Phobias (Blog Roll post)

This is the latest post on the blog roll. The assignment this week is to talk about phobias, so...

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Phobias. I got 'em in spades. (No, I'm not that neurotic, I just have a healthy respect for things and situations that give me the creeps. ;-)

So here's the short list, in no particular order:

1) Spiders. I've gotten over this one as I've gotten older, for the most part, but I loathe black widows.

2) Large crowds.

3) Bodies of water--lakes, pools, you name it. I can't swim (I had a near-drowning accident when I was ten) so any large body of water makes me very nervous. That goes double when Roisin's around.

4) Closed in spaces. I got stuck in an elevator that got stuck between the floors and it was four or five of the longest minutes of my life.

5) Needles. I don't care if you have to give me an IV or draw my blood, but I'm not going to watch you do it (and don't insist, unless you want me to go horizontal.)

That's mine, for now. If I think of others, I'll add them. :-)

Parenting Minefield Dead Ahead....

There has been much comment on the Ehell (aka Etiquette Hell) forum about parents who take their children to "inappropriate" restaurants---that is, parents who take their kids to bars (in the US, definitely a no-no,) or sushi restaurants or restaurants that are obviously for adults in the mood for a little romance and who then let their little darlings (this is sarcasm) disrupt the entire evening.

Last night, we were almost one of "those" parents. :-O Except everything worked out okay. Rob's cousin and her husband were in town this week; they'd come into town for a business meeting and they invited us all to a fancy (well, to my mind---I don't eat at too many places that have more than one fork) restaurant in Balboa Park. Rob and I had agreed that if the wee one decided to start acting up, one of us would take her out so none of the other diners would be disturbed. And we were nervous---this isn't a place we would normally take our child, for the simple fact that a) she's 16 months old and b) fine restaurants and toddlers just normally don't mix.

It turned out fine. She was a good little toddler---drank her milk, had some hummus and some potatoes and chicken from our plates, and generally exuded excessive cuteness. She got a little fussy towards the end but it was really close to her bedtime, so we all just called it a night.

Whew. Another parenting minefield crossed. I'm not sure we'll go back there any time soon, particularly as she gets closer to the dreaded twos, but it's nice to know that we survived it.

What I Like About Me :)

This is the latest challenge from the Blog Tour. We were asked to write about what we like about ourselves, so...here goes (in no particular order.)

1) I like that I have boobs. I mean, when Monty Python joked about "huge tracts of land," they might have been talking about "the ladies." :)

2) My sense of humor hangs around, even when things are at their worst.

3) I have a head full of useless trivia and I don't forget anything (well, except where my keys are just now. :)

4) I don't have a lot of friends, but the ones I have, I've had for years. And they're not all the same "type" of people.

5) I'm honest...not rude about it, but honest. And I don't suffer fools gladly.

6) I can write intelligently. :)

7) I like my eyes (dark brown) and my nose (small.)

8) I speak sarcasm as a second language.

9) After all the hard work in becoming a mom, I have to say I like it.

10) I love my husband. And I love that he loves me for me.

The Death of Common Sense?

Okay, a small detour into Things That Annoy Me Greatly.

In yesterday's New York Times, there was an article about a measles outbreak in San Diego earlier this year. Nine of the twelve kids hadn't been vaccinated because their parents didn't believe in it.

Excuse me?

I did a double-take when I read this. Illnesses killed many, many children in the days before vaccines and now that we have vaccines, some parents are choosing to...what? Put their kids and everyone else's at risk? Because...why? Some internet-based fad that says vaccines are responsible for everything from autism to zebra stripes (okay, that last was hyperbole.)

I'm not one of "those" parents who normally goes around pushing my way of doing things on people. Breastfeed or don't, just feed your kid. Co-sleep, or don't---just make sure your kid gets sleep. Cloth diaper or disposable diaper, doesn't matter, just so long as they wear something. :) And so on. But in my mind, vaccines aren't negotiable. And I honestly can't imagine the mentality of a parent that can believe that much in herd immunity, or who is willing to risk the health of their kid and everyone else's kid for some internet fad based on poor science and worse research.

