Tuesday, January 29, 2008
i'm appalled.
let me set the scene for you: the brown el from belmont to washington and wells around 8:45 this morning. the el is not as crowded as usual (probably because i am running a little late today), but all the seats with the exception of one are taken. the one 'empty' seat is occupied by a bag. and next to the bag in the other seat is a girl probably slightly younger than us... maybe early to mid 20s (my friends, sadly we are late 20s... ahhhhhhh! - but not the point of this story). this said girl has a backpack on her lap and maybe a purse. she has 2 or 3 bags with her. i am in one of the two seats in front of these two sitting closest to the window with a girl sitting next to me closest to the aisle. an elderly lady asks the girl if she would please move her bag so she may sit. this girl, says in a quite rude voice, ugh, is there something wrong with your feet or are you handicapped? can't you stand? my bags are here, and where would you like me to put them? i guess i'll pile all of them in my lap (which btw, the bags were not that unmanageable). the woman says, i could stand, but i'd prefer to sit. i'm 70 years old and would like to get off my feet. *my commenting here: are you kidding?!?!?!?! this poor woman should NEVER have had to say this in the first place!* and this girl continues to be rude and they have a few back and forths and i'm trying my hardest to stay out of it. i've learned that to jump in to something like this only makes it worse. so the girl sitting next to me turns around and says to the older woman, you can have my seat and gets up and stands for the rest of her trip. the girl says, ugh, she already has her seat. and good for the elderly lady standing her ground, she continues to sit in that seat. so someone else came and sat down next to me. the girl a few stop later says that she is getting off so the elderly lady lets her out of the seat and even hands her a water bottle she'd left on the seat. no thank you for handing it to her at all. unable to keep my big mouth shut any more and feeling terrible that "my generation" is so bloody rude, i turned around to the elderly woman and said i am so sorry you had to deal with that. it was incredibly rude and i am sorry on her behalf. and then i turned around. and the elderly lady said thank you and was so sweet. she then tapped my shoulder and said thank you and that she was wondering if she had just been crabby today or something and i said oh no that girl was very rude. now, i had forgotten that the train hadn't stopped yet and that that girl was still waiting to get off. whoops. so of course she overheard me and said something and i don't remember what, but to her i just said, i'm sorry, i thought you were rude. and then she got off and i went back to reading my redeye (the free paper). seriously, i was so appalled, all i could think of was to come and write my blog story! unbelievable.
Monday, January 28, 2008
lymph node biopsy.
on thursday, my momma flew in from houston to be with me for my biopsy on friday afternoon. my doctor had assured me that it was a very easy procedure and that i'd even be able to go back to work if needbe. so when my mom offered to come in, i said sure, but that it's apparently no big deal. and she said, well it sounds like it could be a deal and i'd like to be there with you. i thought this was really nice and a good opportunity to see my mom.
friday afternoon rolled around and she came to pick me up from the office and then we went to Weiss Hospital for my procedure. my dr had originally only wanted to biopsy one lymph node, but decided to do three. he numbed the area with a shot in my three lymph nodes which was rather painful and then he stuck me with what felt like a ball point pen in those three nodes and swished the needle around. it hurt like hell. each one was worse. i can't even describe the awful pain. it was over pretty quickly, but then he pushed down the cloth over them to stop the bleeding and that hurt even more! then, he said i had a clot and had to push harder for 10 minutes or so. owie. after that, i was put in a recovery room and had to apply ice for a while and then they gave me extra strength tylenol b/c i'm not very good at codeine. it usually makes me sick.
my mom kept looking at me thinking i might throw up, but really it was just the pain that was hurting so bad. i didn't need to throw up. it was just the pain registering on my face. finally we went home and i laid down on my barcalounger (go bob and tpir!) and she covered me in blankets since it was freezing outside! and then i tried to take a short nap and eat some dinner but i felt miserable. every time i moved it hurt like hell. and so by around 9:30 i was ready to call it a night and went to bed.
the next day: my neck was still hurting like crazy, but we managed to go to target and the grocery store and then i took a nap on my mom's lap while we watched "because i said so" the diane keaton/mandy moore movie. it was great. and then we met my aunt and uncle for a vietnamese dinner which was really yummy.
