So the new vanity is perfect-- inexpensive and simple; the hardware we chose is sort of antique-y looking, with the old fashioned hot and cold handles. Looks wonderful.
J also regrouted the bathroom floor and the kitchen counters. We found that just a small piece of granite to cover our small kitchen counter would be over $300! The heck with that. So we are debating how and whether to change the counter top. In the meantime, regrouting is a good thing...
Thursday I went to work again, and that went well. I covered for a few people since two people were out sick, and then SF went home sick too, so I was busier than expected.
Went to WW and learned that for the third week in a row I'd gained (ounces, not pounds, but still maddening) instead of losing, so I am rethinking what I can do to turn this around.
Friday we knew there was a heat wave coming, so I was out the door by 8 walking, and even that early I was sweating up a storm by the time I finished my 3 miles.
Meanwhile, J was readying his supplies. He started filming that afternoon up in P'land. He did hear back from his agent, and his cousin who is in advertising back in NYC, and apparently this kind of contract is standard. So he signed. We'll just have to see how it goes; his part is small now, with the promise that it'll grow over time for him to become a central character. This does mean he won't have a lot of shooting days at first anyway, and any other parts he might audition for hopefully will be flexible. We'll see.
We did last minute errands in the morning because he was going to be gone til Saturday with the car, leaving me no transportation. And he also installed a bamboo shade for the side of the back deck to block the worst of the afternoon sun. It really helps a lot.
Then he was too anxious to nap despite knowing he'd be up very late (shooting started at 5pm, and was scheduled to run til 1am), so he left at 2, arriving on the set at 4. He knew he was going to be early, but he wasn't quite sure where he'd be and wanted to make sure he was not late. Friday afternoon traffic in P'land is not something to mess with.
It's quite different being in my house alone. This happens so rarely that I kind of wander aimlessly for a while, puttering and trying to figure what I actually want to do. I cleaned out the chicken coop, filled the birdbath for the third time that day, did house chores like emptying the kitty box and watering plants. Finally I just sat down and decided to watch LOTR for the umpteenth time.
However, the TV wouldn't work. Would not turn on. I did every bit of trouble shooting I could think of before calling J and asking if there was some secret to how this thing worked. Fortunately it was before 5pm, so he was able to walk me through various things, and when none of them worked, he called Mal, and asked him to stop by and look at it for me.
Mal showed up literally 2 minutes after I discovered a plug had come undone. This plug is under the staircase, behind some electronics, so how it came undone I have no idea. But I did find it, and that's when the TV came on, and then Murphy started barking because Mal was knocking at the door. What a sweetheart. He looked over everything anyway, and then gave me a hug and was gone as he still had two other repair jobs to complete before the end of his work day.
So I sat with my feet up and watched my favorite movie. Heaven. Heated up some stew I'd made, and drank my wine, and cried when I wanted to.
J called a few times between his scenes, and was having a blast. He stayed overnight with another cast member, and has already called me twice this morning. Then he will be needed tomorrow morning too.
Misc info: United did refund the money--yay!
Brenda, J's oldest daughter, decided she needed a week with Dad, so she arrives next Friday. Yikes. I like her but lord she is quite a drama queen. I guess that's why she got along so well with mom, in their online doings and emails. She is exhausting to be with, and J finds her to be difficult in some ways, but also feels like he wasn't a good dad to her when she was younger. He is still trying to make up for that. So she will stay upstairs, and this time there will be no break: Last time she visited--2 or 3 summers ago? -- J's oldest son B lived in the next town over, so Brenda was able to run over there a lot. This time of course, B is gone, having moved to Arkansas last fall. Thank the gods I will be working all week...poor J will have her all day long. God, that sounds awful to say. I like her but in small doses.
She will be leaving the morning of the day of our anniversary.We were planning to drive out to Newport and have dinner, and then come back here. But it might just be too much driving for one day!
I'm going to go put my feet up. I can feel the heat already building.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Saturday
We have had a fun and busy week. It was wonderful only working two days... could definitely get used to it.
Monday we set out to do some errands; one of them was visiting a few places to look for a second-hand lawn mower. (J accidentally ran over a low to the ground stump, and the blade just cracked right off. Sigh.)