But all of this brings me to my original statement. I wonder if parents who don't vaccinate really comprehend what they're risking. Roisin spent her first five weeks in the NICU, wired to machines and alarms and tubes that kept her alive. Having seen that, there is nothing on this earth that would make us risk seeing her in another ICU, and so, we do all we can to make sure she doesn't end up there.

Common sense can't be dead in America. Can it?

Weirdest Vacation Evah :)

On another board, a bunch of fellow bloggers are writing about their weirdest vacations.

So, here's mine:

When I was ten, my dad, mom and I went to the Jack Daniels Distillery in Lynchburg, TN. Not the first place you'd think of as, oh, family-friendly, but you know, it was pretty cool. The people were very nice and I wasn't the only kid there. It was just weird because at the time, neither my mom or I drank. (Well, obviously I didn't---I was ten.) What I do remember, though, was this ginormous iron safe in the office. Seems ol'Jack had himself a bit of a temper and kicked it hard one day. Broke his toe and died of gangrene not too long afterwards. Ouch. :-O

On that same trip, we went to Twitty City. Conway Twitty (the country western singer) had set this place up as, I suspect, a giant tax writeoff. It was a park built along the theme of "How Great I Am." You could see a replica of Twitty's house, the obligatory gift shop, and lots and lots of ephemera about the guy's life. Except that I had no idea who he was (and being ten, being interested would have just been so uncool.) C'est la vie. :)

So, broken toes, iron safes and Twitty City. That's my weirdest vacation. :-)

It's Always Something...

I just got back from my follow-up appointment with my kidney doc. The good news is that the kidney stones in my left kidney are now two or three smaller fragments, instead of two large ones.
The bad news is that I still have kidney stones, and I now know I'm facing another two or three shockwave treatments before it's gone.

I can deal with that. I mean, I'm not happy at the prospect of more hours of post-op vomiting or what exotic complication I can come up with this time, but the stones need to be gone. The doc offered the option of surgery, but that involves an even more painful recovery and a few weeks (!!!) off work.

Um, no. I did the "few weeks off work" thing in 2006. The "few weeks" was the last nine weeks of my pregnancy, and I was glad to do it...but I just can't afford to do it now. So, more shockwave therapy for me. Yippee :0)

This guy gets it

In writing this blog, I've tried not to touch on anything too political or controversial (okay, coming out of the broom closet as a witch-in-training isn't all that controversial to me, but others might not agree. ;-) mainly because I figure there's enough bloggers doing that stuff. I just wanted my little corner of the blogosphere to be a little more mellow.

But just for today, I'm swerving off that road for a very short detour. Yesterday, I read the transcript of Sen. Obama's speech about his pastor. And the thought that keeps coming to mind is, "This guy gets it." He does. He really gets the harm that racism does in this country, and what it's like to see that racism in friends and family we know and love. Whatever happens in this election, he will have my admiration for having the cojones to actually come out and stare the 900 pound gorilla in the face.

I don't know if he'll win the election, but the courage I saw in his words makes me think he wouldn't be a bad president. It takes a brave man to say, "He's my friend," even when that friend is a flaming arsehole at times...and especially when you think of how much more politically expedient it would have been for him to have completely cut ties with his pastor.

Integrity. In a politician, no less. Who'd have thunk? :)

Doctor, Doctor...parte the thirde :)

(And hopefully, the last.) I have antibiotics now. And I feel loads better---I was able to sleep last night without a fever and I finally feel like I might be over the worst of whatever this is. Maybe. I hope. :)

But whatever happens, I've decided that as soon as my kidney issue(s) are done with, I'm done with this doctor. Nothing against his actual practice of medicine---it certainly seems like he knows what he's doing medically. But his bedside manner...um, no. I don't have to have him as my primary care doctor (he's a specialist) so with any luck, our time together is almost over.

In other news, it's just Roisin and I tonight. Rob went off to do some guy stuff with some friends of his, which is fine. It leaves Roisin and I with some mom-daughter time and it gives Rob a break. So, no worries here.