on sunday: my neck was still hurting terribly (do you see a theme here?!) but we managed to go to the art supply store and get some new ready made frames for stuff that had broken in the move and go to linens n things for a few new appliances and such since i've decided i'm going to start cooking! after that, my mom had some stuff she wanted to do in my condo before leaving (ie change light bulbs and clear out some stuff from my closets that she can yardsale). and then it was time for her to go home. i was exhausted and so i took at nap. from 5 to about 830. then i groggily got up and ate dinner. and went back to bed.
monday: dr appt early this am for blood drawing and lung testing. i have a chronic "smokers" cough which i'm sure you have all heard, but i've had it for years and it just doesn't go away. they thought it might be asthma, but that doesn't seem to be the case as my lung's function normally. so now i have to go get a chest x-ray. good times. in the last couple of weeks, i've had a ct scan on my sinuses, an mri on my lymph nodes, a biopsy on my lymph nodes, a lung functioning test, blood drawn (annual exam stuff plus checking up on my thyroid levels), a chest xray to come this week, and my annual well woman pap next week. is anyone jealous yet?!?!?! oh yeah, and my neck still hurts... though the pain is fading. lucky me!
friday afternoon rolled around and she came to pick me up from the office and then we went to Weiss Hospital for my procedure. my dr had originally only wanted to biopsy one lymph node, but decided to do three. he numbed the area with a shot in my three lymph nodes which was rather painful and then he stuck me with what felt like a ball point pen in those three nodes and swished the needle around. it hurt like hell. each one was worse. i can't even describe the awful pain. it was over pretty quickly, but then he pushed down the cloth over them to stop the bleeding and that hurt even more! then, he said i had a clot and had to push harder for 10 minutes or so. owie. after that, i was put in a recovery room and had to apply ice for a while and then they gave me extra strength tylenol b/c i'm not very good at codeine. it usually makes me sick.
my mom kept looking at me thinking i might throw up, but really it was just the pain that was hurting so bad. i didn't need to throw up. it was just the pain registering on my face. finally we went home and i laid down on my barcalounger (go bob and tpir!) and she covered me in blankets since it was freezing outside! and then i tried to take a short nap and eat some dinner but i felt miserable. every time i moved it hurt like hell. and so by around 9:30 i was ready to call it a night and went to bed.
the next day: my neck was still hurting like crazy, but we managed to go to target and the grocery store and then i took a nap on my mom's lap while we watched "because i said so" the diane keaton/mandy moore movie. it was great. and then we met my aunt and uncle for a vietnamese dinner which was really yummy.
on sunday: my neck was still hurting terribly (do you see a theme here?!) but we managed to go to the art supply store and get some new ready made frames for stuff that had broken in the move and go to linens n things for a few new appliances and such since i've decided i'm going to start cooking! after that, my mom had some stuff she wanted to do in my condo before leaving (ie change light bulbs and clear out some stuff from my closets that she can yardsale). and then it was time for her to go home. i was exhausted and so i took at nap. from 5 to about 830. then i groggily got up and ate dinner. and went back to bed.
monday: dr appt early this am for blood drawing and lung testing. i have a chronic "smokers" cough which i'm sure you have all heard, but i've had it for years and it just doesn't go away. they thought it might be asthma, but that doesn't seem to be the case as my lung's function normally. so now i have to go get a chest x-ray. good times. in the last couple of weeks, i've had a ct scan on my sinuses, an mri on my lymph nodes, a biopsy on my lymph nodes, a lung functioning test, blood drawn (annual exam stuff plus checking up on my thyroid levels), a chest xray to come this week, and my annual well woman pap next week. is anyone jealous yet?!?!?! oh yeah, and my neck still hurts... though the pain is fading. lucky me!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
happy birthday courtney!!
i sure do wish we could have celebrated again this year... it has been awhile since our joint celebrations. i definitely miss those days! and the days when we lived right around the corner from each other and i could come hang out on your couch with my little friends harrison and lola and of course you and pete. and while i'm on the reminiscing thing... c and i met in math 23 at scripps... what an awful class that was! i ended up dropping it, but i got a great friend out of it! gosh, if we're already reminiscing about the good ole days, imagine how bad we'll be in another 10 years! in any case, happy birthday to you!!!!!
circa 2005
circa 2004
circa 2005
circa 2004
Monday, January 21, 2008
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
the drama of a new license... and parking permits...