So we go into this secondhand shop which definitely does not sell lawn mowers, just killing about 15 minutes before the mower shop opens, and there in the front of the store is a gorgeous velvet sofa. It's a huge sofa--we had to look at the tag which described it as 8'6" long, but it's narrow, exactly what we were looking for a few years ago and couldn't find. We checked it out, we sat on it, we walked away from it and went back. It was in perfect condition although it was easily 50 years old. Custom made. A pale green velvet, with very pale mauve swirls here and there. This is something extremely unusual. It was more than we'd planned to pay for even if we had been looking for a sofa, but the idea of not grabbing it while we could was worse than sucking it up and buying it. We knew we'd regret it forever if we didn't. There was no bargaining over it because it was on consignment.
So we took a deep breath and bought it. I had just gotten paid that day so we even had the cash; it meant we didn't put our allotted amount into savings, but then we didn't have to take money from savings either.
We did the rest of our errands, and then went home so J could drive the truck back to the shop and pick it up. Mal helped him get it in the house, and it's the showstopper piece for sure. Sits perfectly under the mirror on the side of the living room. Comfortable, long enough to sleep on, absolutely beautiful.
That was Monday.
Tuesday I worked, and it felt like a long day. Wednesday we set out again to do some errands, including looking for the lawn mower; at Habitat For Humanity we found not a mower, but the other thing we actually had been looking for, a vanity to replace the "temporary" one J installed a year before I moved in. We found the sink and hardware to go with it, went next door to inspect mowers, found a secondhand one which was way better quality than we'd been looking to invest in, and decided to think about it.
Went home, then to HomeDepot to see what they had, checked online, and picked up the vanity at Habitat. J ripped out the old vanity and sink, prepped and refinished the wall to accept the new one, lifted it off the truck to bring it in the house and discovered it was much less sturdy than it appeared. In fact, as he was tapping some loose nails back in to hold it in place, the whole thing literally collapsed into a pile of boards as we watched in disbelief. There was no point in attempting to put it together again. After his initial burst of anger, we had to laugh.
Then we drove to HomeDepot and found a brand new one with a sink for $39. J installed it, and returned the sink we'd bought at Habitat, explaining what had happened, and they graciously agreed to refund our money.
To be continued.
Monday we set out to do some errands; one of them was visiting a few places to look for a second-hand lawn mower. (J accidentally ran over a low to the ground stump, and the blade just cracked right off. Sigh.)
So we go into this secondhand shop which definitely does not sell lawn mowers, just killing about 15 minutes before the mower shop opens, and there in the front of the store is a gorgeous velvet sofa. It's a huge sofa--we had to look at the tag which described it as 8'6" long, but it's narrow, exactly what we were looking for a few years ago and couldn't find. We checked it out, we sat on it, we walked away from it and went back. It was in perfect condition although it was easily 50 years old. Custom made. A pale green velvet, with very pale mauve swirls here and there. This is something extremely unusual. It was more than we'd planned to pay for even if we had been looking for a sofa, but the idea of not grabbing it while we could was worse than sucking it up and buying it. We knew we'd regret it forever if we didn't. There was no bargaining over it because it was on consignment.
So we took a deep breath and bought it. I had just gotten paid that day so we even had the cash; it meant we didn't put our allotted amount into savings, but then we didn't have to take money from savings either.
We did the rest of our errands, and then went home so J could drive the truck back to the shop and pick it up. Mal helped him get it in the house, and it's the showstopper piece for sure. Sits perfectly under the mirror on the side of the living room. Comfortable, long enough to sleep on, absolutely beautiful.
That was Monday.
Tuesday I worked, and it felt like a long day. Wednesday we set out again to do some errands, including looking for the lawn mower; at Habitat For Humanity we found not a mower, but the other thing we actually had been looking for, a vanity to replace the "temporary" one J installed a year before I moved in. We found the sink and hardware to go with it, went next door to inspect mowers, found a secondhand one which was way better quality than we'd been looking to invest in, and decided to think about it.
Went home, then to HomeDepot to see what they had, checked online, and picked up the vanity at Habitat. J ripped out the old vanity and sink, prepped and refinished the wall to accept the new one, lifted it off the truck to bring it in the house and discovered it was much less sturdy than it appeared. In fact, as he was tapping some loose nails back in to hold it in place, the whole thing literally collapsed into a pile of boards as we watched in disbelief. There was no point in attempting to put it together again. After his initial burst of anger, we had to laugh.
Then we drove to HomeDepot and found a brand new one with a sink for $39. J installed it, and returned the sink we'd bought at Habitat, explaining what had happened, and they graciously agreed to refund our money.
To be continued.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Sunday
Last Monday I decided to gather up my courage and contact United for the refund. I knew it was going to take a loooong time of sitting on hold, and just hadn't been ready to deal with it.
