Tomorrow is the first day of my big getaway with ABM. I would say that this is going to be my last post, but I will probably post a few more times before I go to sleep tonight. I'm so antsy that I'm sure I will be using my blog to vent!
Since this is such a big trip, I didn't follow my normal pattern of waiting until the last minute to prepare. I packed my bags, talked to the kids, did my shopping -- everything. Now there is nothing for me to do but wait. The waiting is making me anxious. ABM thought about taking today off but went to work instead. It was probably to get away from me! When I am anxious like this, I talk his ear off about all the things that could possibly go wrong. If I still had some packing to do today, the trip-related tasks would help calm me down. All I have left is to pick a knitting project to put in my purse and that won't take me long.
Now I understand why some people stay in their hometowns and never travel. It is difficult for me to enjoy myself when I am worried about every step of the trip. Right now, I'm worried about getting up and making it to the airport in time for the flight. Once the plane sets down at the FL airport, I'll be worried about finding our luggage. Then I'll be worried about how we will get from the airport to the hotel. You get the picture. Driving down to GA and camping out at my sister's house sounds like the ultimate vacation right now :-).
27 September 2007
26 September 2007
Taking Fear on Holiday
One more day, and then ABM and I will be off on our big holiday. We won't be alone. I'll be taking my fear of new situations and new people. ABM will be carrying his worries about trying to keep things together as the sole breadwinner. We will both be fretting about when (or whether) I will find another job. ABM wanted this to be a great getaway, but I don't know how we will be able to relax with all this stuff on our minds.
25 September 2007
Can't trust my kids' pop music education to the schools
My son DJ and one of his classmates have developed a liking for the Beatles. I knew all those CDs I played him at bedtime would make a difference :-). Anyway, they were asking their music teacher at school some questions about the group and the teacher told them that all but one of the Beatles is dead. Huh? I assured DJ that two of the Beatles are still alive but he was skeptical. He is at that age where he thinks the teacher knows more than I do. I guess I have to renew my efforts to teach them about some of my favorite music.
Heroes "Four Months Later"
WARNING: Possible spoilers ahead
Heroes is back for a second season, and the premiere got us off to a start. They gave us a death, plenty of everyone's favorite character Hiro, and of course a shocker in the last minute of the episode to make you want to tune in next week.
The theme for this episode seemed to be "everyone's in hiding". Claire and family have moved to California where she has to hide even her normal skills like cheerleading. Matt decides to hide in plain sight by becoming a cop again in New York, while protecting the little girl Molly whose parents were killed by Sylar last season. Nathan has grown a beard and is hiding out inside a bottle while he mourns the loss of Peter.
Everyone is hiding, but you know that there is a big bad coming soon. Molly is having nightmare visions and the old guard (Hiro's dad and Nathan's mom) received pictures of themselves indicating that they are marked for death. Add in the new characters that the writers are adding (this week it was the Mexican girl with the killer rage) and it looks like we are in for another wild ride this season.
My reflections? I like Adrian Pasdar (Nathan) better with the beard -- much more handsome! I wanted Claire to do that back tuck off the tower even though it would have given her away, just to show up that nasty head cheerleader. It seemed clear to me that Hiro is going to take the place of Tazeko Kensei to preserve the legend. Lastly, when are we going to find out if Mama Petrelli has a power?
If you missed the premiere, NBC is streaming it for free on their website. I don't know how long NBC will continue to do that since they are working out other options for buying downloads of episodes. Get over there and watch it while you can!
Heroes is back for a second season, and the premiere got us off to a start. They gave us a death, plenty of everyone's favorite character Hiro, and of course a shocker in the last minute of the episode to make you want to tune in next week.
The theme for this episode seemed to be "everyone's in hiding". Claire and family have moved to California where she has to hide even her normal skills like cheerleading. Matt decides to hide in plain sight by becoming a cop again in New York, while protecting the little girl Molly whose parents were killed by Sylar last season. Nathan has grown a beard and is hiding out inside a bottle while he mourns the loss of Peter.
Everyone is hiding, but you know that there is a big bad coming soon. Molly is having nightmare visions and the old guard (Hiro's dad and Nathan's mom) received pictures of themselves indicating that they are marked for death. Add in the new characters that the writers are adding (this week it was the Mexican girl with the killer rage) and it looks like we are in for another wild ride this season.
My reflections? I like Adrian Pasdar (Nathan) better with the beard -- much more handsome! I wanted Claire to do that back tuck off the tower even though it would have given her away, just to show up that nasty head cheerleader. It seemed clear to me that Hiro is going to take the place of Tazeko Kensei to preserve the legend. Lastly, when are we going to find out if Mama Petrelli has a power?
If you missed the premiere, NBC is streaming it for free on their website. I don't know how long NBC will continue to do that since they are working out other options for buying downloads of episodes. Get over there and watch it while you can!
