My goddamn ovaries hate me. Seriously, I think these two little olive shaped vessels of life bearing fruit seem to be plotting against my very being from within my abdomen. I don't know what I did to them to make them so desireous of this coupe de gras. Was it because I oppressed them with my birth control? I wasn't sexually active enough to make them feel validated?
*sigh*
So, we all recall that little BOOM that happened most recently. Yea, the good ol "Hey, let's take an ambulance and freak out the neighbors!" day. My doc had put me on a hormone controlling birth control pill in hopes that it would stop my ovulation cycle. I mean, that is what BC is supposed to do. It took seemingly forever for the remaining cyst to finally let go of it's tenuous deathgrip on my side (in reality, two more weeks of discomfort, but it's my blog, so I can embellish all I want). When my new and improved cycle was to begin, needless to say, I was on pins and needles. I got through one pack ok, and started to feel a false sense of relief. Baha. Life just DOESN'T work that way.
Into the third week, where I would normally be going through an ovulation cycle, I started feeling the pains of impending doom. Luckily, I had a few days off, and immediately rang the good doctor up. He scheduled an ultrasound for the next day, and I waited semi-patiently to see what my fate would hold. My darling Shea and her hubby headed up to watch the wee one while I got the joyous experience of getting an ultrasound. Haven't had one? Oh, let me give you an idea...
Laying on a cold table with your pants pulled down to underneith your special bits, a nurse with very cold hands squeezes an unneccessarily large amount of a clear goo onto your belly. She then proceeds to rub a giant nozzle that looks like a vaccum attachment over your belly and hrm and haw. This process is uncomfortable, especially because you have to go in with a full bladder, which she is currently grinding said wand of awkwardness into.
Then comes the fun part..."Go drain your bladder so we can do the internal one now". Yes, this is as bad as it sounds. This second half of torture involves no bottom clothing, more goop, and a new magic wand which would make John Holmes start having feelings of inadequacy. Thankfully enough, it comes with a condom! *shudder*
So, she finds a 'mass' and I proceed to try NOT hyperventalating over the C word. Shea tried to keep me preoccupied the rest of the day. Finally I get the call that said 'mass' was yet another cyst, one that had recently ruptured, presumably when I started feeling the initial pains. The only thing we can do is immediately change the hormone dosage I am on and cross our fingers. As shitty as this news is, at least it's not what it could've been. My last biopsy in that general area was dreadful, I was not looking forward to a round two.
Guh. For every guy who complains about being male because he has to try and deal with the feminine persuasion, please know that THIS shit is what we deal with by being the womb-bearing ones. Blergh.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
A Day gone wrong
As a working mother, a sense of routine is vital. If I don't have a set plan for the day, things can fall quickly to shit before I have time to right it. As I work nights, and Rick works days, all of the household woes fall onto my shoulders, as I am the one home for a few hours in the daytime to deal with them. Let's take a peak into last Monday and see just what can go wrong with a life...
9AM wake up to Anthony on the monitor saying "mommmmmmmma....momma? HI! mumumumumumumuma.."
10AM after a bottle for him and a cup of coffee for me, we've already read every book on his shelf in the living room (this is done by him randomly grabbing one, scampering over to me on the couch, scootching up onto my lap giggling hysterically, and holding it up. He'll turn each page, sometimes babbling along with the words he knows, then immediately wriggling down, grabbing the next, and so on and so on). I usually attempt breakfast at this point.
11AM get our butts ready for teh day. Iron my work clothes, wrestle him into warmer clothes for the commute, do my hair and makeup, etc. This process never used to take an hour, but now it's usually dotted with peeling him off the sofa, or chasing him with one sock and a jacket.
12pm toss lil one in the stroller, grab my bag, and trot up to bus stop number 1. Bus arrives, pull him out of stroller, fold it up, juggle child, stroller, and bag while climbing onto the bus with my buspass in my mouth. Find a seat.
12:15 get off at stop number 2, wait fifteen minutes, repeat juggling act.
12:45 arrive in downtown edmonds, wrestle baby back into stroller. trot up to babysitters...
