05.30.2006 | 10:32 pm | Daily Life
As the mouthy musician who recently stood me up would say:
I’m “BAAAAAck!…in the saddle again”.
Since the dental surgery 12 days ago, I’ve done nothing but lay around all day, either highly medicated or in significant pain — or a combo of both. I haven’t worked out in nearly 2 weeks, and I’ve got the tight clothes to prove it. *sigh*
The surgery, and especially the aftermath, have wiped me out. I suspect it’s all the pain medication I’m taking. Or maybe the pain itself is tiring me out.
According to the dentist, I’m in for another 4-6 weeks of pain. I wish he’d have told me beforehand that it would be this long of a recovery period. I know I wouldn’t have done it! I am definitely starting to regret doing it…but just a little bit.
Anyway, back to the “back in the saddle” part. I decided yesterday that once the holiday was over, I was getting back into my exercise and housekeeping routines again first thing today. And I did it! Woohoo for me. It felt good to work out again. Maybe it’ll help speed the healing along.
Speaking of yesterday — we had so much fun at the barbecue! It was super-hot and humid, and even G was begging to “go inside”. A first for him. But it was fun to hang out and enjoy the family for the day. After we ate, G went down for his nap and we all sat and watched old videos. Including some of Philip’s impersonations of various family members and various presidents. He’s so good at impersonations.
After the videos, we all went back outside and enjoyed homemade ice cream. Mmmmm…it was the only thing I could really eat, and I enjoyed it a lot!
Back home, we got our pool set up and G got to try it out. After a few minutes of initial anxiety, he loved it. I’m trying to get him prepared for his swimming lessons that begin next week, so I got this little 2-ft pool and so far he’s loving the water. I just hope he’s going to be okay with being put in a BIG pool. We shall see! I’m dreading having to don a swimsuit for all to see; I’m so fleshy lately that it’s going to be hard to do. But, I’ll do it for my boy. Other than that part, I’m very excited about the lessons starting soon.
I’m going to start trying to remember to add my “playlist” or whatever it was called, to the end of my posts. Because I know the world is so interested in what I’m listening to at the moment. LOL. Unfortunately, I don’t have my iPod nearby and right now the only song playing in my head is “Back in the Saddle” by Aerosmith.
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05.26.2006 | 10:26 am | Uncategorized
http://www.apple.com/getamac/ads/
Follow this link and watch these clips.
I’ve never seen a more clever ad campaign! I bet they win some awards next year. These ads are cute, funny, and best of all - they accurately point out the vast differences between Macs and PCs.
They leave me with a question that I’m always asking myself. Why would anyone spend money on a PC anymore, when there’s a product on the market that is vastly superior in every way? You buy a PC and you will forever have to worry about viruses, freezing up, restarting, things not being easy, etc. You buy a Mac and you just turn it on and use it. And you never have a problem. We bought our G4 in 2000. Six years, and not a single issue, ever. Not a one. I got my laptop in February (it’s used - a year old at the time), and so far it’s been just as problem-free – but I wouldn’t expect anything different.
But, people will still continue to buy the lesser product…in droves. It’s just how most people are. Kinda like how people keep buying up American cars, when they’re inferior in every way. But they still keep buying them, and then they wonder why their car is always in the shop.
I have no idea why I think so much about these things. I just think all the time, about everything! But watch the videos because they’re funny and cute. And then go buy a Mac and never have another computer issue again.
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05.26.2006 | 12:18 am | Daily Life, Gray Matters
This is one of my favorite shots of G, ever!
Look over in the margin on the right. That’s it…right under my profile…
See my Flickr badge?
It’s there for a reason. I take lots of pictures and I now have an easier way to share them. Stop by and visit, and then keep coming by often! Since we got the new camera (a Canon EOS Rebel–an SLR!!!), one of us is taking pictures ALL THE TIME. So remember to check them out from time to time.
I got my stitches out today! I have these big, gaping, throbbing holes in my mouth now. I’m still in a lot of pain. The dentist said that it will lessen gradually, but that it still won’t go away for another 6 weeks or so. That’s how long it will take for new bone to grow and cover the sockets.
WHoo boy!