Pilots: Chuck and Journeyman
WARNING: Possible spoilers ahead
Last night I watched two new NBC shows, Chuck and Journeyman. Both shows had a retread feeling, but one of them was a bit more enjoyable.
First up was Chuck. The main character Chuck is a geeky college dropout who lives with his sister, works as part of the Nerd Herd in an electronics store, and can't seem to get over his college sweetheart who was stolen from him by his college roommate. It is that same roommate who sends Chuck an encoded email that, when opened, programs Chuck's brain with the entire contents of the NSA/CIA supercomputer. Talk about a killer computer virus!
Chuck is like comfort food. The gentle humor combined with the familiar elements were enough to keep me from turning the channel. The computer-in-his-head gimmick reminded me of Jake 2.0, another show that I liked. Zachary Levi as Chuck is similar to Christopher Gorham as Jake: a geek but in an endearing way. There are the two competing agents (played by Adam Baldwin and Aussie newcomer Yvonne Strahovski) who will be giving Chuck his assignments. The end of the pilot indicated that there will also be a similarity to Scarecrow and Mrs. King in future episodes, since Chuck decides to keep his life as normal as possible. My Monday-at-8p slot has been filled with 7th Heaven for years. I think this is a worthy replacement.
One of the things I enjoyed the most about Chuck was that viewers were given the whole setup in the first episode. The same can't be said for Journeyman, a show about a man who is thrown back and forth on the timeline of his life without any warning. I was just as clueless as the main character. Critics have compared this show to Quantum Leap. The biggest difference for me is that Sam Beckett had Al and his handheld computer Ziggy to give us a little exposition. All Dan has is his smartphone, which doesn't even work when he goes too far into the past. When Dan finally figures out at the end of the episode that he has been jumping to save a child who ends up saving a busload of people, it isn't very satisfying. The emphasis of the episode seemed to be on Dan finding his former fiancee who had died in a car crash. Saving the kid felt like an afterthought.
I'm not saying Journeyman is a bad show, but it may not be the show for me and ABM. We like shows where the basic premise is explained clearly in the beginning. We both were left with a lot more questions than answers at the end of the pilot. That may be fine for some people (hello, fans of Lost) but I want my entertainment to be simple. I also want there to be at least one other person in the main character's life who runs interference. In Journeyman, there is absolutely no one who believes Dan, not even his wife. From the throwaway comments that the characters make, Dan may have done drugs or been an alcoholic or cheated on his wife or been under psychiatric care -- who knows? It is never clearly spelled out. I felt like I was dropped into the middle of a movie. Anyway, whatever Dan has done in his past means that no one believes him now. He does something at the very end of the episode to prove to his wife that he is traveling in time, but it isn't clear whether she believes him or not. We will probably give Journeyman one more shot, but only because we are TV addicts and we don't have anything else to watch in the Monday-at-10p slot.
If you want to see for yourself what I have been babbling on about, you can go to NBC.com and watch the streaming video versions of both shows in full.
Last night I watched two new NBC shows, Chuck and Journeyman. Both shows had a retread feeling, but one of them was a bit more enjoyable.
First up was Chuck. The main character Chuck is a geeky college dropout who lives with his sister, works as part of the Nerd Herd in an electronics store, and can't seem to get over his college sweetheart who was stolen from him by his college roommate. It is that same roommate who sends Chuck an encoded email that, when opened, programs Chuck's brain with the entire contents of the NSA/CIA supercomputer. Talk about a killer computer virus!
Chuck is like comfort food. The gentle humor combined with the familiar elements were enough to keep me from turning the channel. The computer-in-his-head gimmick reminded me of Jake 2.0, another show that I liked. Zachary Levi as Chuck is similar to Christopher Gorham as Jake: a geek but in an endearing way. There are the two competing agents (played by Adam Baldwin and Aussie newcomer Yvonne Strahovski) who will be giving Chuck his assignments. The end of the pilot indicated that there will also be a similarity to Scarecrow and Mrs. King in future episodes, since Chuck decides to keep his life as normal as possible. My Monday-at-8p slot has been filled with 7th Heaven for years. I think this is a worthy replacement.
One of the things I enjoyed the most about Chuck was that viewers were given the whole setup in the first episode. The same can't be said for Journeyman, a show about a man who is thrown back and forth on the timeline of his life without any warning. I was just as clueless as the main character. Critics have compared this show to Quantum Leap. The biggest difference for me is that Sam Beckett had Al and his handheld computer Ziggy to give us a little exposition. All Dan has is his smartphone, which doesn't even work when he goes too far into the past. When Dan finally figures out at the end of the episode that he has been jumping to save a child who ends up saving a busload of people, it isn't very satisfying. The emphasis of the episode seemed to be on Dan finding his former fiancee who had died in a car crash. Saving the kid felt like an afterthought.
