Shalom friends and few readers!
While I realize it's been a few weeks since my last posting, it is nonetheless much shorter of a time period than my previous gap in sharing the gab. And, it is indeed an apropos time to post; a time in which to reminisce about my previous year--the smiles, the tears, the laughter, the pains...yes, it's all there friends. (Well, except for tears, but still...there would have been tears if I could bring myself to do it as there were plenty of opportunities in which to let a little saline activity occur.) To re-cap this year of so many changes in my life, I shall go in chronological order of monthly activity. I will not remember all, I'm sure, but there are some biggies mixed in.
January: Possibly the biggest event of my year occurred in Januar; I officially began my own company. Depending upon the day, this was either the best decision I've ever made, or the worst idea I could have possibly had. :) The stress and time commitment can't even be described; yet, neither can the satisfaction. Many who know me think I have no issue with being proud of myself; truth be told, I have a hard time allowing myself to be proud of any accomplishment. Starting my company, however, was enough to let me be proud of myself. I know what has gone into it and what plans I have yet to fulfill with it and I can safely say, it's not been easy nor will it be any time soon. However, if it were easy, it wouldn't be worth having. I am so excited about the plans I have for my business in 2009! This will be my make it or break it year...let's hope that one year from now, I will be typing another blog stating how well things went.
February: I like to not think of February. This was the month in which I had a disastrous break-up that resulted in me being stalked for seven months until I had to take legal action. That seemed to do the trick, however, and life is good. The bulk of the month outside of this was spent getting in inventory, getting it all set up, and uploading it to my site.
March: Ah, March. This was the month in which the site officially opened. It required a ton of attention getting it all going; I also had gone through several seamstresses by this point (or seamstri if you will, which I'm sure you will). However, I found two amazing seamstresses that are still with me. (I also learned to not put all of my eggs in one basket and split out my product lines to two different people. This was one very important lesson.)
April: I don't remember much about April and there's not anything outstanding on my calendar, so we'll skip this month. I'm sure it was lovely though.
May: Hmmmm...same seems to be true for May. At this rate, we'll be caught up on the whole year in no time.
June: June was a great month! Actually, I just remembered what happened in June, so that explains what I did in April and May...I got ready for June. My grandma's 80th birthday was in June and we threw a huge surprise party for her. The party was held in Idaho in the town where she and my grandpa lived most of their married lives, but she now lives in Utah. Being in NC made it a bit difficult to wrap up all the party details, so I went to UT for the week prior to the party and helped get it all pulled together. It was an absolute blast! It was also during this month that my family abandoned me for a trip to Hawaii. Not that I'm bitter...
July: According to my calendar, I painted the office walls in July and I certainly recall how fun that was. In even more fun happenings, however, I headed off to Tucson for a few fun-filled days with friends there. I had an absolute blast. I came back at the first part of August. But also in August...
August: The weekend after Tucson, I headed off to Boston to help get my sister, Kami Jo, settled in for law school. I'm so proud of her! She's done so well thus far! My mom and I went for a few days and played tourists too. I cut my hand while putting together her dresser, I do recall. Otherwise, it was an incredibly great trip and I can't wait to go back...when it's warmer. I also went tubing on the Dan River in Virginia with a group of friends; it was one of the funnest things I've done in a long time and can't wait to do that again this next summer!
September: September was a month I'd much rather just forget as well. It was during September that I had the disastrous time at the Raleigh Wide Open. Just a week or two ago, I finally settled with Allstate for 10% of my actual losses. (Note to all: Do NOT ever use Allstate for insurance. You are not in good hands.) I'd prefer to just move on out of September; besides, there's a blog entry regarding those days anyway if you want to read up on that mess. Oh, but one interesting side note before leaving the subject--the other night I was going through my DVR recordings, cleaning out the old ones, when I came across the evening news for the night of the RWO. I had heard I was on the news (or at least my destroyed booth was) multiple times during the morning news. In fact, my roommate saw it on the news and then called me; this was how I first found out there was damage. Anyway, I had recorded the evening news but couldn't bring myself to watch it. I finally did the other night. My destroyed little mess was on there four times in one story! I'm so proud... (Note the sarcasm.)
October: October started off so fun with a trip to the Virginia mountains with friends. We rented a beautiful log "cabin" (read: "mansion") and got to see some amazing country. It was an absolute blast and it reminded me of fun trips like that I'd make with a group of friends back in Utah. Definitely worth it to go. I came back to a little bit of hell...a tonsillectomy. Somewhere in the earlier months, I had thrown out my back and had done months of physical therapy, plus I screwed up my knee and was doing therapy for that too. It was while in the middle of this that I got strep throat for the third time this year and my doctor sent me off to the ENT specialist. He took a two-second gander at my illustrious tonsils and immediately asked when I wanted them out. As the flea market is closed in October (the FM is where I do the most sales for Second Coats), it worked out perfectly to do this then. My mom was a lifesaver--and I do mean lifesaver--and came to stay with me for about two weeks. I could NOT have made it through the ordeal without her. Well, without her and double-doses of Oxicotin. I lost 18 lbs during a three-week time period and was just miserable. However, here I am two months later and have re-gained 17 of those lbs AND I can eat and drink like a normal person again. I could not be more grateful to be past those hellacious weeks.
November: November is always a favorite month for me, because of my birthday of course. This year, Kami Jo came down to Raleigh to spend Thanksgiving with me. We had an incredibly relaxed and fun day...before deciding to shop Midnight Madness at the local outlet mall. It was Hell. Pure and simple. We left there, drove back to Raleigh and straight to Wal-Mart for me to buy my KitchenAid mixer...which I got for cheap (comparitively)! I was so excited. I have used it twice so far, which is saying a lot considering how little I actually do cook.
December: December has flewn by in a whirlwind. Darin came to see me one weekend, which was great, and I also had my first Shaggy Soiree for Second Coats! It was a goal I wanted to accomplish by the end of the year and I did it. I've been able to book parties off of that and hope that this side of my business continues to grow. For Christmas, I flew to Utah for the 24th-28th to experience a great time with my family...and a whole lot of cold and snow. However, it was nice to be able to spend time with them all!
Today: Today, of course, marks the end of the year; but I must say, it does not mark the end of lessons learned and experiences had during the previous 364 days. It has been a crazy roller coaster of fun, craziness, trials, more fun, and more trials. I head to the beach in about an hour from now, as that's where I'm celebrating New Year's. I wanted to be one of the first to welcome in 2009...and where else could that occur than watching the sunrise at the beach? I look forward to bringing in a new year of new beginnings, refreshed continuations, and all sorts of fun times. Sure, I know there will still be plenty of trials, but I also know that I will get through them just like I did in 2008. I feel so very blessed to have the friends and family members in my life who love and support me through thick and thin. They are all so truly amazing and I can't wait for another 365 days of experiences with them! I already have planned monthly trips through the end of April and am now working on my summer plans; I guarantee there will be some great memories formed during this time.