NOW THIS IS WHERE IT GETS INTERESTING...
normally, I drop him off, grab coffee, climb onto third bus of the day and head up to work. I'll do my thing until 9, ride the bus or weasel a ride from a coworker, and that's my day. but...
12:52 realize babysitter is AWOL. No answer at the door, no answer on the phone. Attempt not to panic, trot back up the street to my coffee shop and grab a cup, patiently waiting for her to arrive from the great beyond she has seemingly disappeared into. Call and leave a message for her to call when she walks in the door so I am not late for work.
1:12 realize I have now missed the bus to work, still no babysitter. Call work, let them know I may be a bit late, still hoping babysitter just got hung up on an errand.
1:38 about to miss second bus. Anthony is now cranky, tired, and hungry, not to mention emitting the dreadful smell of a soiled diaper. Call Rick, ask if still missing babysitter said anything ominous on Friday when he picked wee one up.
"Oh, well she asked if you were going to call over the weekend with your schedule"
"...and you were going to pass on this message...when?"
"well, since it never changes, she should've assumed you'd be there on Monday at 1"
"Nice theory."
At this point, I give up on having a responsible and thoughtful babysitter that could've possibly surmised my schedule hadn't changed, and drag little one back on the two busses back home. I inform Rick he needs to scurry home ASAP, as I am now late for work, and need to await his arrival at the homestead so that I may get back to my store sans lil one. Call boss and woefully explain situation. Praise heavens that he is an understanding lad.
2:30 arrive home to discover electricity has been shut off due to nonpayment of bill. My house is frigid because the thermostat runs on electricity, and my son has a hacking cough from being out in the cold this whole time. Rick doesn't answer his phone.
Frantically call mom, beg her to pay the bill and the emergency turn on fee (or risk going without heat overnight). Realize I have no way of paying her back. Yay for racking up yet another debt with my family. Patiently await the power guy to show up and flip the switch, attempt putting a very cranky son down for a nap, and hope that Rick gets home in a timely fashion so that I don't miss too much work.
7:00pm Rick decides to actually come home, scurry me to work so that I may close the store and face the possible wrath of my boss for being 5 goddamn hours late.
9:00pm close up shop, walk to bus, with little black rainclouds dancing over my head.
9:48 take bus home, walk up from stop to my house. Check voicemail and get snippy response from babysitter to all my frantic calls from earlier. As she didn't hear from me over the weekend, she assumed I wasn't dropping Anthony off, so decided to have herself a day out, without actually calling to check and see if I maybe was too damn busy to call (or wasn't told by extremely negligent hubster).
Realize I now need to find alternative daycare, which will probably cost almost more than I make per hour. Fume at husband for not paying bills he swore were taken care of.
Fume at husband for not telling me the truth about what his new job's work schedule actually is.
Fume at world for seemingly throwing every obstacle possible into the life of a working mother.
9AM wake up to Anthony on the monitor saying "mommmmmmmma....momma? HI! mumumumumumumuma.."
10AM after a bottle for him and a cup of coffee for me, we've already read every book on his shelf in the living room (this is done by him randomly grabbing one, scampering over to me on the couch, scootching up onto my lap giggling hysterically, and holding it up. He'll turn each page, sometimes babbling along with the words he knows, then immediately wriggling down, grabbing the next, and so on and so on). I usually attempt breakfast at this point.
11AM get our butts ready for teh day. Iron my work clothes, wrestle him into warmer clothes for the commute, do my hair and makeup, etc. This process never used to take an hour, but now it's usually dotted with peeling him off the sofa, or chasing him with one sock and a jacket.
12pm toss lil one in the stroller, grab my bag, and trot up to bus stop number 1. Bus arrives, pull him out of stroller, fold it up, juggle child, stroller, and bag while climbing onto the bus with my buspass in my mouth. Find a seat.
12:15 get off at stop number 2, wait fifteen minutes, repeat juggling act.
12:45 arrive in downtown edmonds, wrestle baby back into stroller. trot up to babysitters...