I'm not saying Journeyman is a bad show, but it may not be the show for me and ABM. We like shows where the basic premise is explained clearly in the beginning. We both were left with a lot more questions than answers at the end of the pilot. That may be fine for some people (hello, fans of Lost) but I want my entertainment to be simple. I also want there to be at least one other person in the main character's life who runs interference. In Journeyman, there is absolutely no one who believes Dan, not even his wife. From the throwaway comments that the characters make, Dan may have done drugs or been an alcoholic or cheated on his wife or been under psychiatric care -- who knows? It is never clearly spelled out. I felt like I was dropped into the middle of a movie. Anyway, whatever Dan has done in his past means that no one believes him now. He does something at the very end of the episode to prove to his wife that he is traveling in time, but it isn't clear whether she believes him or not. We will probably give Journeyman one more shot, but only because we are TV addicts and we don't have anything else to watch in the Monday-at-10p slot.
If you want to see for yourself what I have been babbling on about, you can go to NBC.com and watch the streaming video versions of both shows in full.
22 September 2007
Where are those Love Boat reruns now?
ABM and I are going on a cruise next week. It is a week-long cruise with stops in the Cayman Islands and Jamaica. He's been planning it for a year, but I just told the kids about it yesterday. As I predicted, C1 overreacted a little, although not in the way I expected. I thought she would be upset that we weren't taking the kids with us. Instead, she kept asking about the safety of the airplane and the ship. I think I reassured her on those points.
Now that they aren't worried that we are going to crash, DJ and the twins are trying to wrap their heads around us sleeping on the ship. I grew up with 10 years of Love Boat so when I went on my first cruise 15 years ago, I had a basic idea of what to expect. It never occurred to me that the kids didn't know what a cruise ship is. They thought that the ship was just for transportation and that we would be staying in a hotel in Jamaica. I tried to explain about the rooms on the ship and all the activities. Now C1 is worried that I will gain back the 8 pounds I just lost because of all the buffets :-).
Now that they aren't worried that we are going to crash, DJ and the twins are trying to wrap their heads around us sleeping on the ship. I grew up with 10 years of Love Boat so when I went on my first cruise 15 years ago, I had a basic idea of what to expect. It never occurred to me that the kids didn't know what a cruise ship is. They thought that the ship was just for transportation and that we would be staying in a hotel in Jamaica. I tried to explain about the rooms on the ship and all the activities. Now C1 is worried that I will gain back the 8 pounds I just lost because of all the buffets :-).
21 September 2007
How NOT to learn about something
You don't want the first time you hear the name of a disease to be on your answering machine with your daughter's principal saying, "I repeat, there is NOT an outbreak of MRSA at the high school." If she felt the need to send that message out over the automated notification system, then somebody must be sick with something at the school. Off to Google I go to find out about this MRSA thing!
The Truth About Food
Recently I caught a couple episodes of The Truth About Food on the Discovery Health Channel. It is a show where they conduct experiments based on full studies that have been done in the past. All the studies have something to do with food and how it affects your body. They start with a question like "Do you really have to drink 2 quarts of water every day?" Then they illustrate the original study on a smaller scale with a few volunteers.
If I've made the show sound dry, it isn't. It reminds me of the British show Brainiac without the sexually suggestive content. There are interviews with the volunteers so that you can hear how they are feeling while they are going through the experiments. The episode where they took six hard-partying young women and put them on a detox diet for a week was fun and informative. In fact, I learned a lot from several of the experiments.
I would suggest watching this show if you can find it. On my DirecTV guide, it was mislabeled; I only caught it because I thought a plastic surgery show was airing during that hour. Discovery Health has an episode schedule on their site, so that may be more helpful. There was also a British version of this show airing on BBC Two, but I can't tell from the website if it is still on the air.
If I've made the show sound dry, it isn't. It reminds me of the British show Brainiac without the sexually suggestive content. There are interviews with the volunteers so that you can hear how they are feeling while they are going through the experiments. The episode where they took six hard-partying young women and put them on a detox diet for a week was fun and informative. In fact, I learned a lot from several of the experiments.
I would suggest watching this show if you can find it. On my DirecTV guide, it was mislabeled; I only caught it because I thought a plastic surgery show was airing during that hour. Discovery Health has an episode schedule on their site, so that may be more helpful. There was also a British version of this show airing on BBC Two, but I can't tell from the website if it is still on the air.
Fall TV Premieres: Getting Sucked In
I said I wasn't interested in the fall TV season. I'm still not. However, as the resident TV addict, ABM expects me to clue him in to new shows that he might like. So here I sit, programming the Tivo to record the new Bionic Woman pilot on NBC. He was a big fan of the original, and I know he will want to watch the remake. He doesn't even know it exists. Part of me says that he should do his own research, but who am I kidding? That's my role in this marriage; I do the research.