So, here's to saying so long to 2008 (a year I'm not particularly wanting to repeat) and hello to 2009, a year full of opportunity! Happy New Years!
~me
PS--For those of you who are the uneducated sort and don't know what my entry title means ;) , the pronunciation for the Russian "goodbye" is "do svi-dan-niye", while the Slovenian "hello" is pronounced "zhee-VEE-oh". And now you know. (Enter NBC's chiming bells that always accompany "The More You Know".)
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
Meanwhile, back at the blog...
So, it was a mere two months and one week ago that I last wrote a blog entry. Not bad, Kade. Not bad. Way to stay on top of it. Well, I had the best of intentions to stay up with it, but then life kind of got in the way. As you well know if you were in any sort of contact with me in October, I had my tonsils yanked out and the whole experience sucked beyond all suckiness. I can safely say that I would not wish a tonsillectomy upon even my worst enemy. (Not that I have a worst enemy, but if I did, I'd not wish that upon them is what I's jus' sayin'.)
Lying there day after day, hepped up on oxycotin and morphine, I had plenty o' blog entry prepared in my head. I even had pictorial representations (commonly referred to as "pictures") ready to help illustrate my experience. However, two things stopped me from doing this:
1) Did I mention I was hepped up on oxycotin and morphine? Enough said on that.
2) After sending one of said pictorial representations to a friend, the response was, "Ewwwww. Gross. Did you have to send that?" I deduced from this less-than-enthusiastic response that broadcasting said images would essentially just add more pollution to the internet.
So much for documenting my journey sans tonsils. Instead, I had silence. Lots and lots of silence. Heck, it hurt to swallow Jello, so there was no talking for some time...just grunting. Yes, I know. Very Neanderthalic of me. Fortunately, Dear Brenda (aka "Mom") was on hand to listen to my grunts and, except for the unfortunate incident that included a toilet bowl plunger and my ear, I do believe she translated these grunts quite effectively. Thanks, Ma!
After getting through this little rough patch, as we shall call it (as opposed to "the time during which Kade was experiencing absolute Hell and prayed for a respite from his excruciating pain"), I went on to live life...and lots of it.
So, here I am two months and seven days later, ready to conquer the world again...or at least the occasional blog entry. Since the holidays are upon us and Lord knows what that means--time with crazy relatives who are not safe from being mentioned in a blog entry--I have just one thing to say: Stay tuned.
Lying there day after day, hepped up on oxycotin and morphine, I had plenty o' blog entry prepared in my head. I even had pictorial representations (commonly referred to as "pictures") ready to help illustrate my experience. However, two things stopped me from doing this:
1) Did I mention I was hepped up on oxycotin and morphine? Enough said on that.
2) After sending one of said pictorial representations to a friend, the response was, "Ewwwww. Gross. Did you have to send that?" I deduced from this less-than-enthusiastic response that broadcasting said images would essentially just add more pollution to the internet.
So much for documenting my journey sans tonsils. Instead, I had silence. Lots and lots of silence. Heck, it hurt to swallow Jello, so there was no talking for some time...just grunting. Yes, I know. Very Neanderthalic of me. Fortunately, Dear Brenda (aka "Mom") was on hand to listen to my grunts and, except for the unfortunate incident that included a toilet bowl plunger and my ear, I do believe she translated these grunts quite effectively. Thanks, Ma!
After getting through this little rough patch, as we shall call it (as opposed to "the time during which Kade was experiencing absolute Hell and prayed for a respite from his excruciating pain"), I went on to live life...and lots of it.
So, here I am two months and seven days later, ready to conquer the world again...or at least the occasional blog entry. Since the holidays are upon us and Lord knows what that means--time with crazy relatives who are not safe from being mentioned in a blog entry--I have just one thing to say: Stay tuned.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Before and After
Tonight at a dinner with friends, the subject of weight loss came up. When discussing that I've lost 67 lbs. to date, the one friend, Kevin, did not understand how it is that I weighed enough to lose that much weight (I've only recently met him, so he didn't see me when I was "fluffy"). Well, my other friend, Justin, so kindly explained that I was a fatty and that I did have the weight to lose. :) I told them that if I had my pictures from Christmas to show them, they would understand. Well, since I didn't have them to show at dinner, I will instead show ya'll here. I should preface this by stating that I don't like either picture (they're just bad pictures), but they do emphasize my point.
Having said that, here I am in December 2007:
And here I am in June 2008:
Quite the difference, I do believe. YAY! :)
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
The Literary Society Upheaval
So, I belong to a very elite group known as the Literary Society of Oberlin Road. Others call this a “book club”, but we are above that. We are a literary society. Anyway, the group is comprised of me and three co-workers—Beth, Christine, and Leigh. Leigh and Christine were the two founding members and as such, Leigh appointed herself as president and Christine as VP. I can’t remember Beth’s title, but as I am always the one who is behind, they dubbed me “jackass”. (This is in reference to the card game in which the loser has to serve the winner—the “king”—and is basically the scum. In fact, in Utah we called it “scum”, not “jackass”.)
Well, the other day we had a bit of a ruckus take place within this prized group. Christine beat Leigh at finishing the book, so she decided she would be President and announced this via email earlier in the week. Leigh did not take too kindly to this and pretty soon we were all embroiled in a literary society riot via email. Though much was left unsettled, I do believe I’ve vacated the position of Jackass and am now a VP. This is how it went down. (I’ll abbreviate names by using first initial.) I should preface this by also saying that what started this is that our meeting date of the 22nd had to be changed, but all of this scheduling adjustment took place while I was gone on Friday. I came back to a dozen emails discussing all of this. And that, dear friends, is where we shall pick up the events that lead to my promotion…
K: Wow—I missed a whole convo. I am fine with the 29th, though I did finish the book last night anyway. Go me! :)
L: I finished the book, too! 4 hours before Kade did… :) [and, she did…I finished at 2:30 a.m.; Leigh finished at 10:30 pm.]
K: Still doesn’t save your presidency.
C: Nice Kade, I mean Vice President!! :)
K: That’s right! VP Kade. Go me! How quickly I have risen up from the rubble of jackassdom…Leigh’s new residence.
B: Ok ok. This has gotten out of hand. Don't you have to have 100% of the vote when there is an impeachment? So...looks like I'm that swing vote. Hmmm, I'll be open to bribes at this time.
L: I don’t see any type of impeachment going on. Seems like he’s appointing himself VP so that obviously still leaves me as President, right?
K: You missed that Christine appointed herself President, thus opening her VP spot (which I now fill), thus opening my spot (which you now fill). The cycle of life…and book clubs.
