drive, swell, sing, drive

I drove down to my parents for the weekend - it took the usual time to make the drive, and as usual, it felt like forever. My dad's hand had swelled up as the result of an infection. He was on some antibiotics and some meds for the pain and was somewhat subdued for his birthday weekend.

We did get out on Saturday and went pretty much all over the region trying to buy some gifts for my cousin's wedding. We also stopped at a 1/2 priced books and I of course went right for the papercrafts section. And was followed by a woman with headphones on - singing some kind of gospel music. Very loudly. I was determined not to react or be driven out - because that level of volume is either insanely rude or asking for a confrontation. She left first, but kept singing around the store at a lower volume before she finally left.

I spent the rest of the weekend with them, mostly just hanging out and watching movies. I brought my old Playstation 2 with me to donate to their pastor's adopted son from the Ukraine - we dropped it off to him so he could arrange to have it shipped back to the orphanage where he used to live.

On Sunday, I drove back. Again, it took pretty much forever to make the drive. Last night, I dreamed that I was a substitute art teacher for an elementary school. Once I finally found the room, it turned into the nicest dream I've had in a long time.

That's about it... back to a busy week at work. later...

cookie

My fortune cookie had no fortune today. It was empty.

Discuss.

(and no, I didn't eat it by mistake)

lost, meetings, website

This is the first week of classes and there are always a few freshmen that get lost on campus. I always try to help when asked, but this year I got stopped by a guy that was "looking for the place where he could enroll for fall semester". This, on the first day of classes for the fall semester. So, I gave him directions to the admissions building and wished him luck. He was going to need it.

I've got 4 meetings today. Count 'em - 4. That ain't right. I think I need another note from my mom.

Finally, I made a few updates to my website. No real big changes, just a little re-org and some minor design tweaks. http://gozips.uakron.edu/~aws/

grandma, song

I got some good news about my grandmother yesterday - she had a colonoscopy that tracked the location of a secondary infection - which they were able to treat successfully within 24 hours. She talking again and more coherent. So, they're going forward with a feeding tube in her stomach and from there she'll head to a nursing home for rehab on her leg. It was a nice change from the flurry of bad news we've been getting recently.

In other news... there's a sign in a neighbors yard on my street that says "Christie Croce for Clerk of Courts" - and every time I drive past I get a Jim Croce song in my head. It's usually Don't Mess Around With Jim, but occasionally Operator pops up. I'll be glad when the election is over so I don't get this compulsion to sing in my car.

That's it for now... back to work...

tea, chipotle, day

I ordered my tea properly at Starbucks today - and the staff were impressed. I didn't get a discount or anything, but I'm still pleased with myself.

In other food-based adventures - the Chipotle burrito was awesome today. As usual. And it was gigantic. Which is also awesome.

Almost done with work for today - looking forward to getting into more comfortable clothes and playing some video games.

That's about it - not much to report. later...

appointment, call

I was up early this morning to take my room-mate to the doctor's for the "real" appointment. His aunt wasn't able to take him and one of his friend's didn't get the message in time. So, a little cranky I had to take more time off of work, we headed up to the doctor's office.

We were about 30 minutes early and three other people that arrived after he did got seen before him. Finally, 45 minutes after the appointment time, he got seen. I had a book with me, so I was sort of okay, but it was irksome. Apparently, one of the technicians that was going to help him with a "bone growth stimulation device" was running late and that threw everything off.

I took my room-mate back home and went on into work. No problems with taking the time off as far as the boss is concerned, but it still troubled me a bit. I've got a reputation for not taking time off - which I guess is why the boss wasn't phased by it. Still, you know, grumble.

I talked to my sister last night, she was very upset about an email she'd gotten from my aunt about my grandmother's condition. Grandma just doesn't seem to be getting better and there's a general idea that perhaps she's giving up. My sister and I counter that maybe she needs more things to look forward to and some positive reinforcement. We're going to start sending her lots of get well cards - maybe a little smile from her Ohio grandkids will help.