Now that I've started down the fall premiere road, I might as well check out what the other channels are offering. This is what I've added to the list so far:
Chuck
Journeyman
Kid Nation
Bionic Woman
I used EW.com's Fall TV Schedule as my guide, and one thing I noticed is that there isn't much that I want to watch after 10p. I mean, none of the shows jump out at me, but at least in the 8p and 9p time slots I can find something that ABM might want to watch. At 1op there's nothing. There is also nothing of interest on Saturday. I know that is considered date night and programmers don't put their best on Saturday, but I usually find at least one show to watch. This year the networks have just given up; there is nothing but local programming and college football.
With such a light schedule, one might assume that I will turn off the TV and actually read a book or do something else. Well, that was my intention during the last fall TV season and during the summer TV season. It didn't happen. ABM is not a reader and he doesn't play video games; he comes home and plops down in front of the TV. So I am sure that he will find something to watch and I will get sucked into it. I predict the first show he will add to the schedule is Moonlight. It's got a vampire and we try anything supernatural at least once. Just wait and see; it's going to end up on my schedule.
Now that I've started down the fall premiere road, I might as well check out what the other channels are offering. This is what I've added to the list so far:
Chuck
Journeyman
Kid Nation
Bionic Woman
I used EW.com's Fall TV Schedule as my guide, and one thing I noticed is that there isn't much that I want to watch after 10p. I mean, none of the shows jump out at me, but at least in the 8p and 9p time slots I can find something that ABM might want to watch. At 1op there's nothing. There is also nothing of interest on Saturday. I know that is considered date night and programmers don't put their best on Saturday, but I usually find at least one show to watch. This year the networks have just given up; there is nothing but local programming and college football.
With such a light schedule, one might assume that I will turn off the TV and actually read a book or do something else. Well, that was my intention during the last fall TV season and during the summer TV season. It didn't happen. ABM is not a reader and he doesn't play video games; he comes home and plops down in front of the TV. So I am sure that he will find something to watch and I will get sucked into it. I predict the first show he will add to the schedule is Moonlight. It's got a vampire and we try anything supernatural at least once. Just wait and see; it's going to end up on my schedule.
20 September 2007
Kid Nation premiere
As most of you know, I don't usually watch a reality show unless there is dancing, singing, or a celebrity involved. So why did I watch the premiere of Kid Nation last night? Well, most of my parenting group planned to watch it. I knew I would kick myself if they ended up having a big conversation about it and I was left out. Yes, I'm a grown woman and I still succumb to peer pressure :-).
Kid Nation is a mix between Survivor and that PBS show Frontier House, with a pinch of Lord of the Flies thrown in. Take 40 kids, put them out in a desert ghost town from the Wild West days, and see if they can build an orderly society. Actually, comparing it to Frontier House may be stretching things a bit. While the kids did have to use outhouses, they also had ground beef which I suspect was in a refrigerator not shown on camera.
Anyway, the kids aren't building this society completely without guidance. There is a four-member ruling council. These kids are getting secret instructions from the host, like telling them to divide the group into four districts. There are also challenges that help organize things. In last night's episode, they completed a water pumping challenge that determined which district was the upper class and which district was the labor class.
The minimal adult guidance didn't stamp out all the rebelliousness, however. There are a couple of 15-year-old boys who are trying to run rough-shod over the younger kids. Since they are older than everyone on the council, they don't feel that they have to listen to anybody. I wonder how much trouble they are going to cause down the line.
What were the highlights of the show for me?
--When given a choice between adding more outhouses (they started with only one for 40 kids) or a TV set, the council wisely chose the outhouses. What's even more heartening is that the rest of the kids cheered their decision.
--One of the 14-year-old girls, Sophie, was working hard from the beginning to keep things together. It was satisfying to see that the council recognized that and awarded her the first gold star trophy (worth $20,000).
--I had to giggle when the team that ended up as the kitchen staff started making biscuits and grits without a recipe. Sophie, who had been the cook up until that time, kept asking them why they weren't using a recipe. To Sophie's surprise, the meal turned out fine. There were at least two southern girls on that team; I knew they didn't need a recipe :-).
Will I continue to watch Kid Nation? I don't know. It isn't my cup of tea, but if nothing else shows up in that Wednesday timeslot that I like better then I probably will. I can say that the show has renewed my desire to teach my kids how to cook!
Kid Nation is a mix between Survivor and that PBS show Frontier House, with a pinch of Lord of the Flies thrown in. Take 40 kids, put them out in a desert ghost town from the Wild West days, and see if they can build an orderly society. Actually, comparing it to Frontier House may be stretching things a bit. While the kids did have to use outhouses, they also had ground beef which I suspect was in a refrigerator not shown on camera.