L: Okay, whomever can name the town where Sonia and Cameron grew up first gets to be President…
[she immediately replies with the answer]
C: Wow, Leigh. I kind of feel bad for you right now…
Not going down without a fight, huh?
Dear diary,
I am feeling a little sad right now because I have been usurped by the book club.
K: And not going down very graciously or with much dignity, I might add. :)
L:
Dear Diary,
I am feeling great today! There was a mild ruckus over the Presidency of Book Club but I am victorious! Its so funny b/c they seem to think there is another option other than me as the President but I’m not worried at all. I mean really, like anyone else is even remotely qualified. I have started to doubt whether the others even read the books…I think I saw a “Cliff Notes” version hanging out of Christine’s purse the other day. Anyway, it sure does feel great to be me for another day! TTYL, dear diary.
Leigh
K:
Dear Journal,
Today was an interesting day…perhaps “bittersweet” would best describe it. It was first sweet, in that I secured my new position as VP of the illustrious book club to which I belong. The hours of hard work in proving my dedication and ability really paid off on this one! I wonder if I get a reserved parking space? Note to self: check on this during next meeting.
The bitter—nay, sad—part of it all is that the club’s former president, upon being ousted, clearly got delusional and had a very public nervous breakdown via email. How I feel for her; it must be rough to be so troubled and in such a public arena, let alone to have it documented forever in the annals of email. I’m always torn at these junctures. Do I remain friends with the crazies in hopes that my friendship will somehow help them through? Or, should I save myself from hours of listening to a whole heap of blah blah blah poor crazy me crap and just cut ties? It’s so perplexing. While I decide this, I must be sure to try to treat said member the same I always have—while hiding my stares and shock over her current state, discreetly discussing the matter with other club members in a way that will keep her thinking we’re not concerned or suspicious over her newly revealed lunatic status.
It is tough to be me. Well, kind journal, as always, thanks for listening. I value your support and insight and will report back soon.
Remaining only yours,
Kade
C: I have been crying with laughter over here all morning. I wonder if my cubbies think I even work anymore….
K: Perhaps it’s not just the ousted president about whom we should worry. Is this normal? Does this insanity come with the office of presidency? If so, I don’t think I want it.
And I don’t. I have enough issues without adding more insanity. So, instead, I shall remain VP and enjoy my promotion while poor Leigh is relegated to that of being Jackass. How she struggles. :)
Well, the other day we had a bit of a ruckus take place within this prized group. Christine beat Leigh at finishing the book, so she decided she would be President and announced this via email earlier in the week. Leigh did not take too kindly to this and pretty soon we were all embroiled in a literary society riot via email. Though much was left unsettled, I do believe I’ve vacated the position of Jackass and am now a VP. This is how it went down. (I’ll abbreviate names by using first initial.) I should preface this by also saying that what started this is that our meeting date of the 22nd had to be changed, but all of this scheduling adjustment took place while I was gone on Friday. I came back to a dozen emails discussing all of this. And that, dear friends, is where we shall pick up the events that lead to my promotion…
K: Wow—I missed a whole convo. I am fine with the 29th, though I did finish the book last night anyway. Go me! :)
L: I finished the book, too! 4 hours before Kade did… :) [and, she did…I finished at 2:30 a.m.; Leigh finished at 10:30 pm.]
K: Still doesn’t save your presidency.
C: Nice Kade, I mean Vice President!! :)
K: That’s right! VP Kade. Go me! How quickly I have risen up from the rubble of jackassdom…Leigh’s new residence.
B: Ok ok. This has gotten out of hand. Don't you have to have 100% of the vote when there is an impeachment? So...looks like I'm that swing vote. Hmmm, I'll be open to bribes at this time.
L: I don’t see any type of impeachment going on. Seems like he’s appointing himself VP so that obviously still leaves me as President, right?
K: You missed that Christine appointed herself President, thus opening her VP spot (which I now fill), thus opening my spot (which you now fill). The cycle of life…and book clubs.
L: Okay, whomever can name the town where Sonia and Cameron grew up first gets to be President…
[she immediately replies with the answer]
C: Wow, Leigh. I kind of feel bad for you right now…
Not going down without a fight, huh?
Dear diary,
I am feeling a little sad right now because I have been usurped by the book club.
K: And not going down very graciously or with much dignity, I might add. :)
L:
Dear Diary,
I am feeling great today! There was a mild ruckus over the Presidency of Book Club but I am victorious! Its so funny b/c they seem to think there is another option other than me as the President but I’m not worried at all. I mean really, like anyone else is even remotely qualified. I have started to doubt whether the others even read the books…I think I saw a “Cliff Notes” version hanging out of Christine’s purse the other day. Anyway, it sure does feel great to be me for another day! TTYL, dear diary.
Leigh
K:
Dear Journal,
Today was an interesting day…perhaps “bittersweet” would best describe it. It was first sweet, in that I secured my new position as VP of the illustrious book club to which I belong. The hours of hard work in proving my dedication and ability really paid off on this one! I wonder if I get a reserved parking space? Note to self: check on this during next meeting.
The bitter—nay, sad—part of it all is that the club’s former president, upon being ousted, clearly got delusional and had a very public nervous breakdown via email. How I feel for her; it must be rough to be so troubled and in such a public arena, let alone to have it documented forever in the annals of email. I’m always torn at these junctures. Do I remain friends with the crazies in hopes that my friendship will somehow help them through? Or, should I save myself from hours of listening to a whole heap of blah blah blah poor crazy me crap and just cut ties? It’s so perplexing. While I decide this, I must be sure to try to treat said member the same I always have—while hiding my stares and shock over her current state, discreetly discussing the matter with other club members in a way that will keep her thinking we’re not concerned or suspicious over her newly revealed lunatic status.
It is tough to be me. Well, kind journal, as always, thanks for listening. I value your support and insight and will report back soon.
Remaining only yours,
Kade
C: I have been crying with laughter over here all morning. I wonder if my cubbies think I even work anymore….
K: Perhaps it’s not just the ousted president about whom we should worry. Is this normal? Does this insanity come with the office of presidency? If so, I don’t think I want it.
And I don’t. I have enough issues without adding more insanity. So, instead, I shall remain VP and enjoy my promotion while poor Leigh is relegated to that of being Jackass. How she struggles. :)
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Silly Matzaroni
So, after the RWO disaster I was left with a whole bunch of inventory that was damaged or stained to where it can't be sold. There was one pair of hot pink kiss PJs that were in Matza's size and as I'm too lazy to wash her other pairs of PJs, I decided I'd keep one pair for her. I put them on her last night and she was looking all sorts of cute, as evidenced here:
However, I think Matza may struggle with sleeping in these ones, as evidenced by what I found when I woke up, seen here:
Bless her furry little heart. She kept on sleeping, even after I pulled them off of her head. Silly Matzarella. :)
However, I think Matza may struggle with sleeping in these ones, as evidenced by what I found when I woke up, seen here:
Bless her furry little heart. She kept on sleeping, even after I pulled them off of her head. Silly Matzarella. :)
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Hanna...how I loathe thee.