When I bought my plane tickets to VT back in April, my scheduled arrival time in Burlington was around 6pm (despite leaving here at 6am; okay, I get that it's going to be a long day of travel and changing planes, layovers, etc. I'm ready for that).
But then! United sent me an email a few weeks ago changing my entire flight plan-- routes, departure, and arrival times. The new arrival time in Burlington was close to 10pm.
Obviously that wasn't going to work, so the following weekend when I had time to devote to the research I spent a good hour examining flights and schedules, and discovered there was no longer the option to arrive at that time. The closest I could get was 6:36. So I cancelled the flight they'd switched me to, and booked the newer one.
They charged me $150 to do this! I sent an email explaining myoutrage and frustration dilemma, requested a refund, and two weeks later got a response asking me to contact them at this particular phone number. I tried navigating through the automated phone tree and finally got a message that it would be a 35minute wait to speak with an agent. The heck with that. Gave up, and decided to wait for a better time.
That time was Monday. I got all my information together, printed out all my emails with the documentation, the various tracking and routing and confirmation numbers, and when J saw this, he asked what the heck I was doing. I explained it all to him, and he offered to handle the whole thing!!
Naturally I agreed: I absolutely hate the phone and confronting the Powers That Be, and asking for money back. Even if I am entitled to it, I just knew they'd argue. I'd back down, and that would be the end of it.
And I was fearful--since they've done this once, what is to prevent them from doing that again in the 4 months until I actually go?
So I handed it all over to J, and he sat on hold, and got transferred twice, and explained the whole story at least three separate times. The end of it all was "Of course we'll cancel the fee! That never should have happened to you, and we are so sorry. Your money will be refunded within 7-10 days. Call us at this number if it doesn't appear. "
So we are waiting for the money. Thank god for him. He is so good at this, and I just love listening to him deal so calmly, so patiently, so logically, and so quietly persistent.
As I write, I'm watching a sparrow feeding its young. I love watching the bird feeder anyway but at this time of year the birds also sit on the metal fencing surrounding the chicken pen. We've had all kinds of bird visitors. Last night a stray cat appeared and sat up there too, watching the chickens.
We had to buy something called "hen saddles". These are protective covers our hens now sport to protect themselves from the damn rooster's very vigorous activities. The cloth covers their backs entirely. Who knew some roosters actually are so rough that they cause literal bare backs on their hens?? The poor ladies have no feathers left on their backs. So we sent away for the saddles which come in "very fashionable choices and styles" (!), and after the initial awkwardness of putting them on said hens, the feathers are coming in again after just 3 weeks of wear. Oddly, the rooster does not jump on the Barred Rock, and only rarely on the Aracuna. He usually jumps his own breed, the Orpingtons, both Buff and Lavender. Chickens are pretty smart...
This coming week my PA is gone to a conference. That means I have been asked to not come in. It's called a "forced time off": I have to use my own saved up vacation hours, but hey--I'm okay with that. (I'm actually thrilled.) I will go in on Tuesday and Thursday because that is when DrSK is in, and I will be helping with those two clinic days. But someone else will be covering for any urgent messages that come in for my PA on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and I get a break.
We also got notified that the office is closed on July 5, so we all get a 4-day weekend. I'm so happy about that one too: up until this past Friday, only me and my cube-mate Elijah were going to be "working". No docs are in, mind you, but we two were expected to show up and be available to answer the phones. In reality, that means we'd be sitting there for 8 hours, reading, or listening to music, or surfing the Internet. I was forcing myself to be okay with that because hey, I had no choice. However, the CEO talked to the docs, and convinced them it wouldn't be cost effective to open the office and pay us. Yay!!
Next weekend J is scheduled to go to P'land for the first weekend of shooting. However, his contract arrived a few days ago, and he is not happy. The terms call for a one year exclusive commitment, and for being paid only $50 a day plus expenses. It's basically minimum wage. The kicker is that he would only be getting $10 a day up front; the other $40 would be held back for several months.
The one year exclusivity contract is particularly difficult. It means he cannot even bother to audition for any ads, or commercials, or voice-overs, because if he is chosen and there is a conflict with his schedule, he has to pass it up. Potentially that's a chunk of money he'd be passing up...
He objects to this, and has emailed his agent asking if this is standard. If it is, he's going to have to decide if this is worth it to him. I have no opinion either way--I just want him to be happy with what he is doing.
My neck is improving with the chiro treatments. Last week my regular chiro was out of the office and the woman I saw instead was far less tentative in her adjustments, and amazingly I am feeling a lot better. She did advise that I was extremely guarded in my back and shoulders, and suggested a massage. So I did that yesterday morning--they are offered at the chiro office by LMTs. Frankly, while it was nice, J does the exact same thing and I don't have to pay for it. I don't think I'll have it done again, except by J, and a lot more often.