Anyway, the kids aren't building this society completely without guidance. There is a four-member ruling council. These kids are getting secret instructions from the host, like telling them to divide the group into four districts. There are also challenges that help organize things. In last night's episode, they completed a water pumping challenge that determined which district was the upper class and which district was the labor class.
The minimal adult guidance didn't stamp out all the rebelliousness, however. There are a couple of 15-year-old boys who are trying to run rough-shod over the younger kids. Since they are older than everyone on the council, they don't feel that they have to listen to anybody. I wonder how much trouble they are going to cause down the line.
What were the highlights of the show for me?
--When given a choice between adding more outhouses (they started with only one for 40 kids) or a TV set, the council wisely chose the outhouses. What's even more heartening is that the rest of the kids cheered their decision.
--One of the 14-year-old girls, Sophie, was working hard from the beginning to keep things together. It was satisfying to see that the council recognized that and awarded her the first gold star trophy (worth $20,000).
--I had to giggle when the team that ended up as the kitchen staff started making biscuits and grits without a recipe. Sophie, who had been the cook up until that time, kept asking them why they weren't using a recipe. To Sophie's surprise, the meal turned out fine. There were at least two southern girls on that team; I knew they didn't need a recipe :-).
Will I continue to watch Kid Nation? I don't know. It isn't my cup of tea, but if nothing else shows up in that Wednesday timeslot that I like better then I probably will. I can say that the show has renewed my desire to teach my kids how to cook!
18 September 2007
Prom Queen TV: Summer Heat
The mystery series for Verizon phones, Prom Queen TV, was intriguing but disjointed. I was left with many questions at the end of the first season. The 2-minute episodes felt too short to cover all the plot lines that were started. The new season, called Summer Heat, deals with the aftermath of the Prom Queen season finale. I don't want to tell you too much because this series lives on the surprise factor. I will say, however, that Summer Heat held my attention much better than Prom Queen.
Several changes were made in Summer Heat that I would consider improvements. The episodes are still 2 minutes long, but they don't have the ads at the beginning and end. It is amazing what an extra 15-20 seconds can add to an episode. Summer Heat also has one straightforward plot line and only 6 of the 13 original characters. There were still unanswered questions when I got to the end of the 15-episode run, but I felt more satisfied than I was at the end of Prom Queen.
All the episodes of both runs are up on the Prom Queen TV website. If you don't have a Verizon phone, I would say that watching them all in one sitting on your computer is the best way to go.
Several changes were made in Summer Heat that I would consider improvements. The episodes are still 2 minutes long, but they don't have the ads at the beginning and end. It is amazing what an extra 15-20 seconds can add to an episode. Summer Heat also has one straightforward plot line and only 6 of the 13 original characters. There were still unanswered questions when I got to the end of the 15-episode run, but I felt more satisfied than I was at the end of Prom Queen.
All the episodes of both runs are up on the Prom Queen TV website. If you don't have a Verizon phone, I would say that watching them all in one sitting on your computer is the best way to go.
17 September 2007
Airplane protocol
In less than two weeks, ABM and I will be taking a trip. Part of this trip involves flying to Miami. Now, I have only flown once in my life and that was 15 years ago. I have blocked out everything about the flight. So I woke up this morning in a panic because I can't remember what I am allowed to carry on the plane! Am I allowed to carry my everyday purse? Will I be able to take my knitting? ABM has been planning this trip for a year and I have left everything to him. Now that it is here, I'm freaking out. I guess I better do some research.
15 September 2007
Considering the Lap-Band?
This post was sponsored by JourneyLite
ABM has been researching weight loss surgery for over a year. Many of the sites he has visited look like they were created by kindergarten students. I know that any scam artist in his basement can create a professional-looking site and that isn't always a sign that the site is trustworthy. However, I think the opposite must be at least slightly true. I mean, if your business is successful, you should be able to hire someone to create a good-looking website.
Anyway, JourneyLite has a clean and easy-to-navigate site for their clinics. Even if you don't live near one of their facilities, you can still benefit from their site. They have a recipe section for those who have already had surgery, testimonials, and links to other helpful sites. I'll be directing ABM to this site soon.
ABM has been researching weight loss surgery for over a year. Many of the sites he has visited look like they were created by kindergarten students. I know that any scam artist in his basement can create a professional-looking site and that isn't always a sign that the site is trustworthy. However, I think the opposite must be at least slightly true. I mean, if your business is successful, you should be able to hire someone to create a good-looking website.
Anyway, JourneyLite has a clean and easy-to-navigate site for their clinics. Even if you don't live near one of their facilities, you can still benefit from their site. They have a recipe section for those who have already had surgery, testimonials, and links to other helpful sites. I'll be directing ABM to this site soon.
