The Clock is Ticking

Please note: I'm going to get a bit graphic here. If you can't take it, check back in a few days.

I'm drowning. Slowly.

Before you get all worried about me, you need to know that I'm drowning in snot. I've had more snot come out of my head than an elephant. I swear it. The stuff coming out of my head isn't natural either. I mean, it's bound to be natural since I'm not in the habit of implanting unnatural things in my sinus cavities, but it's not regular snot.

I haven't slept anything not drug-induced for the last 3 days, and even then, I wake up because I can't breath. Or, one side of my face is in excruciating pain. This pain signals that something in my sinus is moving and interested in relocating to the outside world.

All I can think of is "if I ever get out of this house again, I'm so having sinus surgery ASAP."

I'm also taking applications for a babysitter for The Wonder Dog. Yes, babysitter. He's not a dog so much as he's a small, furry, 2 year old. I can't entertain him if my head is stuck in a box of tissues.

Don't laugh, I'm very serious, about the surgery.

And the babysitter.

I thought getting online and posting would make me feel better. Thought I'd do an interesting post. Then, my left cheek started throbbing again. Nevermind.

I stayed home sick today. For the record, no, it didn't have anything to do with the bottle of wine I consumed last night (see the post from 2 a.m.). I would've gone to work if that had been my only problem. Waking up this morning involved a lot of sinus issues, that I decided just weren't something the general public needed to see or have shared with them. I also had a cold settle in my eyes and seeing was a concern.

Sounds weird, doesn't it? "A cold in my eyes." I promise you, that's what the man in the white coat told me when I went in thinking I had pink eye. (Yes, a childhood "disease," but you go work in a public school, ok? Trust me, you'll get it every so often.) Regardless, no contacts for a few days and I have to rinse my eyes with saline solution morning and night so I can keep them clear. Not that any of you wanted to know...but hey, you might be able to use the info one day.

While I was lying around this morning waiting on the doctor's office to open so I could call and beg for an appointment (yes, I want an appointment today, I'm terribly sorry I didn't call last week to schedule one, but my illness schedule got bumped up a month and I didn't get the memo until 20 minutes ago. Damn the luck.), I looked at my bedroom and decided that the feng shui was completely off. Now, I don't know the rules involved in feng shui, but I do know that the lay out of a room can not make me feel totally uncomfortable and I can let the room be until it is fixed. Sometimes, I'll move the furniture around every day for a week until I feel like I can sit down and not feel anxious. The Wonder Dog hates it---just when he gets his spot figured out, I move the furniture again.

Sidebar....

I have the same sort of idiosyncracy about restaurants and bars. I cannot, I mean absolutely CAN NOT, sit with my back to my "exit path." I'd like to think it has something to do with a lesser known, social custom that I still see practiced in the South that requires that the lady in a party be visible to the room. Sadly, I think it's because I'm crazy. I visibly freeze up---shoulders 'round my ears, problems concentrating on the conversation, etc. I was talking about it last night with a date. He tried to pull the chair out for me and I bypassed the one he had at ready and sat on the other side of the table. He claims it's some form of claustrophobia (which I do have). Sounds plausible, I guess, but judging from the rest of the conversation last night, I think he was blowing smoke up my ass.

Back to the scheduled blog...

So, this afternoon, when I was feeling better and could stand up AND breathe simultaneously (I'm telling you, my sinuses were naaasty.), I rearranged my bedroom. I had this "princess" canopy thing hanging over the head of my bed. The netting ones that fall from a hoop. I realize you don't typically see those in the bedroom of someone my age (even if I am incredibly young), but I liked it. Kinda a romantic thing.

Well, since there's no romance going on in my house these days, I decided to not put it back up over my bed. Instead, I hung it in a corner of my little yellow armchair that R gifted me with. (You remember R, my best friend...wonderful at all the things I'm not, like furniture placement) I was thinking "meditation space" which is becoming increasingly important to me. I see myself curling up in the chair, pulling the netting around me, and blocking myself off from the world for a bit. Mother came over for a few minutes and told me it looked like I'd created a throne for myself.

Could it be because I have my tiara on a little nicknack shelf on the wall next to my chair??? And the sign that says "I didn't ask to be a princess, but the tiara fit"???