One nice thing happening: our neighbor (the young Hispanic who we've become friendly with) has a landscaping business. On his non-work days, he goes and cuts down trees. Then he brings it home to split and sell for some extra income. Recently he has stopped by twice and tossed a half a truckload of wood onto the area we have set aside to cut our own wood in. No charge.
J is planning lots of projects for the summer: re-tiling the bathroom floor, replacing the vanity and sink in the bathroom, redoing the grout on the tiled kitchen counter tops, moving the outdoor pantry's location and making it into a gardening shed, making the converted bread truck into the outdoor pantry, replacing the cover to the chicken coop; this is all in addition to maintaining the garden and working on replenishing the wood pile and finishing work on the boat.
He got another cortisone shot in his knee last week, and that's really made a huge difference. The same day he saw a hand specialist for a painful enlarging lump in his wrist where his arthritis is bad, and got a cortisone shot in that hand also. He is still wearing the brace on his knee occasionally for outdoor work, and we continue our walks. Yesterday's walk was the hottest of the year so far, but today is back to cool and gloomy. Much easier to walk in.
Today we are moving artwork around so I can put up the pieces I have from mom and Gramma. Perfect weather to do this...
When I bought my plane tickets to VT back in April, my scheduled arrival time in Burlington was around 6pm (despite leaving here at 6am; okay, I get that it's going to be a long day of travel and changing planes, layovers, etc. I'm ready for that).
But then! United sent me an email a few weeks ago changing my entire flight plan-- routes, departure, and arrival times. The new arrival time in Burlington was close to 10pm.
Obviously that wasn't going to work, so the following weekend when I had time to devote to the research I spent a good hour examining flights and schedules, and discovered there was no longer the option to arrive at that time. The closest I could get was 6:36. So I cancelled the flight they'd switched me to, and booked the newer one.
They charged me $150 to do this! I sent an email explaining my
That time was Monday. I got all my information together, printed out all my emails with the documentation, the various tracking and routing and confirmation numbers, and when J saw this, he asked what the heck I was doing. I explained it all to him, and he offered to handle the whole thing!!
Naturally I agreed: I absolutely hate the phone and confronting the Powers That Be, and asking for money back. Even if I am entitled to it, I just knew they'd argue. I'd back down, and that would be the end of it.
And I was fearful--since they've done this once, what is to prevent them from doing that again in the 4 months until I actually go?
So I handed it all over to J, and he sat on hold, and got transferred twice, and explained the whole story at least three separate times. The end of it all was "Of course we'll cancel the fee! That never should have happened to you, and we are so sorry. Your money will be refunded within 7-10 days. Call us at this number if it doesn't appear. "
So we are waiting for the money. Thank god for him. He is so good at this, and I just love listening to him deal so calmly, so patiently, so logically, and so quietly persistent.
As I write, I'm watching a sparrow feeding its young. I love watching the bird feeder anyway but at this time of year the birds also sit on the metal fencing surrounding the chicken pen. We've had all kinds of bird visitors. Last night a stray cat appeared and sat up there too, watching the chickens.
We had to buy something called "hen saddles". These are protective covers our hens now sport to protect themselves from the damn rooster's very vigorous activities. The cloth covers their backs entirely. Who knew some roosters actually are so rough that they cause literal bare backs on their hens?? The poor ladies have no feathers left on their backs. So we sent away for the saddles which come in "very fashionable choices and styles" (!), and after the initial awkwardness of putting them on said hens, the feathers are coming in again after just 3 weeks of wear. Oddly, the rooster does not jump on the Barred Rock, and only rarely on the Aracuna. He usually jumps his own breed, the Orpingtons, both Buff and Lavender. Chickens are pretty smart...
This coming week my PA is gone to a conference. That means I have been asked to not come in. It's called a "forced time off": I have to use my own saved up vacation hours, but hey--I'm okay with that. (I'm actually thrilled.) I will go in on Tuesday and Thursday because that is when DrSK is in, and I will be helping with those two clinic days. But someone else will be covering for any urgent messages that come in for my PA on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and I get a break.
We also got notified that the office is closed on July 5, so we all get a 4-day weekend. I'm so happy about that one too: up until this past Friday, only me and my cube-mate Elijah were going to be "working". No docs are in, mind you, but we two were expected to show up and be available to answer the phones. In reality, that means we'd be sitting there for 8 hours, reading, or listening to music, or surfing the Internet. I was forcing myself to be okay with that because hey, I had no choice. However, the CEO talked to the docs, and convinced them it wouldn't be cost effective to open the office and pay us. Yay!!