Well, back to work...

commencement, doctor, swim

I attended the commencement ceremony on Saturday for one of our former student assistants. The ceremony was a little on the dull side, but it went a little quicker than I expected. They didn't use the ceremonial mace - much to my disappointment. Afterwards, pictures were taken and cookies were eaten, and presents were given. I headed out soon afterwards and got changed into much cooler clothes.

I took off work this morning to take my room-mate to the doctor for his 10 day follow up after his surgery. We were early to the doctor's office - a full day early. His appointment is actually tomorrow - but we didn't find this out until we were already at the office. His aunt will take him tomorrow, I think. Kind of a waste of time and the verdict is still out on where the confusion was - but at least I wasn't at work.

Finally, the ONAT pool reopened today. Nice wide lanes, clean, and uncrowded. And hot water in the showers afterwards. Heaven...

Well, just got a big project - better get to it.

later...

i.g.s.g.t. , word, pool

Since they don't seem to stock the Tazo Tea I like at the local starbucks, I've been getting the shaken iced tea. Apparently, I keep asking for it "wrong" and they always change the order of what I say into the Starbuck's lingo. This time, I paid attention and should be able to order "correctly" next time - and maybe save just a little of the collective brainpower of the universe.

Iced Grande Sweetened Green Tea

Please make a note of that.

Back on the job, I've been trying to unlock a Word 2003 document. And we don't have the password to go in there and make change. It's not going well - we may have to recreate the form from scratch. Annoying.

That's about it, just another day at work - though it's Friday which is cool. Oh, and the pool is still closed. Color me slightly cranky about that. Mainly because I don't like being teased and that's what they are doing with the ever changing "tentative re-open dates".

later...

tweet, shoulder, graduation, game

I finally set up my phone to send updates to twitter. I'm still using this as a haiku poetry archive so I won't get updates from other people sent to my phone - this should help me keep a handle on my charges. I'm still not using it enough to justify paying for a full texting plan.

My shoulder is still bothering me and though it hurts a little less, it's now wrapped all around my back and somehow up to my jaw on the right side. I'm not sure how to do a stretching exercise to cover all those areas.

The summer graduation for the campus is on this Saturday. I had been invited by a former student assistant to attend and she's arranging for a meet-up for her friends beforehand. The meeting place she's chosen is the only good land mark in the area - I'm guessing it will be pretty crazy there. I'm going to make a big sign to hold up and help gather the group.

I've been playing Mirror's Edge a bit recently - and I find myself lunging at the screen to try and help the character make a difficult jump. I'm glad no one watches me play video games.

Time to get back to work...

back, slow, grandma

My back and left shoulder are bothering me today - I must have slept on it weird. Reallllly didn't want to get out of bed this morning, but I had to go to work. At least it's quiet here - the boss is out today and I don't have any big projects on fire at the moment. And I think I got an extra piece of bacon on my subway sandwich today - so, that's cool.

My sister wrote a really nice post about grandma on her blog - even if she did diss me a bit about me being in a photo. :) I added a link to her site on my blog.

I thought about writing about grandma a bit and some of the good times we've had over the years, but I find myself starting to tear up - just the thought that those times may be done troubles me enough that I don't want to even think about the good times now.

I'm sure there's a pile of psychology to sort out from that run-on sentence above, but I'm going to let it go for now. I can write about the clinical issues she's going through, but really thinking about what it means really hits me.

I think I need to take a break, maybe get out of the office and get a few minutes of sunshine.

later...

better, doctor, pool

My room-mate is doing better. He's pretty mobile around the apartment but is still taking it easy. His aunt stopped over yesterday and visited for a bit. I also picked up a prescription for him - I think that helped too.

I also helped change the dressing on the incision on his neck and I gotta say - that was worse than helping him move the dead bodies the week before. The bodies were... well... they were "done". Whatever happened, they wouldn't get any worse from my actions if I made a mistake.