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05.23.2006 | 4:33 pm | Uncategorized, Daily Life, Reviews
Owww…
I’m starting to think something isn’t right. I’m on day 5 after the removal of my teeth, and the pain from the lower sockets is actually getting worse, especially the right one. They keep oozing this stuff that tastes like…(prepare yourself for grossness)…vomit. I will brush and rinse and get rid of the taste, but 5 minutes later, new vomitous-tasting stuff will ooze out. I have an appt. Thursday for stitch removal, so I’ll see what he thinks about it then. If I can make it until then.
I’m so tired of hearing about American Idol (they’re wasting time on the evening NEWS with this crap??). When will it just be over? I’m never quite prepared for the disappointment I feel when I discover that yet another person I respected has fallen into sheepy-land. It is sub-standard singers singing covers of other people’s songs…and they’re doing it very badly. What is the draw? I will never know…and I’m perfectly okay with that!
Hurricane season is just a week away now. The predictions are out and they’re not good, but they’re not as bad as last year’s. Keeping my fingers crossed that our area gets missed this year! We need a break!
Season finale of Lost tomorrow night, and I can’t wait! I’m excited to see it, but so bummed that it’ll be gone until September. *sigh* I’ve never seen a show that gets to me like this one does. It’s actually something good on television, that hasn’t been cancelled! How in the world did that happen? LOL.
I’m so into U2 right now. I’ve always loved them but lately I just want to listen to them over & over. For the sake of American Idol fans–U2 is a real rock band made up of real artists who can actually sing and write their own music. :giggle:
And oh, what a breathtaking job they do at it.
“Miracle Drug”, “Original of the Species”, and “Sometimes You Can’t Make it on Your Own” are——simply put——works of art. They’re filled with cynicism but laced with hope. And they have God written all over them, much like many other U2 songs. Bono is a genius at putting his faith into words and music…and the Edge is one of the most gifted guitarists I’ve ever heard.
So, I’m off to do some more listening. My mouth hurts too bad right now to focus on writing anymore.
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05.22.2006 | 5:21 pm | Memes
As I recover, I’ve been reading all my favorite blogs. I found this little ditty on one of them and decided to do it myself.
A is for Age - 32, for about 3 more weeks anyway.
B is for Beer of choice - none for me…I don’t drink.
C is for Career - 100% full-time mommy. The only career I ever dreamed of.
D is for Dog’s name - Reagan. Yes, after the president.
E is for Essential item you use every day - Toothpaste.
F is for Favorite Songs at the Moment - “Tough as John Jacobs” by Maylene & the Sons of Disaster, “Joey” by Concrete Blonde.
G is for Game you play - my favorite is Scrabble, or “name the artist”, a music game that P & I play…we switch up each Sirius channel and try to be the first to name the artist of the song that’s playing. I always win. 
H is for Hometown - C r e s t v i e w.
I is for Instrument you play - Piano.
J is for favorite Juice - OJ, grape.
K is for Kids - Gray, my one & only.
L is for Living arrangement - tiny house with hubby & son.
M is for Mom’s name - Janice
N is for Names of your last ex - J.M.
O is for overnight hospital stays - a few nights after my mastectomy/reconstruction, and a few nights after giving birth.
P is for Phobias - Vomiting, disembodied hair, infants.
Q is for Quote you like - “If all the world hated you and believed you wicked, while your own conscience approved of you and absolved you from guilt, you would not be without friends.” —— Charlotte Brönte
R is for Regrets - letting other people control me for too long. I am my own person now, and I’ve found happiness in freedom. Another is not meeting J in Atlanta one last time…I’ll always wish I had.
S is for Siblings - Two older brothers, ages 41 (in a few days) and 38.
T is for Time you wake up - Between 8 and 8:30, whenever G wakes up.
U is for Unique trait - I always accomplish what I set out to do…and I do even better when someone tells me I can’t do it. I’m very strong-willed and I love to prove people wrong when it comes to what I can accomplish.
V is for Vegetable you love - butterbeans fresh out of the garden! YUM! I love many vegetables.
W is for Worst traits - Short-tempered, judgmental, lazy, painfully cynical, procrastinating.
X - is for XRays you’ve had - My wrists, finger, my hip, my chest many times for various reasons, kidneys…actually my entire torso/abdomen in a CAT scan, dental xrays…I think that’s it…I’ve pretty much had every part of my body xrayed.