13 September 2007
Here's a meme that doesn't leave me stumped
1. Go to http://www.careercruising.com
2. Put in Username: nycareers, Password: landmark
3. Take their "Career Matchmaker" questions
4. Post the top ten results
Here are my results:
That's just great, except I don't have the talent for any of these careers :-).
2. Put in Username: nycareers, Password: landmark
3. Take their "Career Matchmaker" questions
4. Post the top ten results
Here are my results:
1. | ||
| 2. | ||
| 3. | ||
| 4. | ||
| 5. | ||
| 6. | ||
| 7. | ||
| 8. | ||
| 9. | ||
| 10. |
That's just great, except I don't have the talent for any of these careers :-).
12 September 2007
Well, THAT'S never happened before
Remember me saying that I didn't feel so bad last week? Yeah, well, I should have kept my big mouth shut. Right after that my body started to fall apart. It must be a quarterly thing :-p.
I brought part of this latest misery on myself. ABM bought a bottle of Metabolife, the fat-burner/energy pill. I tried it when he was taking it years ago, but it gave me the shakes. I got the bright idea on Thursday to try it again. I figured that if I didn't drink coffee while taking it I would be able to avoid the shakiness. I didn't get the jitters, but the nausea was overwhelming. I couldn't keep anything down; I think I became a bit dehydrated. It will be a looong time before I am tempted by a diet pill again.
Since my defenses were down, that mild sore throat from Wednesday turned into a full head cold. I vaguely remember reading somewhere that your body protects you during a cold by making sure that only one nostril gets stuffed up at a time. With this cold, my body pushed the limit. One nostril was fully blocked while the other nostril was 3/4 blocked for almost two days. When I tried to breathe through my mouth, it felt like I had a piece of cloth in my throat. I had a weird panicky feeling like I was never going to be able to catch my breath. That made sleeping impossible. At one point while I'm shaking and gulping for air, ABM looks at me and says, "Are you going to be making that noise all night?" Excuse me for trying to breathe!
The highlight of the past seven days came on Thursday night. I was almost asleep when I felt like I was going to throw up. I ran into the bathroom, stood over the toilet, and then the next thing I knew I was on the floor between the toilet and the tub. I have no memory of losing my balance or falling. I know it happened, though, because I have a bruises on both arms and a scrape on my forehead. Perhaps I should be worried about blacking out, but I am actually fascinated by the idea that I could fall and immediately have no memory of it.
The worst of my symptoms are gone, but now I am stuck with a cough that is sucking the life out of me. I stumbled around yesterday trying to clean something so my day wouldn't be a complete waste. I'm determined not to turn a one-week illness into three weeks of laziness.
I brought part of this latest misery on myself. ABM bought a bottle of Metabolife, the fat-burner/energy pill. I tried it when he was taking it years ago, but it gave me the shakes. I got the bright idea on Thursday to try it again. I figured that if I didn't drink coffee while taking it I would be able to avoid the shakiness. I didn't get the jitters, but the nausea was overwhelming. I couldn't keep anything down; I think I became a bit dehydrated. It will be a looong time before I am tempted by a diet pill again.
Since my defenses were down, that mild sore throat from Wednesday turned into a full head cold. I vaguely remember reading somewhere that your body protects you during a cold by making sure that only one nostril gets stuffed up at a time. With this cold, my body pushed the limit. One nostril was fully blocked while the other nostril was 3/4 blocked for almost two days. When I tried to breathe through my mouth, it felt like I had a piece of cloth in my throat. I had a weird panicky feeling like I was never going to be able to catch my breath. That made sleeping impossible. At one point while I'm shaking and gulping for air, ABM looks at me and says, "Are you going to be making that noise all night?" Excuse me for trying to breathe!
The highlight of the past seven days came on Thursday night. I was almost asleep when I felt like I was going to throw up. I ran into the bathroom, stood over the toilet, and then the next thing I knew I was on the floor between the toilet and the tub. I have no memory of losing my balance or falling. I know it happened, though, because I have a bruises on both arms and a scrape on my forehead. Perhaps I should be worried about blacking out, but I am actually fascinated by the idea that I could fall and immediately have no memory of it.
The worst of my symptoms are gone, but now I am stuck with a cough that is sucking the life out of me. I stumbled around yesterday trying to clean something so my day wouldn't be a complete waste. I'm determined not to turn a one-week illness into three weeks of laziness.
05 September 2007
I'm just the carrier, ma'am
I've had a weird sore throat for the past three days. It hasn't been a full-on sore throat; it is just achy like I am about to get sick. The weird thing about it is that the achiness extends past my throat into my windpipe a little. When I talk or exert myself, it is difficult to breathe. Overall, though, I don't feel that bad.