For the record, I'm not a princess (literally or figuratively), but I do believe that every once in a while, a woman needs to feel like she is, even if her only subject is her dog.

There's a nice little shiraz from the Little Penguin that is FABULOUS. Little Penguin is an Australian winery. I grabbed the Shiraz this evening on a whim. It's very nice, guys, I certainly recommend it.

Says the woman who's had most of the bottle in the last 3 hours....on top of 2 'ritas.

Rosa Parks Dies

Another hero of mine.

Read this. My comments on it are the next blog down.

Where Have All the Heroes Gone?

I don’t think a lack of heroes is the problem. Little kids emulate the people they most want to be like and we call them heroes. It matters not that the really tall famous basketball star (or wrestler or T.V. star or whatever) is a less than stellar human being—he’s really good on the court. As a friend would tell me, “he’s got mad skills.”

I think when we get older, heroism amounts to something different. My heroes aren’t necessarily famous people or done newsworthy things. Suddenly, not their great acts, but their character is what I want to emulate.

I don’t think there’s a lack of heroes, not for adults. It’s just the criteria has grown up as we did.

So, who are my heroes? Let me tell you.

My students. Everyday they teach me something new and surprise me. They also call me to task and push me to be more than I am, even if they don’t realize it.

One of my former students. He’s in his freshman year at UT (as in Longhorns, people) this year and is one of my favorite friends. He’s amazing to talk to and gives me hope for the future. He sees the bigger picture and the things that are important, but knows how live as well.

My best friend. Because of him, I’m more than I was when we met and it’s because he pushed me to do it.

The people who hold it together after major crises and tragedies. Yes, we all falter at some point, but those people who don’t let the situation get the better of them and become those “less than stellar” individuals.

The men and women in the armed forces who give of their lives—both literally and figuratively—everyday.

1. Name someone with the same birthday as you. John Lennon, you know, the Beatle.

2.Where was your first kiss? Sadly, outside my locker in 8th grade. (Apparently, waiting THAT long made me some sort of freak. But, if you'd seen the guys I went to school with, you'd have waited too.)

3. Have you ever seriously vandalized someone else’s property? No. But I wouldn't tell you anyway.

4. Have you ever hit someone of the opposite sex? Yes. Many times.

5. Have you ever sung in front of a large number of people? Yep, everytime I read the scripture at church--thank God I'm not miked.

6. What’s the first thing you notice about the opposite sex? Hm, eyes. If the eyes are kind, he's a winner in my book.

7. What really turns you on? Authenticity--in any context.

8. What do you order at Starbucks? Anything they're willing to put a double shot in.

9. What is your biggest mistake? So not going there.

10. Have you ever hurt yourself on purpose? Not recently ;)

11. Say something totally random about yourself. I've never slept through the night.

12. Has anyone ever said you looked like a celebrity? Drew Barrymore. I hear that ALL the time.

13. Do you still watch kiddy movies or tv shows? Sometimes, that's all that's on TV.

14. Did you have braces? Yes.

15. Are you comfortable with your height? Mostly. Being 5'4" put a stop on my supermodel career pretty quickly. However, if you know an agency that wants shorter women (you know, part of that "real" look"), let me know.

16. What is the most romantic thing someone of the opposite sex has done for you? Uh-uh. Never kiss and tell.

17. When do you know it’s love? Even trying to describe it would be an injustice.

18. Do you speak any other languages? Taco, enchilada, Madre, gracias. Do these count as speaking the other language?

19. Have you ever been to a tanning salon? Yep. Every year in February and March.

20. What magazines do you read? Real Simple (but not real cheap), Cottage Living, Newsweek, Time.

21. Have you ever ridden in a limo? Nope.

22. Has anyone you were really close to passed away? Grandma

23. Do you watch mtv? The music channel for people who don't like music? No.

24. What’s something that really annoys you? Blatant stupidity.

25. What’s something you really like? warm cookies and cold milk, a good book, back rubs, Christmas carols, blue jeans and t-shirts.