After several months, hundreds of hours, and a good chunk of money, I was ready for the Raleigh Wide Open III, taking place downtown September 5-6. It was supposed to be two days of events (combined with the grand opening of the new Raleigh Convention Center), with an anticipated 100,000-125,000 people in attendance. I had been fortunate enough to have my application accepted--without being waitlisted even!--and was really looking forward to it all. The week before, I was on track to have everything done in time (which included me staying up until 3 and 4 in the morning each night for several weeks to accomplish this). I thought at the time, "the only thing that can screw this up is the weather. Watch...a hurricane will hit." Well, I should've just kept my big fat mouth and brain shut, as that forecast was more accurate than most weathermen ever are.
As Hurricane Hanna hit Haiti and there was talk that it might ultimately move to the Carolinas, there was also talk that it could easily disipate and all would be well. As the week moved on and it was clear that it was headed for Raleigh, I figured the event would be postponed. I was really hoping it would be postponed, actually, as the turnout would be low, the weather a mess, and the whole event would just be so much better if it weren't in the middle of a hurricane. Unfortunately, Raleigh City officials and event organizers did not bother to think the same thing, so as of Thursday morning, it was decided that the event would move forward--despite weather tracking showing that the storm would hit right in the middle of the event. As I had paid my non-refundable $275 entry fee, in addition to the $1000+ spent on inventory, I couldn't afford to back out. So, I made extra preparations, which included buying large bricks to put under all of my boxes to get them off the ground and out of any rain water and buying canopy weights that I then filled with 200 lbs. of sand, in an attempt to make sure the winds would not cause my tent to move.
On Thursday, September 4th, my friend, Justin, and I went downtown late that evening to set up the booth during the early set-up hours. They had forgotten to clear the street of illegally parked cars earlier in the day, so there was a two-hour delay, since they had to literally tow every single car off of the street. We waited this out and got it all set up--noting that it was already getting really windy. The next day, I was there bright and early to get the inventory set out and organized. It took about four hours to do so, as there was so much more than I normally have and the space was pretty confined--and the wind was awful, slowing me down tremendously. Throughout the day, there was wind and rain--and then it got progressively worse. At one point, one of the tent walls was hit so hard with the wind that it bowed inwards, knocking two towers of toys on to the ground (despite having bricks on them to weigh them down). This damaged about $150 in inventory that was now wet and dirty from landing on the ground. I was not happy about it, but I couldn't think too much about it, as I was busy trying to re-arrange the booth so that it wouldn't happen again. The wind was coming in from the north, so I made sure I moved almost everything off of the table by the north tent wall. Then, the rain started to get worse and my sand-filled weights only served to hold the water from flowing down the gutter and instead, right into my tent. I tried to re-route the water with bricks, but this only made it worse. So, I abandoned that and just started stacking boxes on the tables to try to get them up and out of the rising water.
This seemed to work and it got me through the evening, but my booth was not looking too hot at this point. Rain had blown in through the front of the tent, getting a lot of inventory wet and also getting water in the dyed willow baskets. The dye from the baskets was brown and got all over the scarves I had in them, in addition to staining the white tablecloths on both tables. Needless to say, it was a very stressful day with very few sales. Two fun things were when Arrested Development and Chuck Berry each played on the stage next to my booth. I was able to stand at the front of my booth and watch them. Chuck Berry in particular was very cool to hear in person. Also during the slow times, I re-drew the advertising on my chalkboard/dry erase board, as my previous designs had washed off earlier in the day.
By the time I left on Friday night, I had a good amount of damaged inventory, a cramped booth that was looking pretty ghetto, and my nerves and back were shot. I was in so much pain. But, I figured that once the worst of the storm had passed on Saturday morning, I would be able to re-do the booth and had some ideas as to how to fix it appearance-wise without having to buy new tablecloths, etc. Before I left on Friday night, I made sure all of the walls were secured, the weights were all in place, and I moved the tables and inventory to the center of the tent so that the bowing walls wouldn't knock anything down. All of the cardboard boxes were on top of the tables and everything was about as secure as it could be, given the circumstances.
On Saturday morning, I went to the show at the last possible minute so that I could actually get a little sleep AND not have to deal with the weather mess for any more time than already necessary. The show was supposed to resume at 11, so I planned on being there around 10:30 to re-adjust the tables and inventory, etc. At 10:00, I was just finishing breakfast when my roommate called. He said, "Are you at your booth?" I said, "No, I'm still at home. I'm about to head there, why?" He said, "Well, you might want to get going because they just said on the news that there is a dog apparel booth whose tent has blown over and the inventory is getting wet." (Later, I found out he'd seen the actual footage of my booth that the news kept playing over and over, but he didn't want to tell me the extent of the damage so that I wouldn't freak out before driving there.)
I hung up from speaking with him and called the event organizer, Mary Pat, who did not answer her phone. Since I couldn't get an exact account of what was going on, I figured I'd better take garbage bags just in case there was any significant amount of wet inventory. I hydroplaned on into the city, the wind blowing like crazy and water everywhere. I first drove by the street where the festival was being held, because we technically weren't allowed to drive to our booth until after the show closed on Saturday night. As I was passing the street and heading to the parking garage, I glanced down the road to see that there was a tremendous deal of damage to most of the booths. I circled around the block and decided to drive down the street despite the rules. Besides, all of the barricades had blown over anyway, so I wasn't actually moving it all myself.
Once I started down the road, I figured my booth was probably a little more damaged than what Erik had let on. Tent after tent was tipped over and one booth in particular was really badly damaged--their painted wooden lawn signs were all tipped over, broken, and drenched. I got down to the block where my booth was and my jaw hit the ground. What I had envisioned to be a tipped over tent and tables standing there getting wet was not at all my reality. A police officer stopped me right as I got to it and asked where I was going. I pointed at what was left of my booth and he said, "Oh, you own the mess? I'm sorry. Good luck!" And it was exactly that...a mess. It was the most destroyed of the booths and by destroyed, I mean completely unrecognizable, other than for the plush toys and clothes that were floating in the inches of standing water from one side of the street to the other. In fact, one box had literally been picked up by the wind, carried across the street and sidewalk, and slammed into the side of the Sheraton. There was inventory everywhere--including down in the storm drain.
