Computer Issues

I've had some computer issues this week, namely my monitor. It has NOT been cooperating and that's irritating the heck out of me. My laptop is slower than molasses on a cold day, and heaven forbid I take either one of the boys' computers to do "personal" stuff with.

I knew I needed to get a new desktop, but just kept putting it off. Yesterday, I finally gave in. I had a nice, long chat with a young man from HP and he was actually from THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

We figured out what I would need and then I went ahead and ordered it. As it turned out, yesterday was the last day of their free shipping special, so that was nice. Yes, I'm fully aware that in a few weeks, they'll more than likely have ANOTHER free shipping special, but that's okay.

The new computer should be here within two weeks, or possibly a little less, so I'm thrilled about that. Let's just hope that this monitor can give me just two more weeks before shutting itself down permanently!

One Year

A year ago today I began this blog (here), not knowing exactly where it would lead. I really didn't know if I would keep up with it or not, but I have, and I actually look forward to writing here. I also look forward to reading the comments.

It was a way for me to put into words the thoughts and feelings I have floating around in my head. It was also a way for me to talk uninterrupted. Being married to a man and having two sons, sometimes (oh heck, who am I fooling??) OFTEN they interrupt me and really don't pay attention to what I'm saying and therefore I have to repeat myself.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who stops by here and reads my posts. That means a lot to me.

Having a blog has given me the reason to go out there and read more blogs, so I feel as though I've gotten to know a lot of people, even though we've never met personally. I like that feeling.

So, all in all, it's been a great year in blog-land, and I look forward to next year!

Memorial Day 2008

I've been so fortunate in my life. I've reaped the benefits of freedom without suffering through the loss of a loved one in the military.

It's become "hip" to be patriotic lately. Since the tragic 9/11 incidents we've seen more displays of patriotism everywhere...flags flying, bumper stickers touting our great country, etc. Being involved in this war has also brought out the red, white, and blue.

No matter what has caused us to be more patriotic, we can never appreciate enough what those who have VOLUNTEERED in the armed forces have gone through. Our military is voluntary, so these young men and woman have not been forced into this.

Last night during the Coca Cola 600 (yes, another NASCAR race) a commercial was shown several times. I've seen it before; it's not new. Yet it still brings out the same sentiments as if I were seeing it for the first time. Not a word was spoken during this commercial and yet each and every time I saw it, there would be tears streaming down my face.

People are in an airport, going about their business, texting on cell phones, reading the paper, talking to someone, etc. Suddenly someone is clapping slowly and others start in. People stand and we see a group of American soldiers come walking through the airport, with their gear on their backs. People applaud them and a woman stepped in and shook hands with one. Some of the soldiers looked as if they were almost embarrassed by the attention. As the group passes by, one of the last soldiers turns around and looks, as if he wanted to take it all in one more time. Then a black screen came up with two simple words: Thank you.

After several seconds, the logo of the company that sponsored the commercial appears, but that's the only reference to the company throughout the ad. And by the way, it was Bud (Budweiser Beer, for those of you who don't know your alcoholic beverages).

Just thinking about the commercial makes me tear up.

We plan on stopping by the cemetery later on today to pay our respects to those who have gone before us, whether it be in the line of duty or in the line of life.

A New Friend

The other evening Alex went over to AP and UT's (that's Aunt Patty and Uncle Tim for those of you who don't know...and they live off behind us a few hundred yards...and soon the family compound will be expanding, but that's a story for another time).

AP came over then and said that Alex had a new "friend." She said that someone must have dropped a cat off at the farm (part of the family compound) and Alex is the only person the male cat would let come up to him. I looked at Patty and said, "No way. NO WAY are we going to add another cat to our household!"

Patty laughed and said it may be too late. She said it was gray cat, that might only be about 6 months or so old and it seemed to be well taken care of. I told her I didn't want to see it and Alex was NOT to bring it over to our house.

Of course, the next thing I knew Alex was at the back door holding it. It looked so thin and scared.

I tried to ignore it. I really did. The last thing we need is another feline. We love Pepina and Marina dearly, but we trip over them and a third one wouldn't make things any easier. And besides, I don't like odd numbers, so we'd have to get another one to make it an even FOUR. (yeah, I know, it's a goofy quirk, but that's how I am)

Well...Alex put some water in a bowl and some dry cat food in a bowl and Oliver (okay, so we named him, sigh) ate like there was no tomorrow. Alex took an old beach towel and put it on one of the gliders on the back porch and that's where Oliver has spent most of his time.