NOW THIS IS WHERE IT GETS INTERESTING...
normally, I drop him off, grab coffee, climb onto third bus of the day and head up to work. I'll do my thing until 9, ride the bus or weasel a ride from a coworker, and that's my day. but...
12:52 realize babysitter is AWOL. No answer at the door, no answer on the phone. Attempt not to panic, trot back up the street to my coffee shop and grab a cup, patiently waiting for her to arrive from the great beyond she has seemingly disappeared into. Call and leave a message for her to call when she walks in the door so I am not late for work.
1:12 realize I have now missed the bus to work, still no babysitter. Call work, let them know I may be a bit late, still hoping babysitter just got hung up on an errand.
1:38 about to miss second bus. Anthony is now cranky, tired, and hungry, not to mention emitting the dreadful smell of a soiled diaper. Call Rick, ask if still missing babysitter said anything ominous on Friday when he picked wee one up.
"Oh, well she asked if you were going to call over the weekend with your schedule"
"...and you were going to pass on this message...when?"
"well, since it never changes, she should've assumed you'd be there on Monday at 1"
"Nice theory."
At this point, I give up on having a responsible and thoughtful babysitter that could've possibly surmised my schedule hadn't changed, and drag little one back on the two busses back home. I inform Rick he needs to scurry home ASAP, as I am now late for work, and need to await his arrival at the homestead so that I may get back to my store sans lil one. Call boss and woefully explain situation. Praise heavens that he is an understanding lad.
2:30 arrive home to discover electricity has been shut off due to nonpayment of bill. My house is frigid because the thermostat runs on electricity, and my son has a hacking cough from being out in the cold this whole time. Rick doesn't answer his phone.
Frantically call mom, beg her to pay the bill and the emergency turn on fee (or risk going without heat overnight). Realize I have no way of paying her back. Yay for racking up yet another debt with my family. Patiently await the power guy to show up and flip the switch, attempt putting a very cranky son down for a nap, and hope that Rick gets home in a timely fashion so that I don't miss too much work.
7:00pm Rick decides to actually come home, scurry me to work so that I may close the store and face the possible wrath of my boss for being 5 goddamn hours late.
9:00pm close up shop, walk to bus, with little black rainclouds dancing over my head.
9:48 take bus home, walk up from stop to my house. Check voicemail and get snippy response from babysitter to all my frantic calls from earlier. As she didn't hear from me over the weekend, she assumed I wasn't dropping Anthony off, so decided to have herself a day out, without actually calling to check and see if I maybe was too damn busy to call (or wasn't told by extremely negligent hubster).
Realize I now need to find alternative daycare, which will probably cost almost more than I make per hour. Fume at husband for not paying bills he swore were taken care of.
Fume at husband for not telling me the truth about what his new job's work schedule actually is.
Fume at world for seemingly throwing every obstacle possible into the life of a working mother.
Friday, February 10, 2006
Where TVs go when they die
not surprisingly, a vast amount of people don't know how to properly dispose of electronic components that have broken in their home. I've seen many a computer monitor on the side of the road, or old broken TVs. Working for an electronics store, I've had countless people say "I just took my old TV to the dump..." and had to swallow my horror as I grudgingly go sell them a new one.
Since I'd LIKE to think that the lovely people who read this blog are smart, educated, and a bit more clued in to what harmful waste this is, please allow me to repost an e-alert I received from a local environmental group. Please, this one is an important one! it will only take a few minutes of your time to write your local rep, they've set up a very easy form on their website!
----------------------------------------------------------
The environmental community, retailers, charities and a major computer manufacturer are working together to promote legislation for responsible electronics recycling. Now is a critical time for this legislation, which will provide people with a safe, free and simple way to recycle their computers and televisions. Please take one minute today to ask your legislators to support this bill.
http://actionstudio.org/?go=2025
Background
Washington State has a rapidly growing electronic waste problem. Millions of unwanted computers, monitors and TVs are piling up in our homes, schools, and offices. Each year, these obsolete electronics turn into millions of pounds of "e-waste" containing lead, mercury and other toxic substances that need special handling. E-waste also contains metals and other materials that can be recycled into new products.