I didn't even know where to start. The wind was blowing like crazy, the rain was soaking me, and all I had was the box of garbage bags. So, I decided I'd first bag up the various items and then start dealing with untangling the displays and crumpled tent. I removed the one tent wall that was acting the most like a sail and still moving the tent while I was in the middle of it. It was a bit scary, as it was moving this metal despite the 200 lbs of sand still attached. While I was working on this, Mary Pat (the event organizer) called me back and asked if I was at my booth and wondered if anything got wet. I said, "You could say that, Mary Pat." She said, "Well, we're hoping to resume the show at 1 o'clock. Do you think you'll be up and running again by then?" I had to explain to her that everything was destroyed, including my tent, and that I was there bagging it all up in garbage bags. She said they'd not cash my $275 check and would see what the city would do to help me out too. We'll see. I'm not holding my breath on that one.
Anyway, I looked across the street to see that a huge amount of event staff and hotel workers were standing behind the windows and doors at the hotel, just watching me deal with all of this. It was really rude. Eventually, a random older man was walking down the street and came up to help me. We were making progress and chatting, when a team of about a dozen event staff showed up to get the tent canopy and walls removed to prevent it from moving further. Then, about a half dozen of them stayed to help me bag it all up and get it in the back of the truck. In the middle of it all, the older man (John), disappeared without saying a word. I would've liked to have thanked him, despite having told him thank you while we were cleaning. I hope he knows how much I really appreciate his generosity, as for a while, he was the only one helping while others looked on. Oh, in one really odd moment while the whole group of people were there helping to clean up, a guy came up and asked us for a pen, as he was talking to someone and needed to write something down. It was totally out of place and odd. I was pissed. I flippantly said, "somewhere in this mess is a pen. If you can find it, it's yours." He thought I was serious and headed in to look for it. To make it even crazier, I looked over to see a pen floating in the middle of the booth space. I pointed it out to him and told him he could have it. When he left, I said to one of the ladies helping bag stuff, "Who the hell asks someone for a pen when it's clear that something is wrong?!" She said she had thought the same thing.
Anyway, once I got everything loaded (sans the tent frame, which was too mangled to ever use again), I headed home. I wasn't planning on touching any of it for the rest of the day because I was so upset. But, as I was lying on the couch moping and feeling like crap (I've had a really bad cold for a few weeks now...I guess I'd better go get seen this next week), I decided that the humidity would probably ruin any salvagable items quickly, so I headed outside and started going through it all. I stood at the back of the truck and used the tailgate as my table. I went through bag after bag and sorted it all into three groups--the pile I knew I'd need to chuck as it was too ruined to attempt to save, the pile that may be okay once I wash them, and then the pile that was just fine for the most part. There was one small box of completely fine items. And dozens of bags of not-so-fine items. It was really sad. I took the few Tupperware boxes, along with the tables, back to my storage unit. Fortunately, I had put most of my t-shirt inventory into my stacked Tupperware drawers before leaving on Friday night, so it was mostly spared. I thought it was totally spared until I got to the storage unit and realized the bottom drawer had a couple of quarts of water in it (incidentally, as I didn't have any towels with me, I had to open a dog bath towel from inventory and it worked quite nicely--if you need a superabsorbent towel, I highly recommend this: http://www.doggy-toys.com/product_info.php?cPath=34_52&products_id=504). I also had water in my cash box (no cash in it--just coins and blank credit card receipts) and so I had a bunch more to clean up. About 10 shirts ended up being wet, but not dirty. Considering my t-shirts were a $3000 investment, I was beyond grateful that most were spared.
So, today I am headed to the laundromat with my piles and piles and piles of dog clothes, in hopes that I can salvage most of it to where I can sell it for super-cheap at the flea market this weekend. I am out a lot of money in lost inventory, but I'm hoping to at least get some money out of it. The other sucky part is that I was counting on having a bunch of this inventory for the show I have coming up in three weeks. But, that clearly isn't going to happen, so once I assess the situation further, I'll know what I need to order in for the show and can go from there.
Anyway, that is the loooooooonnnnng and the short of how I came to loathe good ol' Hurricane Hanna. She is a hosebeast, in my book. I do not heart her in the least. However, I am beyond grateful that it was only "stuff" that was ruined. Had the storm hit during show hours, I would've been in the booth and would've either been killed or seriously injured--not to mention that customers could've been there too. Though I'm upset about the loss--especially after investing so much into it time, money, and effort-wise, I still know that it could have been worse. Besides that, it gives me a chance to step back and look at how I want to next proceed. I have two more weeks of flea market this month and then will be closed until November, so I may wait a little bit before running out to buy a new tent, etc. We'll see.
In the meantime, here are some pictures for your perusal that will show you what the booth looked like before and after beastly Hanna came for a visit...
Before it all got ruined:
A straight-on shot of the booth. I was happy with how it turned out, other than that there was an oil slick on the asphalt and the tablecloths aren't long enough to cover the boxes underneath. (I had already planned to get ones made that would be light blue and go to the ground, so now that my white ones are stained and ruined anyway, it's more reason to move forward with getting that done.)
This is one corner of my toy display. Notice the gray brick on the base of the toy tower. I eventually had to put two bricks on each tower base and even that didn't hold them down once Hanna hit.
My treat section. I had just picked up the treats that are in the Chinese take-out boxes, the paper bags, and the little Halloween bags at the front of the table. Almost all of it was lost.
This is what I drew when I got bored, after the first one got washed away in the rain.
The other side of the sign...
A little blurry, but the clouds looked really cool over the buildings downtown when I left on Friday night.
The first tent I saw--which made me decide to drive down the road instead of going to park the truck.
My booth...or what was left of it.
Another side shot...
The amount of standing water was insane. That's the tower of Tupperware drawers that my cash box and t-shirts were in...
As Hurricane Hanna hit Haiti and there was talk that it might ultimately move to the Carolinas, there was also talk that it could easily disipate and all would be well. As the week moved on and it was clear that it was headed for Raleigh, I figured the event would be postponed. I was really hoping it would be postponed, actually, as the turnout would be low, the weather a mess, and the whole event would just be so much better if it weren't in the middle of a hurricane. Unfortunately, Raleigh City officials and event organizers did not bother to think the same thing, so as of Thursday morning, it was decided that the event would move forward--despite weather tracking showing that the storm would hit right in the middle of the event. As I had paid my non-refundable $275 entry fee, in addition to the $1000+ spent on inventory, I couldn't afford to back out. So, I made extra preparations, which included buying large bricks to put under all of my boxes to get them off the ground and out of any rain water and buying canopy weights that I then filled with 200 lbs. of sand, in an attempt to make sure the winds would not cause my tent to move.