Y is for Yummy food you make - Meatloaf, pancakes.
Z is for Zodiac sign - Gemini, but I don’t like or follow horoscopes so it means nothing to me.
Do you know your ABCs? If you do, leave a comment so I can come read yours.
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05.20.2006 | 9:20 pm | Daily Life
Well, I survived. I’m still surviving, in fact.
And here’s the story, for anyone who’s bored enough to read it. It’s not that interesting at all. I just want to record it because it’s already getting quite sketchy in my mind, thanks to all the mind-numbing drugs I’ve taken the past 48 hours.
Thursday night I got 2 hours of sleep. Part of it, I’m sure, was nervousness. But the main reason was that our neighbors’ dog was allowed to bark its incessant yappy bark ALL NIGHT LONG. Everytime I would drift to sleep, I’d be jolted awake by loud yaps.
I finally fell asleep at 3:30am. Woke up at 5:45 and fixed myself some dry toast to eat with my Ativan. I went to get ready–wash my face, brush teeth, apply foundation & concealer (because I’m not a natural beauty and I look like death if I don’t wear it).
About 15 minutes after I took my first Ativan, I felt a little buzzed. I decided to go ahead and take my 2nd Ativan because it was now 1 hour before my appointment. I turned to walk to the kitchen, and I immediately stumbled and started losing my balance. Ah, it was definitely taking effect. I took my second dose, and got dressed in a very clumsy state. We woke G up and Philip got him dressed while I sat and prayed a little more.
We headed to the dentist’s office, which is maybe a mile away. As we got on the road, I realized I was seeing double. A van was approaching us, only to me, it appeared that two vans were headed toward us, only one of them was in our lane. I was slightly freaking out until Philip told me there was only one van. I saw two people walking by the road, though there was only one. Cool stuff.
We got to the office, and Philip had to help me get up the step, for I was stumbling and losing balance. I sat down and held G for one minute before I was called back by the nurse. She guided me into the room and into the comfy purple dentist’s chair. I asked her if I could take off my sandals and she said yes, and then brought me a nice warm blanket to cover up with.
She asked a few questions, like was I still breastfeeding (no), did I take my Ativan (yes–duh), etc. I made sure I told her that I wanted to keep my teeth, and she said that she would do that for me. I was surprised that I really wasn’t feeling nervous at all. My nausea from the night before had completely diminished and I was feeling quite warm & fuzzy inside.
Dr. S came in and got started right off. He novocained all four of my gum areas, including surrounding cheeks and the roof of my mouth. I never felt so much as a pinch, because he even numbed each area before he stuck me with the needle. He left for a few minutes while I got numb. I don’t remember what I did or what I was feeling in this time.
He came back in and started with my top right molar. He did some prying and wiggling of each side, each time applying more pressure. In less than 5 minutes, it was out. I never felt a thing, and was floored when he told me he was moving to the next one. And the next one, the top left molar, went exactly the same–out in minutes, with not a bit of pain.
There was a lot of blood in my mouth and while the assistant sucked it out, he told me he’d give me a few minutes’ break before he started the lower set. I told him I was amazed at how easily the first two had gone. He said that the lower ones would be a little bit tougher; they always were, because they were anchored deeper.
He was right. He came back to start the lower right molar, and at first, it was the same painless prying and wiggling that he’d done with the others. Then he told me the roots were J-shaped, and it would take some twisting. So, he twisted…and I definitely felt it. I wiggled in pain but he told me it wouldn’t take more than a few more twists. Each twist was pretty painful…an 8 or 9 on a scale of 1 to 10…but they were quick bursts of pain, and I only had to endure a few before the tooth popped out. I guess this is where the Ativan showed its value, because while I was well aware of the pain, it didn’t really bother me that badly. It’s hard to describe.
The only problem with that tooth was that one of the roots had broken loose and stayed in my gum when the tooth came out. So he had to drill a bit and dig around a bit to get that piece of root out. This didn’t hurt at all.
The last tooth was my lower left molar. This one went exactly as the previous one–it required the painful twisting in order to break it loose from my gum. But it only lasted a couple of minutes, and it was out. This one came out whole, with no broken root.