The legislation (SSB 6428 / SHB 2662) will give people a simple, free and safe way of recycling their old computers and TVs. The E-waste Shared Responsibility bill would create a statewide electronics recycling system, established and paid for by the manufacturers of electronic equipment, with retailers and others voluntarily serving as collection points. The legislation links electronics recycling with electronics manufacturing, allowing manufacturers to save money as they reduce their use of toxic materials.
The bill has the support of Hewlett Packard, the Washington Retail Association, Goodwill of Seattle and Tacoma, many local governments and the environmental community. However, we are facing strong opposition from a number of manufacturers. We need your help to let legislators know that you care about this important issue.
Please email your legislators today and make your voice heard!
http://actionstudio.org/?go=2025
For more information on e-waste, please see: http://www.WasteNotWashington.org
Since I'd LIKE to think that the lovely people who read this blog are smart, educated, and a bit more clued in to what harmful waste this is, please allow me to repost an e-alert I received from a local environmental group. Please, this one is an important one! it will only take a few minutes of your time to write your local rep, they've set up a very easy form on their website!
----------------------------------------------------------
The environmental community, retailers, charities and a major computer manufacturer are working together to promote legislation for responsible electronics recycling. Now is a critical time for this legislation, which will provide people with a safe, free and simple way to recycle their computers and televisions. Please take one minute today to ask your legislators to support this bill.
http://actionstudio.org/?go=2025
Background
Washington State has a rapidly growing electronic waste problem. Millions of unwanted computers, monitors and TVs are piling up in our homes, schools, and offices. Each year, these obsolete electronics turn into millions of pounds of "e-waste" containing lead, mercury and other toxic substances that need special handling. E-waste also contains metals and other materials that can be recycled into new products.
The legislation (SSB 6428 / SHB 2662) will give people a simple, free and safe way of recycling their old computers and TVs. The E-waste Shared Responsibility bill would create a statewide electronics recycling system, established and paid for by the manufacturers of electronic equipment, with retailers and others voluntarily serving as collection points. The legislation links electronics recycling with electronics manufacturing, allowing manufacturers to save money as they reduce their use of toxic materials.
The bill has the support of Hewlett Packard, the Washington Retail Association, Goodwill of Seattle and Tacoma, many local governments and the environmental community. However, we are facing strong opposition from a number of manufacturers. We need your help to let legislators know that you care about this important issue.
Please email your legislators today and make your voice heard!
http://actionstudio.org/?go=2025
For more information on e-waste, please see: http://www.WasteNotWashington.org
Monday, February 06, 2006
Random Update
Well, since I did promise to start writing in this thing more, don't be surprised to see a lot of disjointed, completely random posts just for the sake of updating. I tried not to do that too much in the past, but at least this will keep the blog a bit more fresh.
Work Life: I did get the Assistant Manager promotion, and was slated to switch stores. Many tears were shed, and then suddenly the Head manager swooped in and came up with a plan. That man is a fucking genius. I am now happily situated right in my store, just sent my BossBoy off to get married, and life seems pretty good. We've hit a few snags in the transition, but hey, they can all be resolved, and things are going, for the most part, smoothly. With the threat of transfer now out of the way, I can concentrate on just getting all the knowledge I need crammed in my head, and the rest of my life can fall into place.
I still cannot express how much I really do love this job. In all my other workplaces, I felt like there was something still not quite fitting, like I was burying something as a sacrafice to get a paycheck. Here, I feel none of that. I feel confident there, comfortable there, like I belong there. I'm surrounded by great people, and doing something I genuinely like. Even the stressful, holy-fuck-how-will-I-get-all-of-this-done moments, I feel absolutely amazing.
Baby Life: Anthony gets bigger every day! His vocabular is growing immensely, and he's moved swiftly onto eating solid foods, which makes this mama very happy. He has an odd obsession with Club crackers, though. *shrugs* We recently bought Guitar Hero for our PS2, and although the controller is bigger than he is, he finds it to be the greatest thing EVAR.