On Thursday, September 4th, my friend, Justin, and I went downtown late that evening to set up the booth during the early set-up hours. They had forgotten to clear the street of illegally parked cars earlier in the day, so there was a two-hour delay, since they had to literally tow every single car off of the street. We waited this out and got it all set up--noting that it was already getting really windy. The next day, I was there bright and early to get the inventory set out and organized. It took about four hours to do so, as there was so much more than I normally have and the space was pretty confined--and the wind was awful, slowing me down tremendously. Throughout the day, there was wind and rain--and then it got progressively worse. At one point, one of the tent walls was hit so hard with the wind that it bowed inwards, knocking two towers of toys on to the ground (despite having bricks on them to weigh them down). This damaged about $150 in inventory that was now wet and dirty from landing on the ground. I was not happy about it, but I couldn't think too much about it, as I was busy trying to re-arrange the booth so that it wouldn't happen again. The wind was coming in from the north, so I made sure I moved almost everything off of the table by the north tent wall. Then, the rain started to get worse and my sand-filled weights only served to hold the water from flowing down the gutter and instead, right into my tent. I tried to re-route the water with bricks, but this only made it worse. So, I abandoned that and just started stacking boxes on the tables to try to get them up and out of the rising water.
This seemed to work and it got me through the evening, but my booth was not looking too hot at this point. Rain had blown in through the front of the tent, getting a lot of inventory wet and also getting water in the dyed willow baskets. The dye from the baskets was brown and got all over the scarves I had in them, in addition to staining the white tablecloths on both tables. Needless to say, it was a very stressful day with very few sales. Two fun things were when Arrested Development and Chuck Berry each played on the stage next to my booth. I was able to stand at the front of my booth and watch them. Chuck Berry in particular was very cool to hear in person. Also during the slow times, I re-drew the advertising on my chalkboard/dry erase board, as my previous designs had washed off earlier in the day.
By the time I left on Friday night, I had a good amount of damaged inventory, a cramped booth that was looking pretty ghetto, and my nerves and back were shot. I was in so much pain. But, I figured that once the worst of the storm had passed on Saturday morning, I would be able to re-do the booth and had some ideas as to how to fix it appearance-wise without having to buy new tablecloths, etc. Before I left on Friday night, I made sure all of the walls were secured, the weights were all in place, and I moved the tables and inventory to the center of the tent so that the bowing walls wouldn't knock anything down. All of the cardboard boxes were on top of the tables and everything was about as secure as it could be, given the circumstances.
On Saturday morning, I went to the show at the last possible minute so that I could actually get a little sleep AND not have to deal with the weather mess for any more time than already necessary. The show was supposed to resume at 11, so I planned on being there around 10:30 to re-adjust the tables and inventory, etc. At 10:00, I was just finishing breakfast when my roommate called. He said, "Are you at your booth?" I said, "No, I'm still at home. I'm about to head there, why?" He said, "Well, you might want to get going because they just said on the news that there is a dog apparel booth whose tent has blown over and the inventory is getting wet." (Later, I found out he'd seen the actual footage of my booth that the news kept playing over and over, but he didn't want to tell me the extent of the damage so that I wouldn't freak out before driving there.)
I hung up from speaking with him and called the event organizer, Mary Pat, who did not answer her phone. Since I couldn't get an exact account of what was going on, I figured I'd better take garbage bags just in case there was any significant amount of wet inventory. I hydroplaned on into the city, the wind blowing like crazy and water everywhere. I first drove by the street where the festival was being held, because we technically weren't allowed to drive to our booth until after the show closed on Saturday night. As I was passing the street and heading to the parking garage, I glanced down the road to see that there was a tremendous deal of damage to most of the booths. I circled around the block and decided to drive down the street despite the rules. Besides, all of the barricades had blown over anyway, so I wasn't actually moving it all myself.
Once I started down the road, I figured my booth was probably a little more damaged than what Erik had let on. Tent after tent was tipped over and one booth in particular was really badly damaged--their painted wooden lawn signs were all tipped over, broken, and drenched. I got down to the block where my booth was and my jaw hit the ground. What I had envisioned to be a tipped over tent and tables standing there getting wet was not at all my reality. A police officer stopped me right as I got to it and asked where I was going. I pointed at what was left of my booth and he said, "Oh, you own the mess? I'm sorry. Good luck!" And it was exactly that...a mess. It was the most destroyed of the booths and by destroyed, I mean completely unrecognizable, other than for the plush toys and clothes that were floating in the inches of standing water from one side of the street to the other. In fact, one box had literally been picked up by the wind, carried across the street and sidewalk, and slammed into the side of the Sheraton. There was inventory everywhere--including down in the storm drain.
I didn't even know where to start. The wind was blowing like crazy, the rain was soaking me, and all I had was the box of garbage bags. So, I decided I'd first bag up the various items and then start dealing with untangling the displays and crumpled tent. I removed the one tent wall that was acting the most like a sail and still moving the tent while I was in the middle of it. It was a bit scary, as it was moving this metal despite the 200 lbs of sand still attached. While I was working on this, Mary Pat (the event organizer) called me back and asked if I was at my booth and wondered if anything got wet. I said, "You could say that, Mary Pat." She said, "Well, we're hoping to resume the show at 1 o'clock. Do you think you'll be up and running again by then?" I had to explain to her that everything was destroyed, including my tent, and that I was there bagging it all up in garbage bags. She said they'd not cash my $275 check and would see what the city would do to help me out too. We'll see. I'm not holding my breath on that one.
Anyway, I looked across the street to see that a huge amount of event staff and hotel workers were standing behind the windows and doors at the hotel, just watching me deal with all of this. It was really rude. Eventually, a random older man was walking down the street and came up to help me. We were making progress and chatting, when a team of about a dozen event staff showed up to get the tent canopy and walls removed to prevent it from moving further. Then, about a half dozen of them stayed to help me bag it all up and get it in the back of the truck. In the middle of it all, the older man (John), disappeared without saying a word. I would've liked to have thanked him, despite having told him thank you while we were cleaning. I hope he knows how much I really appreciate his generosity, as for a while, he was the only one helping while others looked on. Oh, in one really odd moment while the whole group of people were there helping to clean up, a guy came up and asked us for a pen, as he was talking to someone and needed to write something down. It was totally out of place and odd. I was pissed. I flippantly said, "somewhere in this mess is a pen. If you can find it, it's yours." He thought I was serious and headed in to look for it. To make it even crazier, I looked over to see a pen floating in the middle of the booth space. I pointed it out to him and told him he could have it. When he left, I said to one of the ladies helping bag stuff, "Who the hell asks someone for a pen when it's clear that something is wrong?!" She said she had thought the same thing.