Now here it is, two days later, and Oliver has more or less settled in on the back porch. He meows continually, and would come right in the house if we would let him, but we're not. We have no idea if he is carrying any diseases or anything and don't want him in contact with Pepina and Marina. Alex is the only one who has held him and when he comes in, I make him take his shirt off and take it straight to the laundry room, in addition to washing his hands and forearms.

"P" and "Mimi" (as we affectionately nicknamed them) have spent a lot of time at the screen door looking at Oliver and yes, even growling and hissing at him.

Since last night Oliver has eaten three cups of dry cat food and a can of Fancy Feast, in addition to drinking a couple of cups of water. I think he was starved and dehydrated.

Patty has said that if I decide to take him to the vet to have him checked out, she will split the cost with me. In my heart I know I should take him, but my common sense side says "Are you NUTS???"

We have french doors in our bedroom that lead to the back patio, and right now he's on the steps, meowing very loudly, looking inside. Pepina and Marina are out in the living room, so they are basically ignoring him.

What have I gotten myself into???

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

I just watched Randy Pausch's "Last Lecture" on youtube. Randy Pausch is a 47 year old, father of three, professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. Last fall he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given 3-6 months to live. He gave a speech at Carnegie Mellon's graduation ceremony only 5 days ago. He still looks and sounds great.

His youtube lecture can be seen here, but let it be known that it's a little over an hour long. My head is still swimming with all he said, but one great thought of his is that he can't control the cards he's dealt, but how he plays the hand. How very true!

As I've mentioned here before, every single day I still think about having cancer. I keep hoping that the thoughts will cut back to maybe every other day, then eventually just a couple of times a week, but for now, it's still every day. Randy's attitude is absolutely AMAZING and so many things he said will be popping in and out of my mind for days.

Another thing I got out of his talk was to look for the best in people.

Sometimes I come across staff members or (yikes!) even students who are difficult to like. I try to like them, and in some cases, my feelings toward them eventually change. However, now I'm wondering if I give them all enough time. Maybe I don't.

There might be people out there who have that special quality buried deep within themselves and I've given up on them too soon.

This is definitely something I want to work on.

Like I said, my head is swimming with all the things he said, and I plan on watching the lecture again.

I love his passion.

If You're Not a Cat Lover, Skip This Post

Sunday morning we were cleaning the house. It was just a convenient time for us, when we all happened to be here at the same time and I firmly believe in sharing the chore equally when we're all doing the same "other" things (like work and school), so we were really into it. Ted had gotten up early, as he's a morning person (even though he wasn't always!). Around 9:00 or so, he came back into the bedroom where I was working and said he was going to take a break and make himself some breakfast.

Okay, fine, make yourself something to eat. I'm cleaning in here and I'm not stopping right now.

He went back into the kitchen and I heard some cupboards open and close, and I heard him get some things out of the refrigerator. A couple of minutes later, he came back into the bedroom, although at this point neither one of us can remember why. We just recall that he was in the bedroom for only a minute or possibly less.

Within half a second of leaving the bedroom to head back to the kitchen, I heard, "No Marina! G** D**** IT MARINA! NOOOOOOOOO!"

I knew better than to run out and look to see what happened. I also knew better than to simply ask what happened. Then I heard more.

"Why did you DO that???? D*** it Marina! No treats for you today!"

I waited another minute, then asked what she did.

Another minute or so later Ted came back into the bedroom.

"I was going to make scrambled eggs, so I had cracked them into a plastic cup so I could mix them up. Just as I was walking out to the kitchen I saw her up on the counter with her paw gently pushing the cup toward the edge, half an inch at a time.

"She didn't even look at me when I yelled, and when I was less than 2 feet away....(can you see where this is going?)

"...she knocked the cup over and the eggs ran all over the edge of the trash compactor and the floor."

I laughed. And laughed. And laughed.

Then I said, "And do you really think it was a good idea to leave those eggs in a cup on the counter without a unattended?"

"Uh, probably not."

I'm still laughing.

