Well, it's been almost a year since I last blogged, and I figured it was about time I did it again.
I was initially going to write a list of people/places/things I was grateful for, but I changed my mind. Although by the time I'm done typing, I may very well change my mind again.
I've decided to write about the past year. So here goes.
This year was a roller coaster. We went on a family vacation for the first time in 20 or so years. My mom and dad rented a house at the beach (Nags Head) and we all went down. Me, Kim (shocking that she went), sister, nephew, mom, dad, and grandmother. Then, 2 days after we got home, my grandmother passed away. I was glad that she got to go to the beach with us, but I jokingly said afterwards that all the family togetherness must've done her in. :) She was miserable when they moved in with my parents, and even more so after PopPop died last year, so at least that was over for her. After her death, my sister and I were able to go through all of her pictures, and PopPop's pictures. I don't know that we weren't allowed to before, but we never asked. In fact, I never knew that they had the photos that they do. It was amazing seeing them when they were younger - and seeing my grandmother in a bikini!
Kim and I have been doing well. No big changes to report there. Although she is trying to go back to school - community college, but trying to get her degree. She's also attempting to learn to drive. I told her next she's going to learn how to swim.
Lucy Jetta has been driving me crazy. She's had some rather expensive meltdowns this year. and then just today she wouldn't start (18 degree weather) before going to work. Putting in a new battery when it's that cold just isn't fun, and I don't recommend it. She's also stopped talking to me (the radio has stopped working). Which makes for a REEEAAAAALLLY boring and long commute to work. Even though it's only 20-30 minutes, it feels like eternity without music.
I bought a motorcycle. I have driven it more already this year (4 summerish months, about 1000 miles) which is more than I drove my last bike that I had for 2 years.
Work is okay, although it seems that most of my coworkers have a pretty negative attitude. I try to stay out of their conversations when it turns to negative things - especially about our supervisor/director. I don't have any issues with her, but it seems that most others do. One of my coworkers today actually said that they hated our boss. My thought was to tell her she can always quit, but I didn't dare.
Peyton has continued to grow and is turning into quite the handful. :) The other day I caught him saying "dammit." Hee hee. I told my sister, and they had a talk about it. He's only 4. I can't believe he'll be in school next year already. I feel sorry for those teachers....
One of Peyton's daycare friends (and the daughter of 2 people I went to school with) is 3. They just found out she has cancer. She had a grapefruit size tumor on her kidney. They removed it and her kidney because they were entertwined. That all just happened Monday. A friend's dad passed away from cancer this year too. It seems like cancer is running rampant this year. I don't like it.
Also this year, everyone has had babies, or is pregnant. I think Kim and I have come to the official decision that we aren't having kids. Some days I think that sucks, and other days I'm okay with it. We don't have enough money to have babies. And frankly, I don't think I really want that responsibility. I'm too selfish, and I like the freedom I have now without a kiddo.
I think that's all for my update. :)
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Helped are those who create anything at all, for they shall relive the thrill of their own conception and realize a partnership in the creation of the Universe that keeps them responsible and cheerful.
-Alice Walker, The Temple of My Familiar, 1989
-Alice Walker, The Temple of My Familiar, 1989
Monday, December 21, 2009
Oh the snowiness of it all
We got about 18 inches of snow at my house. Which equaled lots of shovelling. Does shovelling have one or 2 L's? Whatever.
I also helped shovel out neighbors that I had never met before. Good times. And I refused to take money or anything from her, so she gave me a hug instead. That's the best payment anyhow. But today, my shoulder is killing me. I'm getting too old for this crap.
Kim and I did drive around in it all yesterday. I love driving in the snow. My favorite is that I'm one of only a few cars - while everyone else is in their big, tough, 4 wheel drive vehicles. I don't need one!! And yesterday, a dude is in front of me at a stoplight (on a hill) and is spinning. Dumbass if you can't drive in it, stay home. I had to wait for trucks to pass us, then I backed down the hill some, to the pull around him and pass him. The inner me honked and waved at him, while the outside me put on a "I'm sorry" face as I passed him. LOVE IT!
This is why I continue to drive Jettas. I'm afraid that if I get a different vehicle, it's just not going to be the same.
Today I'm at work, and of course one of my coworkers is again out with another lame excuse. (this happens almost EVERY week) Today, as expected, it's because she's snowed in. In NOVA. Yeah right. They didn't get the snow we got. She's full of it. Last week it was a panic attack, and the week before that she thought she had appendicitis. I'm getting tired of covering her cases for her, but unfortunately, my boss isn't doing a damn thing about it. Whatever. I've even grown a set and complained to the boss about it.