That isn't the case with my poor kids. DJ and the twins all woke up this morning with headaches, sore throats and stuffy noses. They always seem to catch something before I have time to stock the medicine cabinet for cold season. With us still having 90-degree days here in NC, buying cold medicine was the last thing on my mind. Luckily, I was able to find some meds for each of the kids and send them off to school.
I don't even know how I could have caught a cold. I only left my house once in August. Could I have held on to a cold germ for two weeks, only to have it show up now?
That isn't the case with my poor kids. DJ and the twins all woke up this morning with headaches, sore throats and stuffy noses. They always seem to catch something before I have time to stock the medicine cabinet for cold season. With us still having 90-degree days here in NC, buying cold medicine was the last thing on my mind. Luckily, I was able to find some meds for each of the kids and send them off to school.
I don't even know how I could have caught a cold. I only left my house once in August. Could I have held on to a cold germ for two weeks, only to have it show up now?
04 September 2007
Kyle XY "Leap of Faith"
Yesterday was the season finale of Kyle XY. It was a good episode but it was also a bit of a letdown. Several TV sites reported that the show would have a 23-episode run this year. So why did we get a finale after only 13 episodes? The commercials last night made it sound as though the shows would be back with the remaining 10 episodes in January. That seems to be a trend with cable series, but it is frustrating. These short seasons make me feel cheated, and a lot of times I lose interest in a show when they take a long break.
According to the online spoiler circuit, Kyle's family was supposed to find out the truth about him in episode 13. That wasn't entirely true. Kyle spent the entire episode on the road with his bad-seed clone sister Jessi while the Tragers made guesses about him. None of them were able to make the leap that some of the information about him was faked, mainly the MRI and his "real" parents. The only secrets revealed to the Tragers in this episode were that Tom Foss is on Kyle's side and that Declan has information on Kyle that he isn't sharing.
My favorite scene from this episode was when Josh started getting upset at the suspicious turn the family discussion began to take. All during the first season, Josh was the one keeping the "Kyle file" and calling him an alien. In this scene, it became clear that this was Josh's way of showing affection for Kyle. Josh did not like the idea that the rest of the family thought Kyle could be responsible for the murders in the woods.
My disappointment came in the last 10 minutes. I understood why Declan didn't speak up; he thought that he was keeping his promise to Kyle. Why didn't Tom Foss say anything? He said in the truck that the Tragers needed to find out sooner or later. Why didn't he at least tell them not to trust Madacorp?
This definitely felt like the episode networks usually would show right before the two-week Christmas break. It is not fair to make us wait 4 months or more for answers!
According to the online spoiler circuit, Kyle's family was supposed to find out the truth about him in episode 13. That wasn't entirely true. Kyle spent the entire episode on the road with his bad-seed clone sister Jessi while the Tragers made guesses about him. None of them were able to make the leap that some of the information about him was faked, mainly the MRI and his "real" parents. The only secrets revealed to the Tragers in this episode were that Tom Foss is on Kyle's side and that Declan has information on Kyle that he isn't sharing.
My favorite scene from this episode was when Josh started getting upset at the suspicious turn the family discussion began to take. All during the first season, Josh was the one keeping the "Kyle file" and calling him an alien. In this scene, it became clear that this was Josh's way of showing affection for Kyle. Josh did not like the idea that the rest of the family thought Kyle could be responsible for the murders in the woods.
My disappointment came in the last 10 minutes. I understood why Declan didn't speak up; he thought that he was keeping his promise to Kyle. Why didn't Tom Foss say anything? He said in the truck that the Tragers needed to find out sooner or later. Why didn't he at least tell them not to trust Madacorp?
This definitely felt like the episode networks usually would show right before the two-week Christmas break. It is not fair to make us wait 4 months or more for answers!
03 September 2007
No summertime blogging blues here
Tammara over at Link & Blog recently posted about summertime blogging blues. If I were the sort that actually enjoyed spending time outdoors, I might be suffering from that affliction. Instead, the heat wave gave me a good excuse to stay in front of my computer.
Actually, it seems that all the summer activity would give you something to write about instead of causing writer's block. I get the blogging blues when my life slows down and nothing is going on. Our family doesn't go to concerts or take trips. I don't belong to any organizations or go to conferences. If I dwell on it too much, I start to question why I blog at all!
The answer is that I blog because I enjoy writing. I may not have big events to report on, but I have all kinds of crazy thoughts and opinions rolling around in my head. In my real life, I have trouble talking to people. Blogging lets me communicate my thoughts without suffering through all the face-to-face jitters.
Actually, it seems that all the summer activity would give you something to write about instead of causing writer's block. I get the blogging blues when my life slows down and nothing is going on. Our family doesn't go to concerts or take trips. I don't belong to any organizations or go to conferences. If I dwell on it too much, I start to question why I blog at all!
