You are currently browsing the monthly archive for March, 2008.
Last week, someone in my family had to get a huge chunk of her nose taken out because of skin cancer. The dermatologist had taken a biopsy that came back cancerous. So they sent her to a plastic surgeon to remove the rest and fix her nose at the same time. E and I stopped over to her house on Sunday to drop off a get-well gift. She already had some company so we weren’t going to stay long, but when we walked in and saw her sitting in her chair holding a blanket up to her eyes to hide her face, I couldn’t believe she still had company sitting there. How rude. Obviously she’s embarrassed, just leave. We stayed just long enough to say hi, how are you feeling, here’s a present, bye.
On one hand, I feel bad for this woman. They took out a piece of her nose so deep/big that it went down to her nasal cavity. Her eyes are black and blue, her nose is taped up, and she looks pretty bad.
On the other hand, I seriously hope she has learned her lesson. This woman has already had a cancerous spot removed. This woman lays in the sun (who still lays in the sun?) all summer long with no sunscreen, trying to get as brown as possible. This woman visits the dermatologist in the winter after her tan has faded so the doctor doesn’t know how dark she gets. The part of me that sounds like my mother wants to say, Are you happy now?
She has vowed to wear sunscreen and a hat all summer long. I have my doubts, but we will see.
After a youth full of being outside with no, or minimal, sunscreen, and a few years of using a tanning bed, I had an abnormal mole removed from my back. I had been on the right track for a year or two before that with the protection, but that made me even more diligent about using sunscreen. All over. There are enough tanning lotions and sprays to give me color in the summer that I don’t need to use the sun - real or fake. The damage to my skin, the pre-aging, the moles, the cancer, the scare are not worth time in the sun for a tan.
Ok, now I’m starting to feel a little overwhelmed. My desk is a horrible mess and nothing is filed or sorted properly. I’m definitely ready for the weekend.
I have a fun work even to go to tonight though! I’m looking forward to it. Meeting new people and the launch of a summer ale. That means two things: summer is coming and free beer!
I think I am going to have to invest in a nice, basic LBD to have on hand for other, more formal functions that will come up.
I need to go shopping for clothes for Italy, too. I need comfortable, cute, non-athletic shoes that are good for walking. I also need to buy some comfortable, but nice pants that I’m sure I’ll have to have hemmed to wear with said comfortable cute walking shoes. That is fine though b/c I have very few pants I can wear with flats, so that will be nice for summer. So shoes are most important, pants are secondary. But pants I need to get soon b/c it will take at least a week to have them altered.
I got my teeth cleaned this morning. So now I can start my whitening treatment to have my teeth nice and bright before the wedding.
Aaaand…I’m back to waffling about the hair. Oh, hair! Why do you torture me so? It’s like golf - bad bad bad, and then one good shot (day) and it’s like, Weeelll, maybe…. I’m sick of talking, thinking, worrying about it. I think it just needs to be short and then it will be fine. I can’t see having it longer for the wedding because it’s not me. Why have all those pictures of someone else? Maybe I could just flip a coin… Tails-cut it. So there you go. It’s getting cut. My other problem with that is do I shop for a new stylist now or go with the one I have knowing exactly how she’s going to cut my hair because it’s been the same every time. Which, on one hand, is good knowing what I’m getting. But on the other, I know that what I’m getting isn’t as good as I could get. Gah! See? The longest part of this post was about my hair.
So, with that, I’ll get things wrapped up and go de-shine my face so I look presentable tonight.
In honor of my 100th post:
- I like food.
- A lot.
- And shoes.
- A lot.
- I lost 40 pounds a little over 3 years ago.
- It was kind of easy.
- I sometimes struggle with weight even now.
- I’m engaged.
- I’m getting married in 40 days.
- To a really great guy.
- Who doesn’t mind me having short hair.
- Then I’m going to Italy for my honeymoon.
- I have 3 brothers.
- They are included in my list of best friends.
- I have 3 nephews and a niece.
- I love them.
- And I love how funny they are.
- I don’t want my own kids.
- I love to bake.
- I often give baked goods away because I can’t have them in the house. (see #1 and #7)
- I love to cook too.
- I’m hoping for a nice set of pots and pans for the wedding.
- Even though I would be perfectly happy with no presents.
- I hate disrespect.
- I think lack of respect will be the downfall of everything.
- I am average height, yet pants marked average are too long for me unless I’m wearing heels.
- I like to wear heels.
- I hate white shoes.
- I don’t wear bikinis.
- I love sunshine.
- I don’t always like being in the sun.
- I wear spf 70 sunscreen.
- I had an “abnormal” mole removed.
- I used to use tanning beds.
- Once, while at the beach, I burned my face so bad it blistered.
- The skin on my face hasn’t been the same since.
- I might want a dog someday.
- I love pizza.
- I could eat it every day.
- I love wine.
- I love Starbucks.
- “Grande nonfat no whip pumpkin spice latte, please” is one of my favorite things to say.
- Note the “please”.