I'm in a classical music phase. I've been listening in my car, while running, and at work. It's quite relaxing. You should try it. Rachmaninov is great (Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini) as well as Bolero by Ravel. Both are my favorites.
I also helped shovel out neighbors that I had never met before. Good times. And I refused to take money or anything from her, so she gave me a hug instead. That's the best payment anyhow. But today, my shoulder is killing me. I'm getting too old for this crap.
Kim and I did drive around in it all yesterday. I love driving in the snow. My favorite is that I'm one of only a few cars - while everyone else is in their big, tough, 4 wheel drive vehicles. I don't need one!! And yesterday, a dude is in front of me at a stoplight (on a hill) and is spinning. Dumbass if you can't drive in it, stay home. I had to wait for trucks to pass us, then I backed down the hill some, to the pull around him and pass him. The inner me honked and waved at him, while the outside me put on a "I'm sorry" face as I passed him. LOVE IT!
This is why I continue to drive Jettas. I'm afraid that if I get a different vehicle, it's just not going to be the same.
Today I'm at work, and of course one of my coworkers is again out with another lame excuse. (this happens almost EVERY week) Today, as expected, it's because she's snowed in. In NOVA. Yeah right. They didn't get the snow we got. She's full of it. Last week it was a panic attack, and the week before that she thought she had appendicitis. I'm getting tired of covering her cases for her, but unfortunately, my boss isn't doing a damn thing about it. Whatever. I've even grown a set and complained to the boss about it.
I'm in a classical music phase. I've been listening in my car, while running, and at work. It's quite relaxing. You should try it. Rachmaninov is great (Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini) as well as Bolero by Ravel. Both are my favorites.
Friday, December 11, 2009
I give in
blog blog blog. blog blog. blog blog blog blog, blog blog! blog blog, blog, blog blog blog blog. BLOG!!!!!!
Blog blog; blog blog, blog, blog blog blog blog, blog blog. blllllllllllllllllllllllllog.
Blog blog; blog blog, blog, blog blog blog blog, blog blog. blllllllllllllllllllllllllog.
Friday, November 13, 2009
I forgot to build the ark
On Wednesday, November 4th, I arrived at work to find a sign on the front door which said "Evacution in progress. Please report to the nurse." Yes, it said EVACUTION - not evacuAtion. I thought it was either a joke, or a drill. I go inside, tell the peeps in front that their sign is misspelled, and ask what's going on.
Not a drill.
I go into the main hallway which is COMPLETELY dark. Now mind you, we usually have a generator, which gets things up and running if the power goes out. There were no lights. And initially in the main hallway there aren't any windows. Oh joy.
I'm getting to the reason - gimme a second.
I check in with the nurse. I ask what the heck is going on. She says "we're evacuating down to Western State." I said "Are the kids already down there?" No. They're sitting in the dark on the unit. Luckily though - on the unit - there's a skylight and various windows.
Then I get with some of my other social work peeps to discuss.
The basement flooded. Rumor has it - 3 feet of water. Blew out everything. Lucky the generator didn't kick on - otherwise major electrocution.
So we sit around and wait. The kids have already packed their stuff and are ready to go - but WSH (Western State) has to prepare a place for us.
Oh, and did I mention that the doors in our building are electronic/magnetic? No power=no locks. We had a couple of kids realize that and run out, but not too much of mass chaos. Until administration told us to discharge as many kids as we could. That meant us social workers had to do work. With no phones. And no lights. And we had to call people to come get their kids? Hello cell phone minutes.
The flood happened shortly before 6am. Kids were told to get ready to move at 8am. Actual move occurred at 3:30pm. We load the kids up on little buses and head down the hill to our new digs. Which SUCK.
Keep in mind we're a mental health hospital. So everything is safe - no sharp anything, sprinklers out of reach, ceiling tiles out of reach, etc.
New digs - not so much. Low ceilings (I could reach them) with exposed sprinklers and lights, and kids had to bunk up with each other instead of having their own room. There were also no offices for any of the doctors, social workers, or admin staff. Most people were just milling about. Then we hear that our new digs are temporary, and they're working on another building.
Friday the 6th, we move again. After a coworker and I bust our asses helping to clean, move furniture, make beds, and get stuff from our orignial building. While several of my coworkers sat on their butts.
So Friday we move the kids AGAIN. And our stuff. AGAIN. Now we're here for the duration. This building is slightly better than the last, but still not as great as our original. We didn't have computer access until Tuesday. All of our work goes on an intranet site, shared folders, etc., which made things difficult until we got a computer again. I now have to share an office with 2 people instead of just one. I think I'm going to kill them both before it's over with.