If I had pulled the wrong way in removing the bandages, then glue holding the wound shut might have come loose and he would have started bleeding. And bleeding from a surgical incision in ones neck is never good. I don't think direct pressure would have done much good - so, I was very nervous.

But it went well and he's on the mend. May be a few weeks before he's back to work, but his aunt and friends promised to check on him through the day just in case.

I also got some better news about my grandmother. Dad told me yesterday that they've got the feeding tube back in and that the infection is being beaten back by better nutrition and the antibiotics. She still can't swallow and will eventually need a tube in her stomach, but at least she's still fighting. I'm a bit more hopeful, but we're all still worried.

On a more humorous note, a story from the waiting room before my room-mate's surgery. I was standing there with two of his co-workers who'd stopped by to visit as well. One of the techs came in to put the monitoring wires on my room-mate - and he made it a point to introduce himself to me and shake my hand. He nodded to the other people in the room and made a comment about how he was going to be working with me later in the day.

We finally figured out that he was responding to the name tag on my shirt with my room-mate's last name on it (since I was keeping track of his stuff and the first point of contact) - and thought I was a doctor that he hadn't met yet - but was scheduled to meet that day.

Now, I wasn't even close to being dressed like a doctor and the name tag was nothing more official than a sticker - the kind that they issued to visitors all the time. So, I don't know how he got that confused, but I chose to take it as a compliment.

Finally, at least part of one of the pools may be opening on Thursday. So, I'll miss a couple of days of swimming, but not the weeks that I had expected.

Looks like I didn't miss much here at work from Friday, but still a little catching up to do.

later...

surgery, scare, waiting, news

Yesterday morning, at 4:00 am, I woke up my room-mate with difficulty and took him to the surgery center of Mercy Hospital for his back surgery. I got him checked in and fired up my PSP to play a game. Before I could really start, one of his colleagues/friends arrived to see him before the surgery and so we chatted for a bit. While my room-mate was getting prepped, we got to go back and wish him well - and a couple of his co-workers arrived too. We had a few good laughs and sent him on his way. I was by myself for a few minutes when his aunt arrived. So, she and I waited and chatted. Ironically, I had packed myself plenty of "anti-boredom" gear - paper, books, games, etc. - and didn't need any of it.

After a while the doctor came out and and said the surgery went well with no complications and that he was recovering from the surgery quickly.

My room-mate's aunt and I headed up to the room where he would be staying overnight for observation. We checked in with him and helped him order lunch - then she left for a bit and I went downstairs to McDonalds for my own lunch. I made the calls to all his siblings to keep them up to date, then headed back up and kept him company. His aunt arrived later and brought him a milkshake.

She left a little after that and I stayed around until 8:00 or so before I headed home.

At 10:00, his sister called. At 11:00, his brother called.

At 3:30 AM - the hospital called and the nurse was calm, polite as one can be at that time of the morning - and told me that he'd been moved to the cardiac floor of the hospital due to a heart scare. I wrote down the info and was fortunately tired enough to go back to sleep.

At 6:30, my room-mate called with the same info - but that he was doing much better. I got up not long after that and headed back to the hospital and his new room.

The prevailing theory was that the auto-inflating leg cuffs and drugs were the cause for alarm. The drugs would drop his heart rate as he got sleepy, and then the cuffs would inflate and startle him and wake him back up. So, no big deal - but it was scary for all involved for a while. I stayed with him through the morning, then got lunch again and did some reading in the afternoon while he waited to be released. I brought him back to the apartment and I'm looking after him this evening. Tomorrow his aunt will visit and bring him at least one meal.

While he was settling back in - I got a call from my dad. Things have gotten worse with my grandmother.