If anyone's reading this, have a good night. :)

Doctor, doctor...parte the seconde :)

Doc called back yesterday. After listening to my symptoms, he's decided to call in a prescription for antibiotics. If that doesn't work, I have to go back for further tests.

Of course, the antibiotic prescription wasn't called in yesterday. So I have to rattle his cage this morning, because I really don't want to spend my weekend feeling like crap (again.) So there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Maybe. I hope.

Doctor, doctor...can't you see I'm burning, burning?

The saga continues.

I don't have a UTI. I went to the doc on Monday and had his lab run a test. Nope, that's not my problem. But since I'm still having fevers at night, it's anyone's guess as to what really is going on. This isn't exactly normal post-op stuff, even for my strange system. So I've got a call in to my Doc. Haven't heard anything yet, though with my luck, he didn't listen to his nurse and called me at work instead of at home like I asked (hey, I was home sick yesterday.)

I'm back to work today, regardless. I don't have a reason to stay home---I'm not running a fever this moment, and I feel okay (not great, but okay.) So here's hoping I feel great for the next ten hours or so.

We all come from the goddess

Well, I don't suppose this is really a shock to anyone who knows me (outside of work, where discussion on religion and politics is das verboten, particularly if you're not a conservative Christian Republican :)) but I've been researching and studying the pagan path for the last few months, and in sympathy with the pagan viewpoint for years longer.

What does this mean? Well, in addition to all my other hats---wife, mother, daughter, friend---I can soon add "witch" to the mix. And I'm comfortable with that. I don't cast spells (yet.) I don't know what I'm doing, still being new to things, and I suspect it'll be several more months before I feel comfortable casting. But I find great comfort in acknowledging the presence of a goddess as well as a god, in honoring the earth and nature as our mother. (Why else call her "Mother Nature," eh?)

So here's what I believe. We each have a duty to deal kindly and fairly with each other, to the extent that it's possible. (Some people are just hell-bent on being impossible, after all.) We each have a right to our own beliefs, or lack thereof. And we all receive back what we send, so be careful what you do or ask for, because karma is a bitch who loves to strike when you're not expecting it. And she'll always find a way to get you---if not now, then later. And if there is a hell, we create in in this life, by our own actions.

So that's me. Wife, mother, daughter, friend and witch in training. :)

Blessed be. ) O (

Bring Me Solo and a Cookie :)

This website makes me smile when I need it the most. Enjoy! :)

Why "How are you?" is a loaded question :)

On Wednesday, I had lithotripsy done on my left kidney to remove the 3cm boulder that has lodged itself there. Basically, it's a use of targeted sonar to break the stones up so the fragments pass easily. And if it was happening to anyone else but me, I'd probably find the whole thing fascinating.

But....

Well, as it turns out, I'm really not the best patient. I mean, I tried. Honest. I like nurses and doctors, generally. But I freaked out the OR staff when I went horizontal unexpectedly (they were going to give me an epidural so I wouldn't have my usual post-op vomit reaction to anesthetic.) One minute, the very nice anesthesiologist was feeling around in my spine and I was hugging my pillow and the next, I was lying on the gurney with five or six faces staring down at me looking concerned.

I don't know what set that off, to be honest---I've had two epidurals in my life (once while I was pregnant with Roisin and once during my labor with her) and I didn't have any where near the same reaction. So I feel obscurely guilty for being a difficult patient.

And oh, yeah, I had my usual post-op reaction to the anesthetic. But I can't blame the docs. They tried.

What's made my week even more fun is this: I've gotten an infection of some sort---fever, chills, you name it, I've probably had it in the last four days. So I'm going in to my doctor tomorrow to make sure this doesn't become something more serious.

I've probably lost five pounds since Wednesday. As a diet method, I don't recommend it. :)

The rest of my family is hanging in...mostly. Roisin is teething and has not been her usual (mostly) angelic self the last couple of days (though she was fine last night.) Rob's been looking distinctly frazzled---not that I particularly blame him there. It's tough running a house and looking after a toddler by yourself and I certainly wasn't able to be any help.

So, here's hoping that things clear up. Being sick sucks.