Anyway, once I got everything loaded (sans the tent frame, which was too mangled to ever use again), I headed home. I wasn't planning on touching any of it for the rest of the day because I was so upset. But, as I was lying on the couch moping and feeling like crap (I've had a really bad cold for a few weeks now...I guess I'd better go get seen this next week), I decided that the humidity would probably ruin any salvagable items quickly, so I headed outside and started going through it all. I stood at the back of the truck and used the tailgate as my table. I went through bag after bag and sorted it all into three groups--the pile I knew I'd need to chuck as it was too ruined to attempt to save, the pile that may be okay once I wash them, and then the pile that was just fine for the most part. There was one small box of completely fine items. And dozens of bags of not-so-fine items. It was really sad. I took the few Tupperware boxes, along with the tables, back to my storage unit. Fortunately, I had put most of my t-shirt inventory into my stacked Tupperware drawers before leaving on Friday night, so it was mostly spared. I thought it was totally spared until I got to the storage unit and realized the bottom drawer had a couple of quarts of water in it (incidentally, as I didn't have any towels with me, I had to open a dog bath towel from inventory and it worked quite nicely--if you need a superabsorbent towel, I highly recommend this: http://www.doggy-toys.com/product_info.php?cPath=34_52&products_id=504). I also had water in my cash box (no cash in it--just coins and blank credit card receipts) and so I had a bunch more to clean up. About 10 shirts ended up being wet, but not dirty. Considering my t-shirts were a $3000 investment, I was beyond grateful that most were spared.
So, today I am headed to the laundromat with my piles and piles and piles of dog clothes, in hopes that I can salvage most of it to where I can sell it for super-cheap at the flea market this weekend. I am out a lot of money in lost inventory, but I'm hoping to at least get some money out of it. The other sucky part is that I was counting on having a bunch of this inventory for the show I have coming up in three weeks. But, that clearly isn't going to happen, so once I assess the situation further, I'll know what I need to order in for the show and can go from there.
Anyway, that is the loooooooonnnnng and the short of how I came to loathe good ol' Hurricane Hanna. She is a hosebeast, in my book. I do not heart her in the least. However, I am beyond grateful that it was only "stuff" that was ruined. Had the storm hit during show hours, I would've been in the booth and would've either been killed or seriously injured--not to mention that customers could've been there too. Though I'm upset about the loss--especially after investing so much into it time, money, and effort-wise, I still know that it could have been worse. Besides that, it gives me a chance to step back and look at how I want to next proceed. I have two more weeks of flea market this month and then will be closed until November, so I may wait a little bit before running out to buy a new tent, etc. We'll see.
In the meantime, here are some pictures for your perusal that will show you what the booth looked like before and after beastly Hanna came for a visit...
Before it all got ruined:
A straight-on shot of the booth. I was happy with how it turned out, other than that there was an oil slick on the asphalt and the tablecloths aren't long enough to cover the boxes underneath. (I had already planned to get ones made that would be light blue and go to the ground, so now that my white ones are stained and ruined anyway, it's more reason to move forward with getting that done.)
This is one corner of my toy display. Notice the gray brick on the base of the toy tower. I eventually had to put two bricks on each tower base and even that didn't hold them down once Hanna hit.
My treat section. I had just picked up the treats that are in the Chinese take-out boxes, the paper bags, and the little Halloween bags at the front of the table. Almost all of it was lost.
This is what I drew when I got bored, after the first one got washed away in the rain.
The other side of the sign...
A little blurry, but the clouds looked really cool over the buildings downtown when I left on Friday night.
The first tent I saw--which made me decide to drive down the road instead of going to park the truck.
My booth...or what was left of it.
Another side shot...
The amount of standing water was insane. That's the tower of Tupperware drawers that my cash box and t-shirts were in...
Yet again, more damage...
The tent frame once all was said and done...
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Funny.
So, I'm catching up on reading about the looming Tropical Storm/Hurricane Hanna, expected to hit Raleigh sometime this weekend. An article on MSNBC was explaining how several local cities are preparing. It was under the Cary section that I found this little gem:
"That emergency kit should contain non-perishable food items and water for each family member for at least three days," said Deputy Chief Jay Poole with the Cary Fire Department. "Any medication that may be needed." -- Maybe paraphrase this so it's a complete sentence?
I did not write that last sentence about paraphrasing--they literally printed that in the article! Talk about some goooooooood proofreading there!! I also like that in the dateline of the article, it reads, "Raleigh, NC dash".
I do believe MSNBC will be hiring for qualified editors in the near future, as I sense some job openings coming along.
"That emergency kit should contain non-perishable food items and water for each family member for at least three days," said Deputy Chief Jay Poole with the Cary Fire Department. "Any medication that may be needed." -- Maybe paraphrase this so it's a complete sentence?
I did not write that last sentence about paraphrasing--they literally printed that in the article! Talk about some goooooooood proofreading there!! I also like that in the dateline of the article, it reads, "Raleigh, NC dash".
I do believe MSNBC will be hiring for qualified editors in the near future, as I sense some job openings coming along.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Wow.
About the only word that I can think of at this moment is exactly that...wow. So, I was sitting here trying to get motivated to finish up my work so I can go to bed and get up at 5:30 in the blessed (working my flea market booth tomorrow), but got a bit sidetracked reading a blog from a musician on MySpace whom I like. He's got a really good voice, nice style, and isn't necessarily mainstream sounding. But, that's neither here nor there. It was while reading his blog and the subsequent comments that I stumbled across one written by a man named Marquest. (I'm assuming his distant cousin is Mapquest.)
This is how it read:
"Greetings! in the name of the Lord Jesus who is God most High.God bless you! Brother Gavin! And continue to keep God first in everything that you do! And to keep loving people from your heart that you may become beloved. For there is an old saying, "No man is an island unto himself" Or in other words we all need each other and are dependent upon one another. So, continue to be humble, sincere and passionate about conveying God's heart through music.May God bless you always! in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.Marquest BurtonP.S. Also please pray for a precious and valuable sister and friend to me (whom I am fully persuaded that shall be my wife one day) Jessica Broyal to receive Christ Jesus as her Lord and Saviour. And pray for me that God prepares me to be a good husband unto Jessica."
OK, so I consider myself a relatively religious and/or spiritual individual and I definitely love the Lord, but I read this with my mouth wide open in shock that someone would be so over the top in a blog comment for a blog that had nothing to do with religion. I thought, "Good heavens, there are some loons out there." And then I realized, after looking at the guy's name and location on the side of his comment, that "there" is actually just about 20 minutes up the road, as he lives in Durham, NC. So, then, I got even more curious (and saddened that he lives just up the street) and checked out his profile. These are some of his blog titles (I'm not correcting his grammar so you get the full effect):
"Jessica: I saving myself sexually for you in marriage!"
"Jessica: I am your angel (God has assigned me to you)"
"To Jessica: You are my lady and I am your man! (It is meant to be)"
"To Jessica: Our relationship is about to blossom! (I love you)"
Coupled with his profile quote: "The grace of a wife delighteth her husband and her discretion will fatten his bones. (Ecclesiasticus 26:13)", and the fact he reveals right on his profile that he tried to fill a void he felt in his life "with listening worldly music, ungodly movies, and internet pornography", I'm saying--RUN, JESSICA, RUN!!! Though I can appreciate him trying to be a good person and do right, I think the man may be off his rocker a bit. In the first blog about how he's saving himself for marriage, he even goes on to include a video promoting chastity. He also makes sure to point out that various churches he has visited over the years were not for him, as he found that the church members "were not faithfully following all the principles, statutes, and commandments of the Lord God most High."