Now the rumor is that the flood was 5 or 6 feet deep in the basement. Fact is that a water main broke where it comes into our building. It flooded out our entire mechanical system, our heating system, and our phones. They have to replace the boilers, get the electric up and running again, they've already fixed the broken pipe, and they have to redo the phone and internet stuff. We've been told it could be 3 months in this building.
The up side - this place has tunnels running from building to building. And the building next to us is empty - so it's pretty fun to go exploring. And my boss is no longer located in the same building as me, so we're having a good time.
Not a drill.
I go into the main hallway which is COMPLETELY dark. Now mind you, we usually have a generator, which gets things up and running if the power goes out. There were no lights. And initially in the main hallway there aren't any windows. Oh joy.
I'm getting to the reason - gimme a second.
I check in with the nurse. I ask what the heck is going on. She says "we're evacuating down to Western State." I said "Are the kids already down there?" No. They're sitting in the dark on the unit. Luckily though - on the unit - there's a skylight and various windows.
Then I get with some of my other social work peeps to discuss.
The basement flooded. Rumor has it - 3 feet of water. Blew out everything. Lucky the generator didn't kick on - otherwise major electrocution.
So we sit around and wait. The kids have already packed their stuff and are ready to go - but WSH (Western State) has to prepare a place for us.
Oh, and did I mention that the doors in our building are electronic/magnetic? No power=no locks. We had a couple of kids realize that and run out, but not too much of mass chaos. Until administration told us to discharge as many kids as we could. That meant us social workers had to do work. With no phones. And no lights. And we had to call people to come get their kids? Hello cell phone minutes.
The flood happened shortly before 6am. Kids were told to get ready to move at 8am. Actual move occurred at 3:30pm. We load the kids up on little buses and head down the hill to our new digs. Which SUCK.
Keep in mind we're a mental health hospital. So everything is safe - no sharp anything, sprinklers out of reach, ceiling tiles out of reach, etc.
New digs - not so much. Low ceilings (I could reach them) with exposed sprinklers and lights, and kids had to bunk up with each other instead of having their own room. There were also no offices for any of the doctors, social workers, or admin staff. Most people were just milling about. Then we hear that our new digs are temporary, and they're working on another building.
Friday the 6th, we move again. After a coworker and I bust our asses helping to clean, move furniture, make beds, and get stuff from our orignial building. While several of my coworkers sat on their butts.
So Friday we move the kids AGAIN. And our stuff. AGAIN. Now we're here for the duration. This building is slightly better than the last, but still not as great as our original. We didn't have computer access until Tuesday. All of our work goes on an intranet site, shared folders, etc., which made things difficult until we got a computer again. I now have to share an office with 2 people instead of just one. I think I'm going to kill them both before it's over with.
Now the rumor is that the flood was 5 or 6 feet deep in the basement. Fact is that a water main broke where it comes into our building. It flooded out our entire mechanical system, our heating system, and our phones. They have to replace the boilers, get the electric up and running again, they've already fixed the broken pipe, and they have to redo the phone and internet stuff. We've been told it could be 3 months in this building.
The up side - this place has tunnels running from building to building. And the building next to us is empty - so it's pretty fun to go exploring. And my boss is no longer located in the same building as me, so we're having a good time.
Monday, October 05, 2009
Violet! You're turning Violet, Violet!
So Kim bought me a Wii on Friday night. Needless to say, I've been playing it rather frequently since. And the sad thing is that I only have 2 games so far - one being the game that it comes with, and the other being fishing. I love fishing. It's fantastic. Kim was laughing at me last night fighting to reel in the big one. I plan on going home tonight to fish some more. Or play golf. Or bowling. I'm not sure yet. Maybe all of the above.
In other news, Gee Gee (grandmother) has surgery on Thursday for her breast cancer. So I'll be driving down to Richmond after work, and then back to Harrisonburg that same night. Good times. Expect a phone call - since I often call while driving.
I went to Nicolas' 12th birthday party on Saturday. I can't believe he's already 12. Which means that it's almost been 10 years since I (we) graduated from JMU. Where in the world has the time gone? When did I get old? Speaking of old - I keep discovering more and more gray hair. This is NOT fun.