Next weekend J is scheduled to go to P'land for the first weekend of shooting. However, his contract arrived a few days ago, and he is not happy. The terms call for a one year exclusive commitment, and for being paid only $50 a day plus expenses. It's basically minimum wage. The kicker is that he would only be getting $10 a day up front; the other $40 would be held back for several months.
The one year exclusivity contract is particularly difficult. It means he cannot even bother to audition for any ads, or commercials, or voice-overs, because if he is chosen and there is a conflict with his schedule, he has to pass it up. Potentially that's a chunk of money he'd be passing up...
He objects to this, and has emailed his agent asking if this is standard. If it is, he's going to have to decide if this is worth it to him. I have no opinion either way--I just want him to be happy with what he is doing.
My neck is improving with the chiro treatments. Last week my regular chiro was out of the office and the woman I saw instead was far less tentative in her adjustments, and amazingly I am feeling a lot better. She did advise that I was extremely guarded in my back and shoulders, and suggested a massage. So I did that yesterday morning--they are offered at the chiro office by LMTs. Frankly, while it was nice, J does the exact same thing and I don't have to pay for it. I don't think I'll have it done again, except by J, and a lot more often.
One nice thing happening: our neighbor (the young Hispanic who we've become friendly with) has a landscaping business. On his non-work days, he goes and cuts down trees. Then he brings it home to split and sell for some extra income. Recently he has stopped by twice and tossed a half a truckload of wood onto the area we have set aside to cut our own wood in. No charge.
J is planning lots of projects for the summer: re-tiling the bathroom floor, replacing the vanity and sink in the bathroom, redoing the grout on the tiled kitchen counter tops, moving the outdoor pantry's location and making it into a gardening shed, making the converted bread truck into the outdoor pantry, replacing the cover to the chicken coop; this is all in addition to maintaining the garden and working on replenishing the wood pile and finishing work on the boat.
He got another cortisone shot in his knee last week, and that's really made a huge difference. The same day he saw a hand specialist for a painful enlarging lump in his wrist where his arthritis is bad, and got a cortisone shot in that hand also. He is still wearing the brace on his knee occasionally for outdoor work, and we continue our walks. Yesterday's walk was the hottest of the year so far, but today is back to cool and gloomy. Much easier to walk in.
Today we are moving artwork around so I can put up the pieces I have from mom and Gramma. Perfect weather to do this...
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Sunday
Last week was an interesting one. I learned that the Hospital system I work in was building a new ortho clinic in partnership with the local University. I had actually heard several months ago, but then nothing more was said, so I kind of put it out of my mind.
Wednesday DrP's MA and I were talking, and it came up that he and she and the RN I had such difficulty with and my PA are all planning on moving to that site. This has not been talked about openly at all, so I don't know what is truth or not. I do know no one has mentioned or asked if I'd be interested in going with them. And, according to Shelley, my PA isn't sure at all that he will go along either, assuming there is even work for him to do.
This is all in its earliest planning stages, of course. I hate that this is all rumors and hearsay at this point. I cannot bring it up to anyone, even Dan, because technically, officially, I know nothing.
It's interesting that it's discussed with Shelley, and Dr and RN; somehow Dan also knows, and is considering his next move. But I have not been spoken to. It's hard not to take this personally.
That tells me I will be looking for other work sometime next year, unless there is a new doc coming in to my site (replacing the departing Dr) who I'd then be assigned to. Of course it's all speculation at this point. Sigh. Guess I need to start looking at other positions in the System.
Even if I were interested or invited to come along when they leave, I'm not sure I'd go. The office manager they are considering is someone I know of and don't think much of. I think Dr wants her because she is part of his very rigid and conservative church...
Oh, what a mess! I've been feeling more and more comfortable in my job, but apparently it's not meant to be long term. It's hard to think that I'm going to have to learn a new field and a new position all over again.
In other news, S has now finally finished her last course, in her last year of college. I think she is officially a college graduate, and she is now free. Of course, freedom is just another word for "what the hell do I do now?" She is panicking big time, and depressed, and scared, and excited, and anxious. She has options, and yet they don't seem to be exciting her. I think she is overwhelmed with let down. It's so hard to be the parent when you have to watch your kid go through stuff which is hard for them to process; Hard to just shut up, and let them work it out on their own.
We had a bit of a kerfuffle last night during her visit. I don't know how it'll work itself out, but I know it always does.