I've missed my time with him during the days, but it does make our days off together all that much more meaningful and precious. And I know he is in great hands, as our babysitter is amazing and wonderful and severely undercharging us.
Social Life: I...kinda have one, actually! I had made a mamafriend on myspace, and she and I got to meet for the first time and go clubbing on Friday. We had a BLAST, and have decided we must now become inseperable weirdos. I think she's already planned a years worth of activities, seriously. She's batshit crazy, which makes her all the better to go out with, as she pretty much forces the old Sharona deep within to come slinking out of hibernation.
Gaming Life: I embrace my geekness, and oh how I'd love to one day here that this is an awesome, sexy, amazing traits rather than a deep seated flaw *sigh*. I'm actually overgamed at the moment. I still dink around on my Animal Crossing game (it's a game...that...never...ends!). But I also have Pikmin for the Gamecube, which is hysterical purely for the throwing of flower headed carrot looking things who squeal with delight as the soar through the air. Then a wonderful friend of mine sent me DragonQuest 8, which I haven't even started yet, though immediately ran out and bought the game guide for when I do have my day off and thus settle into a full on gaming frenzy. And Rick bought Guitar Hero, with the controller, so that has been an interesting bit o' fun to pass around. Oh, and we also re-acquired a copy of BF2 for the PS2. not as pretty as the PC version, but our PC sucks, so I will have to suffice. Campaign o' doom, anyone? I am not going anywhere near the sniper server though, those people scare me.
Too many games, too little time! gah!!!!
Random Life: I wish I could grow a few more inches. Seriously, can't someone invent a late twenties growth spurt?! I did a face plant the other day trying to get something off the top shelf for a customer. I am so stubborn that I rebuffed the casual "Should I get that, maam?" and immediately ploughed into a display because even on my tiptoes I still can't finagle a product off the peg. I wish I could wear my platforms to work, it would make life so much easier!
I redyed my hair so I could look all 'corporate'. It's still a nice deep red, but now there's no root growth showing. I might sneak some streaks in, but I have to be careful.
I won a $50 gift check from work, although I have no clue what warranted it. Ah well, clothes shopping for meeeeeee. I'll post pictures, maybe.
My phone has a decent camera on it, so don't be surprised if this blog gets a bit more littered with random photos from it. I'm a goof!
Work Life: I did get the Assistant Manager promotion, and was slated to switch stores. Many tears were shed, and then suddenly the Head manager swooped in and came up with a plan. That man is a fucking genius. I am now happily situated right in my store, just sent my BossBoy off to get married, and life seems pretty good. We've hit a few snags in the transition, but hey, they can all be resolved, and things are going, for the most part, smoothly. With the threat of transfer now out of the way, I can concentrate on just getting all the knowledge I need crammed in my head, and the rest of my life can fall into place.
I still cannot express how much I really do love this job. In all my other workplaces, I felt like there was something still not quite fitting, like I was burying something as a sacrafice to get a paycheck. Here, I feel none of that. I feel confident there, comfortable there, like I belong there. I'm surrounded by great people, and doing something I genuinely like. Even the stressful, holy-fuck-how-will-I-get-all-of-this-done moments, I feel absolutely amazing.
Baby Life: Anthony gets bigger every day! His vocabular is growing immensely, and he's moved swiftly onto eating solid foods, which makes this mama very happy. He has an odd obsession with Club crackers, though. *shrugs* We recently bought Guitar Hero for our PS2, and although the controller is bigger than he is, he finds it to be the greatest thing EVAR.
I've missed my time with him during the days, but it does make our days off together all that much more meaningful and precious. And I know he is in great hands, as our babysitter is amazing and wonderful and severely undercharging us.
Social Life: I...kinda have one, actually! I had made a mamafriend on myspace, and she and I got to meet for the first time and go clubbing on Friday. We had a BLAST, and have decided we must now become inseperable weirdos. I think she's already planned a years worth of activities, seriously. She's batshit crazy, which makes her all the better to go out with, as she pretty much forces the old Sharona deep within to come slinking out of hibernation.
