. My first phone call was an issue I'd never heard of, nor anyone else in our showroom or at our supplier had heard of either. In talking to other people we realized that this was spreading much further than first thought. Pretty much everyone I've spoken to has had a bizarre couple of days. Not anything crazy, but subtle things that kinda make you pause and say, "Really?"

By 9:30 this morning we were all already eye-balling the bottle of Patron in the cabinet...mmm...Patron... my mouth is watering.