this day is becoming very very annoying. i first tried to get my parking permit, city of chicago sticker, and visitor parking permits... but in order to do that i must have a valid IL license. so since i was going to do that anyways, i went next door to get that done. well, i didnt have my SSN card or my passport so i couldnt do that either. and NOW i have to take an eye exam and written test b/c everyone getting an IL license for the first time has to do that. even bigger pain in the ass!! i haven't taken that damn test in 13 years. now i have to read the f'in book and make sure i know how to operate a car even though i've been driving for almost 15 years and have a completely clean record. and then i have to go do it all over just to get everything. luckily the 2 buildings are directly across the street from me which is the ONLY convenient part of all of this. but, to make matters more fun.... i now have to go dig thru everything to try and find my SSN card which i never use b/c i have the number memorized and no one ever asks to see the actual card. i don't know where it is. so i looked to see how to get a replacement one. well that's even a bigger pain in the ass than digging thru boxes and old wallets and stuff looking for the stupid card that i originally had. i hate this stupid state and their stupid requirements. not really, but i'm frustrated by their rules! all ca wanted was my passport or something easy and no tests! i dont even remember now. but it was easy. ugh. so annoyed!! i'm sure round two will be just as much fun...
Thursday, January 10, 2008
otis, chicago's most beautiful cat?!?!
our free daily paper is called the redeye and they are holding a contest to find chicago's most beautiful cat. so knowing this is absolutely ridiculous, but still being a proud cat mama, i had to enter otis. so, is he chicago's most beautiful cat?? i certainly think so, but go to www.redeyechicago.com/cats to see for yourself and to vote for him!
status of my house.
as per leslie's request, i will do a post on the very latest of my house decorations... it's coming along great, but i still have some boxes i've got to put away.
i need to take some more recent pictures because i now have a dining room table and i love it. it's a beauty from west elm. my bedroom is making progress, albeit slow. the closets are disastrous, but i am ordering my new closets that should be much much better. and i am still waiting on my dang couch in the living room. it's supposed to take 9-11 weeks. i think it's been 6 or 7?? i can't remember. but, i hope it comes soon!!
my guest room aka the movie theater
for all of you who remember the jamboree sign!
my living room
can you spot the cat? no table here yet, but it's here now!
i need to take some more recent pictures because i now have a dining room table and i love it. it's a beauty from west elm. my bedroom is making progress, albeit slow. the closets are disastrous, but i am ordering my new closets that should be much much better. and i am still waiting on my dang couch in the living room. it's supposed to take 9-11 weeks. i think it's been 6 or 7?? i can't remember. but, i hope it comes soon!!
my guest room aka the movie theater
for all of you who remember the jamboree sign!
my living room
can you spot the cat? no table here yet, but it's here now!
sarah's (short) visit.
come back for all the exciting details of sarah's short (but really fun and cold) visit to chicago. this story will encompass: meeting up with devon, patrick, christine, and nikolai as well as shopping and NYE! check back later for the stories and pictures...
ok on to the long awaited story!
sarah flew in on sunday afternoon and that evening we went to devon's house for a drink and then on to dinner and a few drinks. for the evening, it was devon and patrick, patrick's friend (whose name i am drawing a blank on), and devon's friends christine and nikolai. we made our way to multiple locations and had a bevy of various beverages. it was such a fun evening! i'll post pictures soon - i got a new camera for christmas and haven't figured out how to upload pictures yet... or rather i haven't felt like figuring it out...
on sunday, sarah and i went shopping for nye clothes. i had planned on wearing this one dress of mine but it didn't fit right and thus set off the "i must find a great dress or i won't look cute and nothing looks cute" mindset. not a good mindset. we went to scoop nyc first and sarah found the perfect outfit in no time. i, on the other hand, found nothing and so i dragged sarah around to a bunch of stores all up and down north... as it started to snow. and i found nothing. devon joined up with us and we decided to go and get an afternoon snack of tacos. they were so yummy! eventually, we went back to scoop for sarah to get a belt and i ended up finding some great bracelets and decided that the bracelets paired with the blue dress i have at home would be perfect for the evening.
once we got home, we rested for a bit in front of the tv and then the preparations began. showers, curling irons, straighteners, and gobs of makeup all over the counter in the bathroom showed how serious we were about looking good on this rather annoying annual tradition called new years eve. that's a whole nother blog though about how much i hate the build up and anticipation of new years when really, isn't just like any other night?! why must it be this fabulous night?! and further, why is it that the night is never fabulous?!? but i digress...