- I think saying please and thank you is super super important.
- I like washing dishes.
- Washing dishes at a restaurant was my first job.
- I like when E asks if I want to “fool around”.
- I like “fooling around”.
- I have a college degree.
- I want to take classes for fun, to learn.
- I like to learn.
- I think old people are great.
- I recycle what I can.
- I use tote bags for grocery shopping.
- I really like the LL Bean tote bags.
- I love to walk.
- I like to ride my bike.
- I am good helper.
- I like to help people who are appreciative.
- I like having a clean house and work area.
- I am very practical.
- I love mowing the lawn.
- It’s perfect multitasking – exercise and doing chores all in one.
- I prefer to have the bed made in the morning.
- I have been known to make the bed just prior to getting into it at night.
- I love the European idea of long lunches.
- And wine at lunch.
- I like music.
- I like to travel.
- I like cruises – multiple stops in one trip, and only unpacking once.
- I don’t ski.
- The artwork in our dining room is framed open-wheel racing posters.
- They are quite tasteful.
- My parents are divorced.
- They get along pretty well.
- I don’t want to be divorced.
- For better or for worse is a really serious promise.
- Really serious. And a little scary.
- I promised to do a Baja buggy trip down the Baja peninsula for our 5th anniversary.
- I think it will be fun.
- Sometimes compromise sucks.
- I love musicals.
- I would rather see a movie at the theater than watch it at home.
- E has at least twice as many clothes as I do.
- I’m not sure who has the problem here.
- I have a lot more shoes though.
- We both have a lot of jackets/coats.
- I took French in high school.
- I love that language.
- I have taken some basic Spanish classes in the last few years.
- I want to expand on that.
- Sometimes I don’t want to change my last name.
- My friends are amazing people.
- I love magazines.
- I was always reading books growing up.
- I am good at reading maps.
- I like to nap while riding in the car.
- I like to play with the radio/iPod a lot too.
- I like to laugh.
- I think I am a good person.
Second day on the new job. I’m not really overwhelmed, but I feel like the outsider. Just need to learn office dynamics and all. I get along well with others, but each group is different. So, I know I can do the job, it’s the people I have to figure out.
I ordered a new keyboard for my work computer today. I am looking forward to that. Sad, I know, but whatever gets me through the day.
I have decided to get my hair chopped off. I’m going short-short again. It’s below my chin now, not yet to my shoulders. It’s the longest it’s been in probably 12-13 years. I am thinking of doing it the day of the wedding. Is that a recipe for disaster? I want it to be a surprise, and boy, would that be a surprise. I have already warned E about it. I have the same stylist, so she knows how to cut my hair. I’m sure I will want it short for the honeymoon. I do not want to spent one extra moment doing my hair when I could be out exploring Italy. So there.
But I am finally understanding why some people have such a hard time getting their hair cut. It’s not the hair (it always grows back), but the time investment is a big thing. It can take months or years to grow and grow and grow and in 5 minutes it’s all gone. So, when I’m watching a makeover show and the girl is freaking out about cutting her hair, I MIGHT give her a break. Maybe.
I am going to meet (finally!) one of E’s best friends tonight. He is in town for work and we’re taking him out for dinner and drinks. I’m bummed I won’t get to meet his wife too, but they are coming to the wedding so I’ll meet her then.
E and I had our last session with the couple from the church last night. Before marriage, our church requires engaged couples to go through sessions with a couple from the church. We watch videos with them, and then the two of us go through some questions. The videos cover topics like families (in-laws), financial issues, having children, etc. It’s designed to get couples talking and make sure both parties are on the same page about the big issues. Which we are.
Send pictures of cute short hairstyles.
It must really suck to have paid so much for such a nice car only to have the turn signals not work. You should really take it in and get it fixed. You know, if only for courtesy to, and safety of, the other drivers on the road.
I have been busy lately trying to get everything wrapped up at work before moving to my new job. It’s been a little stressful.
I’ve also been busy finalizing things for the wedding. I ordered flowers. And registered for gifts. E and I weren’t going to register. We’re inviting so few people to the wedding, and we have pretty much everything we want that it didn’t seem worth it, and it kind of makes it seem like we’re expecting gifts. I know, I know, it’s what everyone does. I do think it’s in bad taste to put the registry info in the wedding invitation. Call me old fashioned, but I think it’s just as easy to ask a family member of the couple where they’re registered and go from there.
Anyway, E’s mom said we should probably do it - otherwise, knowing her family, we’ll end up with some wacky things we don’t want. So, fine then, I can register. E and I did some registering at Macy’s for some kitchen stuff, bedding, and bath accessories. E had fun on amazon.com last night registering for a grill, power tools, etc. So I hope that satisfies everyone. If not, then oh well.
So just waiting for the wedding bands to come in, and I need to get my dress hemmed. And to stop eating so much food. You’d think I was starving the way I’ve been putting away food lately. And it’s not like it’s fruits and vegetables. Nope…BBQ Pork which I did in the crock pot and tastes freakin’ awesome, chocolate chip cookies, ice cream, you name it. Go away PMS!