J has another audition Tuesday, and if he gets it, it'd be filming one day only in the week after next, which is also when the web series is scheduled to start shooting. So he's emailed them today, asking if his appearance days are flexible at all, or if he should just turn it down. It's all so interesting!!
I think dinner is just about ready...
I hope my dad had a good Father's Day. I am so uncomfortable on the phone, and I know he is too, which is why I never call. I think he understands that. I sure hope so!
Wednesday DrP's MA and I were talking, and it came up that he and she and the RN I had such difficulty with and my PA are all planning on moving to that site. This has not been talked about openly at all, so I don't know what is truth or not. I do know no one has mentioned or asked if I'd be interested in going with them. And, according to Shelley, my PA isn't sure at all that he will go along either, assuming there is even work for him to do.
This is all in its earliest planning stages, of course. I hate that this is all rumors and hearsay at this point. I cannot bring it up to anyone, even Dan, because technically, officially, I know nothing.
It's interesting that it's discussed with Shelley, and Dr and RN; somehow Dan also knows, and is considering his next move. But I have not been spoken to. It's hard not to take this personally.
That tells me I will be looking for other work sometime next year, unless there is a new doc coming in to my site (replacing the departing Dr) who I'd then be assigned to. Of course it's all speculation at this point. Sigh. Guess I need to start looking at other positions in the System.
Even if I were interested or invited to come along when they leave, I'm not sure I'd go. The office manager they are considering is someone I know of and don't think much of. I think Dr wants her because she is part of his very rigid and conservative church...
Oh, what a mess! I've been feeling more and more comfortable in my job, but apparently it's not meant to be long term. It's hard to think that I'm going to have to learn a new field and a new position all over again.
In other news, S has now finally finished her last course, in her last year of college. I think she is officially a college graduate, and she is now free. Of course, freedom is just another word for "what the hell do I do now?" She is panicking big time, and depressed, and scared, and excited, and anxious. She has options, and yet they don't seem to be exciting her. I think she is overwhelmed with let down. It's so hard to be the parent when you have to watch your kid go through stuff which is hard for them to process; Hard to just shut up, and let them work it out on their own.
We had a bit of a kerfuffle last night during her visit. I don't know how it'll work itself out, but I know it always does.
J has another audition Tuesday, and if he gets it, it'd be filming one day only in the week after next, which is also when the web series is scheduled to start shooting. So he's emailed them today, asking if his appearance days are flexible at all, or if he should just turn it down. It's all so interesting!!
I think dinner is just about ready...
I hope my dad had a good Father's Day. I am so uncomfortable on the phone, and I know he is too, which is why I never call. I think he understands that. I sure hope so!
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Sunday
8:30am. A long week. Not a bad week, just busy. The days just fly by.
Monday I can't even remember! Other than it was an exceptionally busy work day. And I had a chiro appt.
Tuesday was better. After work I stopped in and had a hair cut, where I tried someone new, and ended up with a great cut. Phew.
Wednesday was another long day, and I walked a long walk afterwards.
Thursday I got the notices that my sister and cousins had received the artwork we shipped. (Today I heard from one cousin that the item I shipped him had arrived on his actual 43rd wedding anniversary.... it was a Durer print of praying hands, with a blessing for a happy marriage on the back. Hmmm.) After work I had another chiro appt, expressing how discouraged I felt with the lack of progress. He was very patient, and spent time reminding me that these painful conditions took years to reach a point where I felt urged to do something to relieve the pain, and that chiro was one part of that, and that there was no cure, just symptom relief, and it was a different timeline for everyone, blah blah blah. I do know all that, and just needed to vent. It is helping, but it's sure slow.
Friday I left work early. It was the one year anniversary of mom's death, and the 13 year anniversary of Gramma's death. To honor it we went to a new hiking trail with Murphy, and spent almost 2 hours climbing 2 miles up and then 2 miles back down. It was beautiful. (I'd been hoping to see bear and didn't see any, but we could sure smell them.) I had told my sister that I felt "burned clean". That phrase just came to me as I'd been writing her, and that does describe it. It's been a year of great difficulty and emotion, and now the first milestone has been passed.
My friend L's mom died Friday, too, after a long illness; this was a blessing, yet when it happens it's still so hard. I can so relate.