kim and jared came over a little later - i think around 6:30 and we had a lovely dinner at my house. kim had made a delicious caserole and salad and i provided chips, salsa, and queso. and a bottle of cakebread wine... yum! after dinner, we bundled up in our warmeset scarves and coats and braced ourselves for the jarring cold and snow. we were all wearing dresses and kim and i had on open toed shoes. perfect for the snow, right?! we headed out and went to rockit bar and grill in river north. once we got there, we met up with brian and his friends. brian is a guy i work with here at tsg real estate. and then.... i began sucking down the stoli orange and sevens.
and then i continue to suck down the stoli orange and sevens. in my defense, it was an open bar and the drinks were small with a lot of ice cubes. not so much in my defense, i did drink a ton of them very quickly! and then at midnight, there were balloons that dropped down from the ceiling and we all had a champagne toast. it was a lot of fun. sarah, kim, and jared all decided to leave at some point and even though they definitely told me and i handed over my keys to sarah, i didn't compute that they were really leaving. so i floated around talking to random people and i was talking to some random guy that knew a guy i knew in high school. and then i decided to leave or rather the bar was closing so i had to leave. as i was going down the stairs, i of course, fell. go me. and i bruised my left arm really good. it is finally just now disappearing! whoops. and then i went downstairs to get my coat. and it just continues to get worse and worse....
i went to get my coat and sarah and i had put our coats together and had both the tags. she didn't know which tag was for which coat so she just gave me one tag and took the other when she left. unfortunately she grabbed the one that i had been wearing which was a longer warmer version and also had my scarf and gloves in it. the other coat was a shorter coat that sarah had borrowed... so it wasn't as warm. and then i headed outside with everyone else to look for a cab. and couldn't get one to save my life. everyone was out there fighting for a cab and i couldn't get one. so i decided to take out my directions for the el and try to find that to get home. i'd mapped it out before leaving for the night knowing that cabs would be a problem. however, in my drunken state, i started walking, but couldn't find the el. somehow i managed to walk to somewhere... and find a little indoor vestibule, but i was already freezing. let's not forget that it is still snowing and i'm wearing a dress, bare legs, and open toed shoes. and a short coat. i tried to call sarah a hundred times and i tried to call kim too. but i couldn't get anyone so i started to get really scared. i had no idea where i was since i don't know that area at all and i was so freaking cold i thought i might die. finally i got ahold of kim and finally jared got a cab up by his house and came and got me as there were still no available cabs anywhere to be seen by me since all the bars had just let out.
so, jared, being the saint that he is, came in a cab and rescued me just as my phone was about to die he found me and i ran out to the cab where of course i started to sob and apologize for being so stupid and thanking him more than profusely for coming to pick me up and rescue me!! so then, b/c i was so shaken i made him hold me (and no it's nothing like that. he's kim's boyfriend and i don't see him in that light at all) and then take me all the way up to my house and then back to his house which is only slightly out of the way. ok it's probably a 10 minute round trip out of the way. i finally get home and i know i scared sarah to death and i feel terrible about that! she put me in much warmer clothes, made me eat, threatened to make me go to the hospital if i didn't stop sobbing, and then put some extra warm blankets on the bed. such a wonderful friend! but i felt terrible... i will never get that drunk again. that was ridiculous!!
oh the hangover the next day too! my lord. that sucked. and we had to get up early b/c sarah had to leave. it was much much too short of a trip!!
ok on to the long awaited story!
sarah flew in on sunday afternoon and that evening we went to devon's house for a drink and then on to dinner and a few drinks. for the evening, it was devon and patrick, patrick's friend (whose name i am drawing a blank on), and devon's friends christine and nikolai. we made our way to multiple locations and had a bevy of various beverages. it was such a fun evening! i'll post pictures soon - i got a new camera for christmas and haven't figured out how to upload pictures yet... or rather i haven't felt like figuring it out...
on sunday, sarah and i went shopping for nye clothes. i had planned on wearing this one dress of mine but it didn't fit right and thus set off the "i must find a great dress or i won't look cute and nothing looks cute" mindset. not a good mindset. we went to scoop nyc first and sarah found the perfect outfit in no time. i, on the other hand, found nothing and so i dragged sarah around to a bunch of stores all up and down north... as it started to snow. and i found nothing. devon joined up with us and we decided to go and get an afternoon snack of tacos. they were so yummy! eventually, we went back to scoop for sarah to get a belt and i ended up finding some great bracelets and decided that the bracelets paired with the blue dress i have at home would be perfect for the evening.