Gaming Life: I embrace my geekness, and oh how I'd love to one day here that this is an awesome, sexy, amazing traits rather than a deep seated flaw *sigh*. I'm actually overgamed at the moment. I still dink around on my Animal Crossing game (it's a game...that...never...ends!). But I also have Pikmin for the Gamecube, which is hysterical purely for the throwing of flower headed carrot looking things who squeal with delight as the soar through the air. Then a wonderful friend of mine sent me DragonQuest 8, which I haven't even started yet, though immediately ran out and bought the game guide for when I do have my day off and thus settle into a full on gaming frenzy. And Rick bought Guitar Hero, with the controller, so that has been an interesting bit o' fun to pass around. Oh, and we also re-acquired a copy of BF2 for the PS2. not as pretty as the PC version, but our PC sucks, so I will have to suffice. Campaign o' doom, anyone? I am not going anywhere near the sniper server though, those people scare me.
Too many games, too little time! gah!!!!
Random Life: I wish I could grow a few more inches. Seriously, can't someone invent a late twenties growth spurt?! I did a face plant the other day trying to get something off the top shelf for a customer. I am so stubborn that I rebuffed the casual "Should I get that, maam?" and immediately ploughed into a display because even on my tiptoes I still can't finagle a product off the peg. I wish I could wear my platforms to work, it would make life so much easier!
I redyed my hair so I could look all 'corporate'. It's still a nice deep red, but now there's no root growth showing. I might sneak some streaks in, but I have to be careful.
I won a $50 gift check from work, although I have no clue what warranted it. Ah well, clothes shopping for meeeeeee. I'll post pictures, maybe.
My phone has a decent camera on it, so don't be surprised if this blog gets a bit more littered with random photos from it. I'm a goof!
Friday, February 03, 2006
A Monkey and his Donut
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Update of Joy
Well, I guess sometimes a person can have their cake and eat it, too. Two days ago there were a lot of tears being shed at my work. Our lovely, bouncy 18 yo gal had to resign, as her studies are being neglected. Our boss's mantra has always been "School is more important than work", and unfortunately, that choice ended up having to happen. We all wish her the best of luck, and no way in HELL will we let her lose touch. She is too much of a wonderful presence to just watch fade off.
On my end, the tears were on a quite different tone. I had found out that the impending promotion was happening as of this friday, and sure enough, I was getting transferred. Although I knew the manager at the store I was being shuffled to, I really didn't want to leave my store. My store didn't want to lose me, either. With my being gone, plus our girl, the schedule was looking like it was about to implode. Short staffed was an understatement.
Well, long story short, a few strings were pulled, and now I am staying! I will be the official Assistant Manager at my lovely locale, training under the best manager in existence. To me, I was so desperately wanting to stay was in large part because of 'boss boy'. He's been a great person to work for, and I really feel he's the one who can teach me the most on the road to eventually getting my own store. And we work together extremely well.
So, all is actually quite good in the life of this mama today. I'm going wedding gift shopping for bossboy today (he's getting hitched on Saturday), and I get to go hit the clubs on Friday with a new mama friend. weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!
On my end, the tears were on a quite different tone. I had found out that the impending promotion was happening as of this friday, and sure enough, I was getting transferred. Although I knew the manager at the store I was being shuffled to, I really didn't want to leave my store. My store didn't want to lose me, either. With my being gone, plus our girl, the schedule was looking like it was about to implode. Short staffed was an understatement.
Well, long story short, a few strings were pulled, and now I am staying! I will be the official Assistant Manager at my lovely locale, training under the best manager in existence. To me, I was so desperately wanting to stay was in large part because of 'boss boy'. He's been a great person to work for, and I really feel he's the one who can teach me the most on the road to eventually getting my own store. And we work together extremely well.
So, all is actually quite good in the life of this mama today. I'm going wedding gift shopping for bossboy today (he's getting hitched on Saturday), and I get to go hit the clubs on Friday with a new mama friend. weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!
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