Saturday J went to a friend's to help him cut down some trees, and S and I drove out to Newport. We walked up and down the wharf in Old Town, visiting shops, soaking up the sun, and enjoying the constant barking of the sea lions; it was windy and cool and a bit foggy still, but sunny. Both of us had hoped to find something special as a memento, but nothing really appealed to us. (Well, I did fall in love with a particular sculpture, until I learned it was $35,000.) We went into the Undersea Gardens, cheesy as it is, and sat with the tourists learning about the local fish and eels and crabs and octopus. We stopped at Subway and picked up sandwiches, and ate them on the beach in Waldport. We talked, and shared a lot of memories, and allowed ourselves to remember both good and bad, but mostly good.
Then we drove back home and J was waiting for us, exhausted, smelling of gasoline. They had cut down 6 trees, and he was hurting. He ended up soaking in a hot tub, and then going to bed early.
We no longer have any tv except for the 4 local stations and PBS, so I decided to break open my new DVD. It's one of mom's (and my) favorite musicals, WestSideStory, and we watched that. S had never seen it, something I consider completely amazing. Rita Moreno had been on the news briefly on Friday night, because it'd been what, 50 years, since that movie came out. (Good GOD. How can that be??)
And the other shocker this week was my Reunion committee, notifying us that they are planning our 40th HS reunion for next summer. How can it be 40 years?? I'm thinking of attending, once again. It would be fun, but bloody expensive. I could stay with Reed, so that would help with costs, but the flight, and needing to rent a car, etc...well, I can think about it.
Today it's sunny, and supposed to be in the 80s. I'm getting ready to walk with the dog, and then help J with our wood pile. He's already anxious about our wood supply, and although we don't need fires at night anymore since temps are in the 50s, we need to get ready for fall.
Tuesday he'll be heading down to Florence for an overnight trip fishing and collecting more wood. He'll be back late Wednesday. I don't mind being along overnight, but I do mind leaving the dog alone during the day; however I think he'll be happier at home with me rather than being away overnight with J.
No word yet on when the filming starts, but it should be anyday now...
Monday I can't even remember! Other than it was an exceptionally busy work day. And I had a chiro appt.
Tuesday was better. After work I stopped in and had a hair cut, where I tried someone new, and ended up with a great cut. Phew.
Wednesday was another long day, and I walked a long walk afterwards.
Thursday I got the notices that my sister and cousins had received the artwork we shipped. (Today I heard from one cousin that the item I shipped him had arrived on his actual 43rd wedding anniversary.... it was a Durer print of praying hands, with a blessing for a happy marriage on the back. Hmmm.) After work I had another chiro appt, expressing how discouraged I felt with the lack of progress. He was very patient, and spent time reminding me that these painful conditions took years to reach a point where I felt urged to do something to relieve the pain, and that chiro was one part of that, and that there was no cure, just symptom relief, and it was a different timeline for everyone, blah blah blah. I do know all that, and just needed to vent. It is helping, but it's sure slow.
Friday I left work early. It was the one year anniversary of mom's death, and the 13 year anniversary of Gramma's death. To honor it we went to a new hiking trail with Murphy, and spent almost 2 hours climbing 2 miles up and then 2 miles back down. It was beautiful. (I'd been hoping to see bear and didn't see any, but we could sure smell them.) I had told my sister that I felt "burned clean". That phrase just came to me as I'd been writing her, and that does describe it. It's been a year of great difficulty and emotion, and now the first milestone has been passed.
My friend L's mom died Friday, too, after a long illness; this was a blessing, yet when it happens it's still so hard. I can so relate.
Saturday J went to a friend's to help him cut down some trees, and S and I drove out to Newport. We walked up and down the wharf in Old Town, visiting shops, soaking up the sun, and enjoying the constant barking of the sea lions; it was windy and cool and a bit foggy still, but sunny. Both of us had hoped to find something special as a memento, but nothing really appealed to us. (Well, I did fall in love with a particular sculpture, until I learned it was $35,000.) We went into the Undersea Gardens, cheesy as it is, and sat with the tourists learning about the local fish and eels and crabs and octopus. We stopped at Subway and picked up sandwiches, and ate them on the beach in Waldport. We talked, and shared a lot of memories, and allowed ourselves to remember both good and bad, but mostly good.
Then we drove back home and J was waiting for us, exhausted, smelling of gasoline. They had cut down 6 trees, and he was hurting. He ended up soaking in a hot tub, and then going to bed early.
We no longer have any tv except for the 4 local stations and PBS, so I decided to break open my new DVD. It's one of mom's (and my) favorite musicals, WestSideStory, and we watched that. S had never seen it, something I consider completely amazing. Rita Moreno had been on the news briefly on Friday night, because it'd been what, 50 years, since that movie came out. (Good GOD. How can that be??)