My friend is at home and doing well since the surgery. I spent my lunch hour with her yesterday and will go check on her today too. It’s got to be boring laying on the couch all day…wait, who am I kidding. Sounds like a vacation right now. She’s catching up on Soaps for me. What is the deal with the old Carly being back on GH only she’s not Carly b/c the new Carly is still there? Odd.
At the hospital. I brought my friend in this morning for surgery. Nothing life threatening. Just heard she made it out ok, so waiting for the Ok to go see her. Hope she recovers quickly.
It’s OK…
…to spend less on the invitations and dress in favor of the big sparkly ring you’ll be wearing on your finger.
…to spend less on the decorations (what decorations?) and flowers in favor of going to Italy on a honeymoon.
…to not want to tell certain busybodies everything about the wedding. Enjoy the surprise already. Yeesh.
…to get married on a Monday.
…to procrastinate. A little.
…to not have bridesmaids or groomsmen.
…to be really excited about getting it all over with to begin the rest of your life married to the man you love more than anything in the world. Yes, even more than chocolate.
…it’s ok to not give up chocolate to prove your love.
Don’t ask for my zip code and get all pissy when I ask, Why? I said, No thanks (note the THANKS). I don’t care if “they’re” doing a survey. You told the lady in front of me to have a nice day. It’s probably better that you didn’t tell me to have a nice day. I would have known you didn’t mean it, and I would have replied, You’re not the boss of me. And meant it.
I screwed up two things at work in the past week. Not huge, but enough that I feel like an idiot. I can sort of fix one, but not the other. Oops.
So I’m eating my chicken noodle soup for lunch, and looking forward to leaving a little early for my massage.
As part of my on-going efforts to take care of myself, I’m going for a massage tomorrow. My shoulders are up to my ears again (due to stress/tension/whatever) and I’m tired of it. I’m going to try very hard to make monthly massage appointments.
I’m also investigating a new yoga studio, and have found a pilates studio near my house that I want to try. All this to help round out the tends-to-get-old-gym-experience. But mainly, to combat the stress that accumulates daily. Exercise is one of the few things that does it for me. But wine helps, too.
Where did my sunrise go? Stupid daylight savings.
WordPress is showing I edited certain posts that I know I didn’t edit.
Dear Arms,
I think you’re awesome. Everyone should buy tickets to THIS gun show.
Love,
M.
It’s Ok…
To have your yearly bonus and income tax return already allocated to big ticket purchases.
To not want to attend a work function even though you will anyway - you know, for the exposure.
To be completely tired of gray and black, and ready to wear some color for Spring.
To love Thursdays. It’s almost Friday!
To be a little nervous about making the final payment on the honeymoon trip. Credit card still needs to be paid off.
To wish that, sometimes, people would just mind their own business. Including family. Especially including future in-laws.
So I’m planning to change my last name when I get married. No hyphen, just change. And I wonder if I will become a different person. I think basically I’ll stay the same, but my whole life I’ve spent perfecting being a [last name]. I have a lot of the personality traits that are typical of my family. Now I’m going to be part of a whole other family. I’m not like them. (I write thank you notes.) Of course I’m biased and I think my family is better. I like being associated with them, and my family name. So I guess I need to work on holding onto the good traits that make me a [last name], maybe let go of the annoying ones, and maybe see what good ones I can pick up from the new family name.
E and I have been luggage shopping. When I started traveling, I was a suitcase girl. Then I became a (large) wheeled duffel bag girl. I think E was the same way as he now is using an older duffel bag. Now it’s time to replace the old, worn-out luggage and we’re both a little undecided. I think we’re leaning towards the suitcases. There are SO MANY brands. And, reading reviews, there are good and bad things about each piece of luggage. How do I know which one to choose? I don’t want wheels breaking off - had that happen and it wasn’t pretty. I don’t want luggage that breaks on the carousel and all my undergarments are on display for everyone to see - haven’t had that happen, but I often wonder about it as I wait for my luggage to appear. So any input would be appreciated. What do you like, what brand, and why?
In other news, I’m horribly busy at work trying to get an event planned, clean things up, and transition the job to the new person. Plus, something is wrong with the heating system today so it’s only about 60 degrees in here.
Oh, and in water-related news…let’s add a new sump pump to the list. E went home for lunch yesterday and went downstairs to check on the leaking hot water heater. He also checked in on the crock where the sump pump is and it was almost full of water. So he bought a new pump and pipes and replaced the old one. He is a good handyman.
Water problems:
Bath tub faucet - fixed
Leaking roof #1 - fixed
Leaking roof #2 - fixed
Water coming in basement wall - fixed, still need to drywall
Clogged pipe - fixed
Sump pump - fixed
Leaking hot water heater - not fixed
Long list, but we’ve been incredibly blessed - we’ve been home for all of the issues, and have been able to fix them or have them fixed inexpensively. Phew.