Maybe I'll start coloring my hair. Yeah right. That'll happen the same time I decide to cut it differently and style it in the morning and use a blowdryer and hair product.
hahahahahahahaha
I signed up for this 5K in Harrisonburg the weekend of the 24th. I'm hoping a certain New Jersey someone will come down that weekend and walk/run it with me... (hint hint). Or if the New Jersey someone doesn't want to participate, they could cheer me on - it should only take about 45 minutes if I run it, so not a huge chunk out of the day - and plenty of time for us to do something ridiculous in the afternoon. HINT HINT.
Speaking of hints, I wonder what my surprise is....
Why do I feel like I'm just writing an email to Cristina?
I feel I should sign off with some witty quotation, but I can't think of anything. All I could come up with initially was one of my favorite lines from Willy Wonka, which I promptly put as my title. So maybe you'll get a quote next time.
In other news, Gee Gee (grandmother) has surgery on Thursday for her breast cancer. So I'll be driving down to Richmond after work, and then back to Harrisonburg that same night. Good times. Expect a phone call - since I often call while driving.
I went to Nicolas' 12th birthday party on Saturday. I can't believe he's already 12. Which means that it's almost been 10 years since I (we) graduated from JMU. Where in the world has the time gone? When did I get old? Speaking of old - I keep discovering more and more gray hair. This is NOT fun.
Maybe I'll start coloring my hair. Yeah right. That'll happen the same time I decide to cut it differently and style it in the morning and use a blowdryer and hair product.
hahahahahahahaha
I signed up for this 5K in Harrisonburg the weekend of the 24th. I'm hoping a certain New Jersey someone will come down that weekend and walk/run it with me... (hint hint). Or if the New Jersey someone doesn't want to participate, they could cheer me on - it should only take about 45 minutes if I run it, so not a huge chunk out of the day - and plenty of time for us to do something ridiculous in the afternoon. HINT HINT.
Speaking of hints, I wonder what my surprise is....
Why do I feel like I'm just writing an email to Cristina?
I feel I should sign off with some witty quotation, but I can't think of anything. All I could come up with initially was one of my favorite lines from Willy Wonka, which I promptly put as my title. So maybe you'll get a quote next time.
Monday, September 14, 2009
there's a lot of this going around
On Friday night, I get a facebook message from an old high school peep, asking me if I heard the news that a good high school friend had passed away. I hadn't heard. So I got the full story, and felt like crap-o-la, and all I've done all weekend is think about her.
I had known Heidi for what seems like forever. I don't recall her in kindergarten, but I do remember her from first grade on. In small rural counties you pretty much have the same people in your class year after year until graduation. So Heidi and I were in classes until our Junior year. 6th grade Heidi's dad died. We were getting ready to go on a field trip for school, and they came and got her off the bus and told her. He had been in a car accident. She was the youngest of 3 kids. Her brother Fleming was a year older. In 6th grade, we all pretty much avoided the topic of her dad dying. We didn't really understand grief or how to help a friend cope - we were all too young to figure it out.
I have a lot of fun/good memories of her. I remember sleeping over at her house and singing along to "Walk like an Egyptian" on her pocket rocker. Or climbing up in the treehouse. I remember Heidi "going with" Trevor for what seemed like years, but was only in reality a couple months in 6th grade. I remember my boyfriend breaking up with me to ask her out, but he was too shy so I asked her for him. Hilarious. That was also in 6th grade. Heidi was always first chair clarinet, and I was jealous. Until I finally beat her out for it at some point in high school. I think sophomore year. Then the next year I don't think she was in band anymore. Heidi always got straight A's, and she would've been one of our valedictorians. We had 3 but I digress. Sophomore year, Heidi decided she was going to graduate early. I remember trying to talk her out of it, but she was determined. She graduated with her brother, while the rest of us were still Juniors. In short, Heidi was smart, pretty, fun, and seemed to have a lot going for her. But I guess her internal issues started well before any of us knew. And then she graduated.
I lost touch with her after that. I know that 2 years later she had a kid. And married a guy who was rumored to be a jerk. Her brother suffered from depression, and on one night held Heidi and her mom hostage in their house with a gun. He threatened to kill himself. Law enforcement was called and they did nothing. Fleming shot himself that night, and when law enforcement arrived, Heidi assaulted them for not having responded to their earlier calls. She was found guilty of felony assault on an officer. Then I really don't know what happened with her. I heard through the grapevine that she made poor decisions, but that was about it. I always wondered where she was and what she was doing, and frequently tried to find her through Yahoo, Facebook, and MySpace, but never did.
Turns out she had some serious drug issues. On Friday the 4th, she drank a 5th of liquor and then injected insulin and succeeded in her suicide attempt, leaving behind her now 13 year old son. I don't know what was going on that made her decide this was her only option, but it makes me sad. Her mom didn't put an obituary in the paper because she didn't want people to know that her youngest child also committed suicide.