And the other shocker this week was my Reunion committee, notifying us that they are planning our 40th HS reunion for next summer. How can it be 40 years?? I'm thinking of attending, once again. It would be fun, but bloody expensive. I could stay with Reed, so that would help with costs, but the flight, and needing to rent a car, etc...well, I can think about it.
Today it's sunny, and supposed to be in the 80s. I'm getting ready to walk with the dog, and then help J with our wood pile. He's already anxious about our wood supply, and although we don't need fires at night anymore since temps are in the 50s, we need to get ready for fall.
Tuesday he'll be heading down to Florence for an overnight trip fishing and collecting more wood. He'll be back late Wednesday. I don't mind being along overnight, but I do mind leaving the dog alone during the day; however I think he'll be happier at home with me rather than being away overnight with J.
No word yet on when the filming starts, but it should be anyday now...
Monday, June 3, 2013
Monday
Here it is Monday again. Had a great weekend...and it zipped by so quickly. Saturday my daughter came up, and we had a good afternoon. We walked, and then she came with me to my chiropractic appt and got to see for herself what that was all about. She also got him talking, and for the first time I learned he had a wife and kids, and had taken his own plane on mission-type trips up in Alaska to share the benefits of chiro.
Later she offered to make dinner for us, so we shopped for the ingredients and then came back home where she did the prep and cooking. It was a cold pasta with shrimp salad, with some French bread. Yummy. And ice cream for dessert. Then we rented Zero Dark 30, and watched that. Interesting movie.
The big news is that J got the role he was auditioning for! Yesterday was his callback after the original audition last weekend, and so he'd spent the week memorizing his lines, and practicing his delivery. And so while I was puttering here yesterday working in the garden, finishing a book, organizing paperwork in our file cabinet, dusting, walking the dog, he was up in P'land playing his scene with other actors. They'd narrowed it down from originally 400 others, to just four others including J. And after his interview/audition, they asked him if he'd like the part. He about fell over in shock and delight, and accepted immediately of course.
This is for a 12 episodes of a newTV web series, and a feature film. (Frankly, we just learned about the "web" series part this morning, as we'd assumed it was a TV series.) This certainly won't make him wealthy or even well-off, but it's all about the exposure....and the networking. He is so excited. He will be playing an eccentric, techie type guy, and kind of a leader in a rebellion, set in the future.
More will be revealed, as they say.
More interesting to me, selfishly, was my own reaction: I panicked, and feel anxious about this. I found myself thinking, I don't know how to be the wife/partner of a successful person.
I've always been the breadwinner in my relationships. Yes, J has a nice SS check every month, but he's always been home for us, the one to manage the house, pets, yard, errands, etc. Now for some period of time he will be away, working up in P'land. How will we manage this?? How can I be helpful?
I think anxiety is normal when facing major changes, but I have to remember not to overthink, and to take this just one day at a time. Neither of us knows exactly how this will work, but we'll figure it out.
It's exciting, and I'm very happy for him to be following his dreams. He is having a blast doing this, and he is being well received--so I just need to let this go. It'll work out somehow.
Later she offered to make dinner for us, so we shopped for the ingredients and then came back home where she did the prep and cooking. It was a cold pasta with shrimp salad, with some French bread. Yummy. And ice cream for dessert. Then we rented Zero Dark 30, and watched that. Interesting movie.
The big news is that J got the role he was auditioning for! Yesterday was his callback after the original audition last weekend, and so he'd spent the week memorizing his lines, and practicing his delivery. And so while I was puttering here yesterday working in the garden, finishing a book, organizing paperwork in our file cabinet, dusting, walking the dog, he was up in P'land playing his scene with other actors. They'd narrowed it down from originally 400 others, to just four others including J. And after his interview/audition, they asked him if he'd like the part. He about fell over in shock and delight, and accepted immediately of course.
This is for a 12 episodes of a new
More will be revealed, as they say.
More interesting to me, selfishly, was my own reaction: I panicked, and feel anxious about this. I found myself thinking, I don't know how to be the wife/partner of a successful person.
I've always been the breadwinner in my relationships. Yes, J has a nice SS check every month, but he's always been home for us, the one to manage the house, pets, yard, errands, etc. Now for some period of time he will be away, working up in P'land. How will we manage this?? How can I be helpful?
I think anxiety is normal when facing major changes, but I have to remember not to overthink, and to take this just one day at a time. Neither of us knows exactly how this will work, but we'll figure it out.
It's exciting, and I'm very happy for him to be following his dreams. He is having a blast doing this, and he is being well received--so I just need to let this go. It'll work out somehow.
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