He stitched up both of the lower holes. I thought it was kinda neat to see & feel the thread going in & out, while feeling no pain.
It was over! I was flooded with relief. And happiness, because I’d made it through with only a bit of pain that had somehow been bearable. They stuffed me with gauze and gave me an icepack to hold on my jaw. Suddenly I heard Philip talking behind me. He had been escorted back with G, and I was about to go home.
We picked up a vanilla milkshake at Sonic on the way home, and I went right to the couch to sit and eat it…I was starving! It was about 10:15. I took my Vicodin at this point, even though I wasn’t feeling so much pain. Just a sore, swollen feeling.
I don’t remember a lot after this. I lay down on the couch and fell immediately asleep for the next several hours. Next thing I knew, it was nearly 3pm and I was waking up in a haze of grogginess. I was starving. I wasn’t in much pain, as I was still under the influence of the novacaine. Philip made me some mashed potatoes and I gulped them down. Then I sat with my icepack for the next couple of hours.
The pain hit me around 4pm. A deep soreness in all areas of my jaw & mouth, including the sockets where my teeth used to be. More Vicodin took care of that, and I spent the rest of the evening in & out of sleep and ice-pack changing, with some ice cream consumption stuck in here & there.
Went to bed and woke up around 5am feeling really yucky, with chills. I took my temp and I had a fever of 100.6. I took some Tylenol and went back to sleep. Woke up this morning and still had the fever, so I called Dr. S and he said it was a pretty normal reaction to run a low fever for the first couple of days. He said as long as I didn’t have a lot of swelling and it didn’t go over 101, to not worry about it.
Speaking of swelling, I’ve had absolutely no swelling! Not of my face anyway. There is a bit of swelling inside my mouth, like my cheeks spilling over my gums somewhat, but no one can look at me and tell I’ve had any kind of surgery. I consider this a great blessing.
As far as pain, every time my Vicodin wears off (every 6-8 hrs), the pain returns. Just a HUGE soreness, like I’ve been hit in the head with a baseball bat. Much like the run-over-by-a-truck feeling that I had in my pelvic area, after G’s birth. So, I’m still taking my narcs at this point. They’ve kept me asleep most of the day. I can only stay awake for a couple of hours at a time while I take them. Hopefully I can stop them tomorrow.
Today was another day of soft foods. I ate Malt-o-meal for breakfast, mashed potatoes for lunch, and Philip brought me some yummy refried beans from LaHacienda for supper! And I’ve had lots of ice cream in between.
We’ll see if I’m any better tomorrow! One thing I know for sure is that I’m so glad I got this done. I can’t wait till all the surgery pain goes away, so that I can feel what it feels like to go for a day without mouth pain! It’s been a long time since I’ve experienced that!
I’m so thankful to everyone who encouraged me to just DO IT and who listened to me whine about it all this week. And especially to Kelly, who, when she found out I was making myself sick Thursday night from worrying about it, called me at 10pm to help me get my courage back up. And to my parents who’ve called me every day to check on me. I am feeling like I’m awfully special to some people on this earth. 
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05.18.2006 | 1:45 pm | Daily Life
Can it just be Saturday already??
I have dental surgery tomorrow at 8am. I’m having all four of my wisdom teeth removed. I’m about 12 years overdue for it, all because I’m a big chicken! But one is decayed all the way to the nerve, and I’ve been feeling it for a long time. So, the time has come, and by this time tomorrow, they should all be gone.
I just hope I make it through the actual procedure; I’m going to be awake, but doped up on Ativan. They SAY it will make me not care that I’m turned upside down and having teeth ripped out of my head.
We shall see.
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05.14.2006 | 12:22 pm | Uncategorized, Ranting
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05.7.2006 | 2:55 pm | Uncategorized, Daily Life, Ranting
Tree frogs are EVIL.
I’m normally very tolerant of these cute little creatures, despite the fact that they leave poop all over the exterior walls of the house, and despite their croaking all night long.
Until now.
There are a handful of them who’ve made their home under the shutters of my bedroom window. They think that between 5 and 6 AM is the best time to croak out a chorus. They wake me every morning with their near-deafening croaks. I’ve been able to ignore it well enough by turning on my white noise, which I always have to do around 6AM anyway, because of our noisy, retarded neighbors.