It's a hard thing for me to come to terms with because this is the first death of someone I knew for pretty much ever. I mean, we had people die when I was in school, but this is different. She was my friend, and although we lost touch over the years, I still thought about her frequently. At some point this week, I plan on pulling out all of my old pictures and making copies of them to send to her mom. I don't know if it will help her or make things worse, but it might be nice for her to have some reminder of when things were happy with Heidi. I'm glad that those are the memories I have, even though I wish we hadn't lost touch.
And now I wonder who else knows, or doesn't know. I feel like there are others who would like to know, but at the same time, I want to respect her mother's wishes. It's not an easy thing to admit to people that someone killed themself. I may ask Stephanie - who was the one who told me.
I think what really gets me though - is that Stephanie's message to me on FB was this: "Did you know that Heidi passed away? She always thought so much of you."
And it kills me. I almost feel guilty for not having kept in touch. Not that I think I could've saved her, but I could of at least been a better friend. Well, that and I always thought so much of her, but now she won't know.
I had known Heidi for what seems like forever. I don't recall her in kindergarten, but I do remember her from first grade on. In small rural counties you pretty much have the same people in your class year after year until graduation. So Heidi and I were in classes until our Junior year. 6th grade Heidi's dad died. We were getting ready to go on a field trip for school, and they came and got her off the bus and told her. He had been in a car accident. She was the youngest of 3 kids. Her brother Fleming was a year older. In 6th grade, we all pretty much avoided the topic of her dad dying. We didn't really understand grief or how to help a friend cope - we were all too young to figure it out.
I have a lot of fun/good memories of her. I remember sleeping over at her house and singing along to "Walk like an Egyptian" on her pocket rocker. Or climbing up in the treehouse. I remember Heidi "going with" Trevor for what seemed like years, but was only in reality a couple months in 6th grade. I remember my boyfriend breaking up with me to ask her out, but he was too shy so I asked her for him. Hilarious. That was also in 6th grade. Heidi was always first chair clarinet, and I was jealous. Until I finally beat her out for it at some point in high school. I think sophomore year. Then the next year I don't think she was in band anymore. Heidi always got straight A's, and she would've been one of our valedictorians. We had 3 but I digress. Sophomore year, Heidi decided she was going to graduate early. I remember trying to talk her out of it, but she was determined. She graduated with her brother, while the rest of us were still Juniors. In short, Heidi was smart, pretty, fun, and seemed to have a lot going for her. But I guess her internal issues started well before any of us knew. And then she graduated.
I lost touch with her after that. I know that 2 years later she had a kid. And married a guy who was rumored to be a jerk. Her brother suffered from depression, and on one night held Heidi and her mom hostage in their house with a gun. He threatened to kill himself. Law enforcement was called and they did nothing. Fleming shot himself that night, and when law enforcement arrived, Heidi assaulted them for not having responded to their earlier calls. She was found guilty of felony assault on an officer. Then I really don't know what happened with her. I heard through the grapevine that she made poor decisions, but that was about it. I always wondered where she was and what she was doing, and frequently tried to find her through Yahoo, Facebook, and MySpace, but never did.
Turns out she had some serious drug issues. On Friday the 4th, she drank a 5th of liquor and then injected insulin and succeeded in her suicide attempt, leaving behind her now 13 year old son. I don't know what was going on that made her decide this was her only option, but it makes me sad. Her mom didn't put an obituary in the paper because she didn't want people to know that her youngest child also committed suicide.
It's a hard thing for me to come to terms with because this is the first death of someone I knew for pretty much ever. I mean, we had people die when I was in school, but this is different. She was my friend, and although we lost touch over the years, I still thought about her frequently. At some point this week, I plan on pulling out all of my old pictures and making copies of them to send to her mom. I don't know if it will help her or make things worse, but it might be nice for her to have some reminder of when things were happy with Heidi. I'm glad that those are the memories I have, even though I wish we hadn't lost touch.
And now I wonder who else knows, or doesn't know. I feel like there are others who would like to know, but at the same time, I want to respect her mother's wishes. It's not an easy thing to admit to people that someone killed themself. I may ask Stephanie - who was the one who told me.
I think what really gets me though - is that Stephanie's message to me on FB was this: "Did you know that Heidi passed away? She always thought so much of you."
And it kills me. I almost feel guilty for not having kept in touch. Not that I think I could've saved her, but I could of at least been a better friend. Well, that and I always thought so much of her, but now she won't know.
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