The answer is that I blog because I enjoy writing. I may not have big events to report on, but I have all kinds of crazy thoughts and opinions rolling around in my head. In my real life, I have trouble talking to people. Blogging lets me communicate my thoughts without suffering through all the face-to-face jitters.
"Kyle XY" Marathon
I've been watching the Kyle XY marathon on ABC Family since 11am. Holidays on TV mean marathons; at least this is one I can enjoy.
Kyle XY is not a show with big hype, like Grey's Anatomy. It is youthful, but it doesn't have as much pop-culture dialogue as some of my past favorites such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Gilmore Girls. Still, I enjoy it a lot. It is the perfect show for ABM and I to watch together. He likes the mystery of it: will Madacorp finally catch Kyle? I, on the other hand, still have a penchant for teen dramas, so I enjoy the relationships between the younger characters on the show. I am also drawn to magical/superhero plotlines, so I love the bits where Kyle shows his powers.
ABM and I are both looking forward to tonight's season finale. The rumour is that Kyle will finally tell his family the truth about his origins and his secret powers. This is always my favorite part of any series. I know that keeping a secret gives the writers more to work with, but I enjoy a story more when a character's immediate circle is in on it.
Kyle XY is not a show with big hype, like Grey's Anatomy. It is youthful, but it doesn't have as much pop-culture dialogue as some of my past favorites such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Gilmore Girls. Still, I enjoy it a lot. It is the perfect show for ABM and I to watch together. He likes the mystery of it: will Madacorp finally catch Kyle? I, on the other hand, still have a penchant for teen dramas, so I enjoy the relationships between the younger characters on the show. I am also drawn to magical/superhero plotlines, so I love the bits where Kyle shows his powers.
ABM and I are both looking forward to tonight's season finale. The rumour is that Kyle will finally tell his family the truth about his origins and his secret powers. This is always my favorite part of any series. I know that keeping a secret gives the writers more to work with, but I enjoy a story more when a character's immediate circle is in on it.
02 September 2007
Suffering from laptop withdrawal
My laptop power cord is shot. I use my laptop with the cord all the time because the battery only holds a 15-minute charge. My kids keep tripping over the cord, so now it has split. This is SO frustrating because I moved all my programs and files off the desktop so that ABM and I wouldn't have to share a computer. The chair in front of my desktop isn't even comfortable any more; it has molded to fit ABM's butt.
Whatever happened to standard cords? It seems like all my devices have special plugs and no other cord in the house will fit. The PS2 cord doesn't fit the Gamecube, the plug on a standard set of headphones won't fit my Treo, and all of the handheld devices have their own peculiar charger cords. It is aggravating to have all these cords around the house and none of them interchangeable.
Of course, ABM is in no rush to replace the cord. He already thinks that I spend too much time in front of the computer as it is. He spends a lot of time in front of the computer, too, but he thinks that I have more of an attachment. That may be true, but he isn't far behind. If something goes wrong with our internet access, he is the first one on the phone to Time Warner trying to get it fixed.
All of my entertainment and leisure time centers around the computer. It is the trade-off I've made for not being able to go out that often. I've gotten used to sitting in a comfortable spot with my laptop on my knees. Reading blogs at my desk isn't the same. Even when I am doing something away from the computer, I use it to look up game rules or knitting patterns. I listen to streaming internet radio or podcasts while I'm cleaning. I pay bills and look up answers to questions that the kids ask me. It really is the center of most of my activities.
ABM will get tired of sharing his computer soon. Then he'll buy me a cord and I'll get my laptop back!
Whatever happened to standard cords? It seems like all my devices have special plugs and no other cord in the house will fit. The PS2 cord doesn't fit the Gamecube, the plug on a standard set of headphones won't fit my Treo, and all of the handheld devices have their own peculiar charger cords. It is aggravating to have all these cords around the house and none of them interchangeable.
Of course, ABM is in no rush to replace the cord. He already thinks that I spend too much time in front of the computer as it is. He spends a lot of time in front of the computer, too, but he thinks that I have more of an attachment. That may be true, but he isn't far behind. If something goes wrong with our internet access, he is the first one on the phone to Time Warner trying to get it fixed.
All of my entertainment and leisure time centers around the computer. It is the trade-off I've made for not being able to go out that often. I've gotten used to sitting in a comfortable spot with my laptop on my knees. Reading blogs at my desk isn't the same. Even when I am doing something away from the computer, I use it to look up game rules or knitting patterns. I listen to streaming internet radio or podcasts while I'm cleaning. I pay bills and look up answers to questions that the kids ask me. It really is the center of most of my activities.
ABM will get tired of sharing his computer soon. Then he'll buy me a cord and I'll get my laptop back!
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