The urinary tract infection continues and she has now lost the ability to swallow. Whether this is from the infection or another mini-stroke - the damage appears to be permanent. The doctors have given her a feeding tube through her nose, but since she's already pulled that out, they need to determine a more permanent solution - in this case, a tube inserted into her stomach.

My aunt, my dad, and one of my uncles are now faced with difficult decisions. They're going to try to find a lucid time with her and see if she can decide if she wants the feeding tube. If not, or if they can't find a lucid time, they may look to the quality of life issues. Things are looking grim.

My sister called a little while later and though we tried to talk - there were a lot of silences. This is hitting us both pretty hard and I think we're both feeling very helpless. I think it's only a matter of time.

So, I'm going to make it a quiet evening and try and get some rest tonight. I'm sure to have a full day tomorrow - and then back to work on Monday.

later...

grandma, purchase, surgery

I got an update from my mom yesterday via email - Grandma is doing worse than dad's recent update suggested. She's got a urinary tract infection that caused a stage 2 renal failure. Which is scary. She's still in the hospital - but thinks she's in prison. She had to be restrained because she keeps pulling her IV out and has kicked a nurse.

I talked to my sister last night and we're really scared for her and at a loss on what we can do - if anything. So, I'm kinda bummed about that.

In other news... I've been having some issues with a recent web-order. I went to the BudK website to order a diving knife and some throwing darts. Not a big purchase or a complicated one - right around $20 - but I had trouble getting logged in. I finally had to request the password and it turned out to not be what I expected. Frustrated and slightly annoyed, I completed the order - and then realized in the confirmation email that the address was wrong - it was my previous address. Now, I'm pretty sure I've ordered stuff since I've lived at my new place so I don't know how that got there - plus, I get the catalog at my new address.

As soon as I saw the incorrect address, I sent an email to their customer support address with the correction. The next day they replied and said the package was "ready to be shipped" and I would need to request an interception - at the cost of $10.

I was a little ticked about that, but if I didn't, the package would go to the wrong place. I wrote back and gave them the go ahead. The replied again and said I would have to call and give my credit card number.

So, I call them and give my credit card number. They said they'll take care of it. In the meantime, I get a friendly note saying the item had been shipped.

I didn't hear anything for several days, so I called yesterday and asked for a status. They told me that the package had already been delivered. I asked if they had charged me the interception fee and they said someone had tried to call to say they couldn't intercept it based on the carrier. I'm guessing they called the old number.

I asked if they had any suggestions and they told me - "you should try and stop by to see if it got delivered".

Great.

So, I wrote up a note including my cell phone number and when to my old address - thinking I could leave the note in case they weren't home. The current resident was just pulling in as I arrived and I introduced myself and explained the situation. He said he hadn't gotten anything and made a show of sorts of looking on the tiny front porch. I asked if I could leave him my number and would he mind calling me if it arrived.

I left then. Could be: 1. He got the package and lied. 2. He didn't get the package and someone else picked it up. 3. BudK never shipped it and has been screwing with me.

I'll give this a few days to see if it shows and if he calls me. Then I'm going to write a note to BudK explaining my concerns and asking to be taken off their mailing list. It's unfortunate since I liked the stuff they sold and the catalogues were always fun - but this time around I really felt like their customer service didn't give a crap. And unless the new resident of my old apartment comes through - I'm out $20. Not the end of the world, but irksome.

Guess I need to find a new edged weapons supplier - or I need to learn the art of forging my own. That would be awesome.

Finally, my room-mate is going in for back surgery tomorrow - he's having some vertebra fused. I'm the driver and caller of his relatives. He's worried, but I think the very busy hours he's been working recently have helped distract him.

That's it for now... back to work.

closing

I got in 30 laps today at the pool - and noticed a couple new signs. The work on the hot water pipes will extend at least until August 15th - so, cold showers will continue. Even worse, though, is that the rec center pool is closing for maintenance starting this Sunday for a month. And the natitorium pool is still closed.