However, the past few nights, a few partyers have decided to start croaking at midnight…then again at 1AM, and every hour or so after that. So, I’ve been being awakened every hour at night.
Anyone who knows me or reads my blog knows rule NUMBER ONE with me, is:
DO NOT WAKE ME UP, unless my life is in danger…or else YOUR life will be in danger.
Do NOT interfere with my sleep, under ANY circumstance! (this even applies to my own child…it’s why I hate newborns and can never imagine having another. I’m one of the only people brave enough to say that!)
So, we’ve resorted to drastic measures.
I’m ashamed to say what we did, because I’m usually someone who goes out of my way to live in harmony with God’s creatures…
BUT THEY HAD TO GO AND DISTURB MY SLEEP.
So, now they’re dead. The evil little croakers have croaked.
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05.5.2006 | 8:40 pm | Daily Life, Breast Cancer
I went to N.O. Wednesday for an appointment with Dr. S.
Left 9:15
Arrived in N.O. 12:15
Hit major traffic jam at US90 junction, went nowhere for 30 mins. Traffic suddenly cleared (typical N.O. phenomenon) and we sailed smoothly all the way through town to Metairie. Found Dr. S’s new hospital at 1:00 and ran a few blocks over to eat lunch at a local grille. Ate really fast and went back to hospital in time to check in at 1:55. Sat in waiting room till 2:40, when I was finally called back.
Saw Dr. S from 3-3:30. He said everything was “as normal as it gets”. He saw one suspicious area and took me back for an u/s, but after he scanned it for a while, he declared it “completely normal.” Hurray!
Left hospital and went to Lakeside Mall to get my makeup from Dillard’s. Then we went to Cafe DuMonde and bought tons of beignets.
Left mall around 4:15 and headed home.
We were on I-10, approaching the city again, and discussing whether we wanted to drive straight through the city or take the 610 loop around to avoid rush hour traffic, when we got distracted by the Superdome and the men that were suspended from the roof doing repairs. I-10 forked off to the right but we weren’t able to make it over in time, so…we were headed straight into the city. We got to have a close-up tour, even though we’d not planned it that way.
We drove all around downtown N.O., all the way to the Riverwalk and then back up and around to some of the ‘hoods around Claiborne before getting back on the interstate. It’s amazing how the city has been put back together so soon. Nearly every business was up and running, many without signs of any damage at all. The rest were under various stages of repair–but open nonetheless. Very few places were gutted or still non-operational. Everything appeared to be almost back to normal–not what you’d expect from watching the news. The striking difference about the city was the absence of generally unsavory people milling about. There were plenty of people out & about, but they were most all decent-looking and appeared to be productive citizens. This was NEVER the case in pre-Katrina N.O. (can’t wait to see the comments I’ll receive for this observation…LOL)
The inner-city neighborhoods were not as well-off as the businesses, but still not “forgotten”, as all the media likes to say. Yes, many homes were damaged and obviously flooded, but MANY of them were being worked on. The media tells us that they’re not. A good deal of them already had new roofs. There were quite a few FEMA trailers parked in people’s yards, and there were people all around the neighborhoods, working and cleaning. I was so surprised to see that there is actual progress being made, and quite a bit.
The worst areas we saw by FAR were those in East N.O. Not the inner-city, but the eastern suburbs (Chalmette, etc.). What used to be a busy part of the city was a ghost town…every house/apartment was empty and gutted; every business closed and apparently condemned. The only businesses we saw up & running were Home Depot and a couple of car dealerships. Everything else was completely shut down. Gas stations, a WalMart, fast-food establishments…all closed and boarded up. Many of the apartment buildings alongside the interstate had been bulldozed, and all those that remain are completely gutted and condemned. The streets were empty and only a few cars could be seen here & there. I have no idea if this area was flooded or not, but it appears it was, for that kind of widespread devastation to still be sitting there untouched. I’ve never seen any of these areas covered by the media…they were too un-sensational, I suppose, since they were only lower-middle class suburbs. It would be interesting to hear the story behind what happened there and what will be done.
Anyway, I’m glad to be back home and to have gotten yet another good report. I was really worried this time. I feel much better now, though.
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I’m BACK! (Steven Tyler-style)