Cindi and Ted, Chapter Thirteen

So here it was, four days before our wedding and Ted was complaining about a pain on his tailbone. It was really bothering him. He couldn't sit, he couldn't lie down, he couldn't stand up, he couldn't do anything without a lot of PAIN.

Finally the Wednesday night before our wedding, after a short discussion with my mom (the nurse), we decided that a trip to the ER was in order. And this is where I fell short of being the perfect bride-to-be.

Mary and I had so much to do, since the wedding was just a few days away. We decided that the best plan of action would be for Ted's mom to take him to the ER while Mary and I worked on other things. If you ever waited in an ER waiting room in the early 1980s, then you know that a wait could be several hours long, and I just didn't have several hours to spare that night.

Okay, think of me as a bad person. Go ahead. I deserve it. Ted practically insisted that I NOT go along with him, but that's really not a good excuse.

Anyway, back to the story...

As soon as he got back to the apartment about five hours later, he called and filled me in on things.

It turned out that he had a pretty big abscess back by his tailbone. The doctor at the ER ended up having to drain it with a HUGE, 2 FOOT LONG NEEDLE, THAT WENT ALL THE WAY IN. At least that's what Ted said, and I had no reason not to believe him. He also said that they drained at least a gallon of fluid out of the abscess. Again, I have no reason not to believe him. (Could he possibly have exaggerated just a tad??)

When they were finished, they put a small dressing on it and he had a prescription for an antibiotic...along with a very sore tailbone.

The next morning Mary and I had to go pick up some additional things for the decorations for the reception and we also got a blow-up ring that kids use in a swimming pool. We got that for Ted to use when he sat down so that there wouldn't be any unnecessary pressure on his tailbone. He really appreciated that!

Other than Ted's issue, things were going pretty smoothly, and when that happens, I tend to get a little nervous. Nothing goes that smoothly with me without a big type of problem arising, so I was just waiting for that to happen.

SURPRISE!

It didn't happen!

The afternoon of the day before the wedding was spent decorating the reception hall and folding the programs that would be passed out at the church. We also checked in with the lady doing the flowers, the priest, the cake lady, and the caterer. Everything was just as it should be. I was shaking my head in disbelief over this, but finally accepted the fact that it was going to come off without a hitch.

That evening we all met at the church at 6:00 for the rehearsal.

As I walked down the aisle with my dad during the practice, it all sort of hit me.

I was going to get married the next day.

MARRIED.

As in, having a HUSBAND.

As in, Mr. and Mrs.

As in, FOREVER.

Oh my...what was I getting myself into?!?!

To be continued...

Just an Observation

This morning Ted and I went to Sam's Club. It's about half an hour away from us and it had been a while since we'd been there, so we were in dire need of a trip. We got a lot of things (and consequently spent a lot of money, but that's how it goes sometimes). It was a tiring trip, as it usually is for us "old" folks (quit laughing), and we were glad to finally get back in the car and start heading home.

We were both tired and hungry, so about halfway home we stopped at a McDonald's to get something to eat.

This is where my "high maintenance" reputation comes into play.

I never EVER order a sandwich "as is" at a place like that because there are certain things I don't like. I do NOT like onions, mustard, or mayo or anything with a mayo/salad dressing base. And therein like the problem.

"Hi. Welcome to McDonald's. May I take your order please?"

"Yes. I'll have a cheeseburger with just ketchup, medium fries and a Sprite" (because as part of my "high maintenance" life I don't drink Coke). Today I just shouted across Ted when we got to the drive through. It was just easier that way.

"That'll be $989. 74. (Okay, so I'm exaggerating a little.) Please pull up to the first window."

We pulled up to the first window, and paid and the pre-occupied high school girl gave Ted his change, and that was it.

No "thank you," "have a nice day," "kiss my rear end," or anything.

Kind of rude, if you ask me.

We pulled up to the next window and got our food. As we continued our journey home, we were eating and Ted asked if my sandwich was right, because of course 90% of the time it's messed up since I insist on ordering it a special way.

It was right. IT WAS RIGHT! I was surprised, but it was actually just how I like it AND the french fries were hot and salty, just the way I like them too!

Ted was so surprised and mentioned several times that that particular McDonald's must be great because they got my sandwich right. He went on and on about that.

So I guess the day has finally come when we get all excited when someone who is PAID TO DO THEIR JOB, does something right.

Hmmm...