We've got two pools on campus and I won't be able to swim in either of them. Even worse, I paid for a membership for the summer and though there's been talk about extending that because of the hot water issue - I doubt it will cover not being able to use the pool. I'm less concerned about a refund or an extended membership - I just want to swim.

Cranky.

day, grandma

The vending machine suggested that I have a nice day and I guess I have.

No meetings today.

I got in my swim - 3/4 mile

Had a Pretzel-Dog for lunch

I've gotten a few projects done here at work, but it's been pretty quiet. Got a bit of a headache, but that's almost par for the course.

Ack! I just made a golf analogy. Gotta watch that.

In other news... Dad called over the weekend to tell me that Grandma had another stroke. It wasn't a bad one, as far as these things go, but she'll be in the hospital and then rehab for a bit while she tries to regain mobility in her right leg.

They've got her on blood-thinners, but can't increase the dose too much or it will cause other issues. So, kind of a scary/sad time.

Almost time for me to head out of here. The headache is getting slightly worse from staring at the computer screen and I'll be glad to exit the building and get some natural lighting.

drug, help, shoes

There was a comment on my blog - from someone I don't think I know - that talked about my ambien post. I think it was meant as a "if you take it properly under a physician's care then it's totally safe". Ummm... that's not what the post was about, people. This was my personal experience with someone else taking it and how it totally sucked for everyone involved. Thanks for the comment, though.

I'm currently at the funeral home where my room-mate works. He's not been feeling well recently and with the 4 new calls he's had to take in the past 12 hours, I offered to come with him and help in some capacity. This was essentially going to be me keeping an ear out and signing for a casket delivery - which I did. And then he asked if I could... help move a body. A pre-embalmed body.

Oh, nelly!

So, we glove up and head back to the embalming room. The dude to be moved was heavy and my help really was needed. We used some sheets to help pull him into position and then transfer him to a cot for viewing. After the family saw the guy (they were having him cremated later) - we transferred him again to the cremation box. My room-mate does this sort of thing all the time, but I'm a computer geek. I'm not used to that sort of thing, but we got though it.

Surprisingly, I was still hungry for lunch. I got us a couple of sandwiches at Arby's and we ate in the selection room. Which was a little creepy too. I went to run some errands while he did some embalming - since there's not a dang thing I can do to help with that part.

One of my errands was to buy some new shoes. I went to Famous footwear first and they were too expensive. I next when to DSW - and they were too expensive and had no selection. I gave up and went to Target and got a great pair of shoes for $9.99 - 'cause I'm awesome.

I think the rest of the afternoon will be spent playing games and waiting for him to finish up. I'm in the front office of the "house of fun" for the time being - unless I'm called on to move another body. :)

Later...

speed, algae, car

On Friday at the pool, I decided to vary my stoke a bit while doing the crawl. I usually do a circular motion with my arms - which I know is not the way to do it - and this time I tried getting my hands to enter the water at an angle. A sort of stabbing motion into the water instead of slapping the surface and pulling through.

Hmmm... that actually sounded kinda violent. Anyway, it worked really well. I was able to go much faster and had to breath less. I was still fighting the vortex on the return trip so I didn't set any records, but it was still an improvement.

My co-worker needed a starbucks break in the afternoon - so I went along as well. They were out of the regular tea I like so I decided to try the Green Machine flavor of Naked Juice. The list of ingredients are:

Apple juice, Mango Puree, Pineapple Juice, Banana puree, Kiwi puree, Spirulina, Natural flavor, Chlorella (I thought that said cholera when I first looked at it), Broccoli, Spinach, Barley grass, wheat grass, parsley, ginger root, blue green algae, and odorless garlic.

I haven't mutated since I drank it yesterday. Which is kind of a bummer. It tasted okay, but it was a little pricey for the quantity.

I got my car fixed yesterday - more than I wanted to spend, but at least they were quick. (muffler and tailpipe were rusted through).

that's it for now... later