once we got home, we rested for a bit in front of the tv and then the preparations began. showers, curling irons, straighteners, and gobs of makeup all over the counter in the bathroom showed how serious we were about looking good on this rather annoying annual tradition called new years eve. that's a whole nother blog though about how much i hate the build up and anticipation of new years when really, isn't just like any other night?! why must it be this fabulous night?! and further, why is it that the night is never fabulous?!? but i digress...
kim and jared came over a little later - i think around 6:30 and we had a lovely dinner at my house. kim had made a delicious caserole and salad and i provided chips, salsa, and queso. and a bottle of cakebread wine... yum! after dinner, we bundled up in our warmeset scarves and coats and braced ourselves for the jarring cold and snow. we were all wearing dresses and kim and i had on open toed shoes. perfect for the snow, right?! we headed out and went to rockit bar and grill in river north. once we got there, we met up with brian and his friends. brian is a guy i work with here at tsg real estate. and then.... i began sucking down the stoli orange and sevens.
and then i continue to suck down the stoli orange and sevens. in my defense, it was an open bar and the drinks were small with a lot of ice cubes. not so much in my defense, i did drink a ton of them very quickly! and then at midnight, there were balloons that dropped down from the ceiling and we all had a champagne toast. it was a lot of fun. sarah, kim, and jared all decided to leave at some point and even though they definitely told me and i handed over my keys to sarah, i didn't compute that they were really leaving. so i floated around talking to random people and i was talking to some random guy that knew a guy i knew in high school. and then i decided to leave or rather the bar was closing so i had to leave. as i was going down the stairs, i of course, fell. go me. and i bruised my left arm really good. it is finally just now disappearing! whoops. and then i went downstairs to get my coat. and it just continues to get worse and worse....
i went to get my coat and sarah and i had put our coats together and had both the tags. she didn't know which tag was for which coat so she just gave me one tag and took the other when she left. unfortunately she grabbed the one that i had been wearing which was a longer warmer version and also had my scarf and gloves in it. the other coat was a shorter coat that sarah had borrowed... so it wasn't as warm. and then i headed outside with everyone else to look for a cab. and couldn't get one to save my life. everyone was out there fighting for a cab and i couldn't get one. so i decided to take out my directions for the el and try to find that to get home. i'd mapped it out before leaving for the night knowing that cabs would be a problem. however, in my drunken state, i started walking, but couldn't find the el. somehow i managed to walk to somewhere... and find a little indoor vestibule, but i was already freezing. let's not forget that it is still snowing and i'm wearing a dress, bare legs, and open toed shoes. and a short coat. i tried to call sarah a hundred times and i tried to call kim too. but i couldn't get anyone so i started to get really scared. i had no idea where i was since i don't know that area at all and i was so freaking cold i thought i might die. finally i got ahold of kim and finally jared got a cab up by his house and came and got me as there were still no available cabs anywhere to be seen by me since all the bars had just let out.
so, jared, being the saint that he is, came in a cab and rescued me just as my phone was about to die he found me and i ran out to the cab where of course i started to sob and apologize for being so stupid and thanking him more than profusely for coming to pick me up and rescue me!! so then, b/c i was so shaken i made him hold me (and no it's nothing like that. he's kim's boyfriend and i don't see him in that light at all) and then take me all the way up to my house and then back to his house which is only slightly out of the way. ok it's probably a 10 minute round trip out of the way. i finally get home and i know i scared sarah to death and i feel terrible about that! she put me in much warmer clothes, made me eat, threatened to make me go to the hospital if i didn't stop sobbing, and then put some extra warm blankets on the bed. such a wonderful friend! but i felt terrible... i will never get that drunk again. that was ridiculous!!
oh the hangover the next day too! my lord. that sucked. and we had to get up early b/c sarah had to leave. it was much much too short of a trip!!
Sunday, January 6, 2008
is this normal?!
today was really not very pretty out, but boy oh boy was it warm!! 60+ degrees!! i know in ca it really isn't that big of a deal, but i just got back from running errands and had already taken off my shoes and my fleece (which kept me more than warm) and so i ran outside in a shortsleeve shirt and flip flops to retrieve my forgotten item in the car. that's huge! normally i can't go outside without all my layers and scarf and if i'm feeling frisky, i'll leave my gloves off...but just for a quick trip! anyways, had to share the warmth. it's supposed to stay like this for a few days. crazy!
and yes, i do know this is so not normal...
and yes, i do know this is so not normal...
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