26. Do you like Michael Jackson? The music, not the man, um...person.

27. Can you dance? Pretty well. I don't make a fool of myself at least. I do better with a guy who can lead well.

28. What’s the latest you have ever stayed up? 4 p.m. It was the end of a 22 hour first date. Probably the best first date I've ever had.

29. Have you ever been rushed by an ambulance into the emergency room? Twice, after car accidents in which I wound up with back and neck injuries.

30. Do you actually read these when other people fill them out? Yep.


Stole this list of questions off Q's blog.

Listened to a motivational speaker today. He was pretty good, for what he does. I'm not a fan of motivational speakers because so many seem so fake. This guy didn't, but I'm not keen on them anyway. Anyway, he was talking about something else, but made the comment that inspiration is all around us.

Part of me is thinking "well, duh." The rest of me (the 90% that's typically in charge) is thinking, "I know this, so why do I deny it so often?" Everyday, I come across something I could be writing about...then I don't do it because it doesn't seems like a "worthy" topic. Hold me to it, guys, no more "unworthy" topics--just writing.

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I learned the other day how hummingbirds accomplish migration. See, physically, they are incapable of undertaking the task by themselves. They hitch rides under the feathers of geese who are heading south (or north). The geese act as a transit system and take them to warmer climates.

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Today, I had an interesting conversation with a coworker today. We were talking about a man who used to attend the school I work in and now teachers at a military academy. He told her once that one of the things he's learned while teaching there is that there are bell curves within bell curves.

What I mean is, at a military academy, you find the cream of the crop on the bell curve (by and large, at least). Within that population, there is a second bell curve---highs, lows, and "averages" within those students.

We then talked about how it's the same in prison situations. In a prison population, there are leaders, status quo sorts, and whiners. The bell curve again.

I see it in the people I work with. Leaders--the ones we all go to when we need assistance, or turn to for a clue as to how to handle/react to something. The middle of the roads--ranging from just getting by to verging on being a leader. Then there's at the bottom of the curve--struggling ones or those others question keeping on staff.

Anyway, it's just an interesting look at societal dynamics.

Independent Presbyterian Church (oldest Presbyterian Church in Georgia)

Tybee Island Lighthouse. Supposed to be the tallest one in Georgia (or maybe the US, can't remember now. Anyway, I did make it all the way to the top..but was too chicken to go out on the landing.

Everytime we see a turtle on a back road, we have to pull over and help it across. On the road to Tybee Island, I saw turtle crossing signs. Hehe.

A townhome on one of the squares in Savannah. It's where I'd like to live.

My birthday was over the weekend. I guess it was a good one. I spent the weekend in Savannah, GA with my brother and we had a good time. We do a brother-sister only trip every October. This year, we decided to go somewhere we hadn't been before and Savannah won. More on the trip, later.

But, like I said, my birthday was over the weekend. It was painful. See, this is the year of the last one I'll celebrate. I turned 29 Sunday.

The last few years, the birthdays have all hurt. Until this one, 26 was the worst. I'm not sure why, it just did.

This year, I woke up crying. I didn't want to be turning 29. Certainly not turning 29 in a Howard Johnson Hotel with my brother in the next bed over. (geez, I'm tearing up just thinking about it.)

Mother says I'm being ridiculous. So what? It's my right. I am, after all, an adult.

I post this one because it will never happen again. My two dogs don't get along. The Wonder Dog would love to play with The Old Man, but The Old Man doesn't like children -- 2-legged or 4-legged ones. This is why The Old Man continues to live with my parents (that and his hip injury make stairs impossible)

During the recent evacuations for Hurricane Rita, the Boys rode 9 hours with me to my grandfather's. Usually, this is a 2 hour tour, and I was beginning to feel marooned on our mandated evacuation route--the "Gilligan's Island" theme kept rolling through my head. Anyway, I suppose in times of near-crisis, even the Boys can tell that it would be in their best interest to not piss me off and just play nice with each other.

In this picture, the crisis was that their Scottish terrier cousin (on my dad's side, of course) was about to eat their food. He'd been eyeing it for a couple of hours and the Boys just couldn't take it anymore. They were pleased to find that at the next regularly scheduled feeding, I moved the bowls to my room and had copious amounts of extra food and treats.