I thought it was nice of Mr. Marquest to determine who was being faithful and who wasn't. He states that he went on to find a church loves, was baptized, and started speaking in tongues. All in all, it's a very interesting read and quite the way to fill some time while procrastinating! :)
This is how it read:
"Greetings! in the name of the Lord Jesus who is God most High.God bless you! Brother Gavin! And continue to keep God first in everything that you do! And to keep loving people from your heart that you may become beloved. For there is an old saying, "No man is an island unto himself" Or in other words we all need each other and are dependent upon one another. So, continue to be humble, sincere and passionate about conveying God's heart through music.May God bless you always! in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.Marquest BurtonP.S. Also please pray for a precious and valuable sister and friend to me (whom I am fully persuaded that shall be my wife one day) Jessica Broyal to receive Christ Jesus as her Lord and Saviour. And pray for me that God prepares me to be a good husband unto Jessica."
OK, so I consider myself a relatively religious and/or spiritual individual and I definitely love the Lord, but I read this with my mouth wide open in shock that someone would be so over the top in a blog comment for a blog that had nothing to do with religion. I thought, "Good heavens, there are some loons out there." And then I realized, after looking at the guy's name and location on the side of his comment, that "there" is actually just about 20 minutes up the road, as he lives in Durham, NC. So, then, I got even more curious (and saddened that he lives just up the street) and checked out his profile. These are some of his blog titles (I'm not correcting his grammar so you get the full effect):
"Jessica: I saving myself sexually for you in marriage!"
"Jessica: I am your angel (God has assigned me to you)"
"To Jessica: You are my lady and I am your man! (It is meant to be)"
"To Jessica: Our relationship is about to blossom! (I love you)"
Coupled with his profile quote: "The grace of a wife delighteth her husband and her discretion will fatten his bones. (Ecclesiasticus 26:13)", and the fact he reveals right on his profile that he tried to fill a void he felt in his life "with listening worldly music, ungodly movies, and internet pornography", I'm saying--RUN, JESSICA, RUN!!! Though I can appreciate him trying to be a good person and do right, I think the man may be off his rocker a bit. In the first blog about how he's saving himself for marriage, he even goes on to include a video promoting chastity. He also makes sure to point out that various churches he has visited over the years were not for him, as he found that the church members "were not faithfully following all the principles, statutes, and commandments of the Lord God most High."
I thought it was nice of Mr. Marquest to determine who was being faithful and who wasn't. He states that he went on to find a church loves, was baptized, and started speaking in tongues. All in all, it's a very interesting read and quite the way to fill some time while procrastinating! :)
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
My back: an update
So, I feel like absolute crap today and don't feel like writing much, but I did want to catch ya'll up on the latest with my back. (I have some sinus thing going on--heading to the doctor's office on my way home as they said it sounds like a sinus infection and I don't want to have it while I'm on vacation--plus it kills to swallow, so I haven't eaten today and I'm a bit bitter.)
I got the MRI results today and there's both great and bad. The great part is that it's not a herniated disc or completely pinched off nerve. In fact, my spine looks great they said, so this confirms my long-standing suspicion that I am not, indeed, spineless. Anyway, I apparently have done something to a muscle that is now inflammed and putting pressure on a nerve (thus the loss of feeling in my leg), so they're looking to treat that.
I will continue with the Flector patches (a really slimy anti-inflammatory patch--probably about 6" by 8"--that I place on my back over the most painful area), but will also start a couple of months of physical therapy and a few months of electro-shock "massaging". I'll have a machine that I can wear all day (except driving and then it comes off while you sleep) that is supposed to massage the muscle back into shape. She also said that the physical therapy for the back will most likely include massages, which I'm all for as I've never had one and I've been wanting one. So, that's a bonus. The downside is that I hate physical therapy (this will be my third time doing it--and the knee therapy about killed me) and when they did the electro-shock thing to my knee last time, it burned my skin and left a scar. I did not heart it one iota.
My hope is that this time around, it will be less painful (not quite sure how--I can't lean backwards at all without it absolutely killing) and that I won't get burned or scarred...literally and figuratively. If the physical therapy doesn't work and I still don't have feeling in my leg, we'll move on to nerve testing at that point. I personally think that between being shocked all day and doing the therapy, I should not have to get to that point and will be just fine. It would also be nice to have some muscle strength back. It's really creepy to not be able to have full use of the extremities.
Anyway, I need to get going--there's usually a 2 hr wait at Urgent Care. Urgent Care= quite the misnomer. I hope all ya'll are doing well!
Love,
me
I got the MRI results today and there's both great and bad. The great part is that it's not a herniated disc or completely pinched off nerve. In fact, my spine looks great they said, so this confirms my long-standing suspicion that I am not, indeed, spineless. Anyway, I apparently have done something to a muscle that is now inflammed and putting pressure on a nerve (thus the loss of feeling in my leg), so they're looking to treat that.
I will continue with the Flector patches (a really slimy anti-inflammatory patch--probably about 6" by 8"--that I place on my back over the most painful area), but will also start a couple of months of physical therapy and a few months of electro-shock "massaging". I'll have a machine that I can wear all day (except driving and then it comes off while you sleep) that is supposed to massage the muscle back into shape. She also said that the physical therapy for the back will most likely include massages, which I'm all for as I've never had one and I've been wanting one. So, that's a bonus. The downside is that I hate physical therapy (this will be my third time doing it--and the knee therapy about killed me) and when they did the electro-shock thing to my knee last time, it burned my skin and left a scar. I did not heart it one iota.
My hope is that this time around, it will be less painful (not quite sure how--I can't lean backwards at all without it absolutely killing) and that I won't get burned or scarred...literally and figuratively. If the physical therapy doesn't work and I still don't have feeling in my leg, we'll move on to nerve testing at that point. I personally think that between being shocked all day and doing the therapy, I should not have to get to that point and will be just fine. It would also be nice to have some muscle strength back. It's really creepy to not be able to have full use of the extremities.
Anyway, I need to get going--there's usually a 2 hr wait at Urgent Care. Urgent Care= quite the misnomer. I hope all ya'll are doing well!
Love,
me
Friday, July 25, 2008
The straw that pinched Kade's back nerve...
Greetings, friends! Long time no blog. I've been a bit busy and life got a little insane, but I have a moment in which I'm sitting here feeling unmotivated to work, so I shall write instead. Besides this, by writing this once, it will save me several phone calls and overlooking someone I should've caught up on details, as that tends to happen a lot with me.
Well, so it was not exactly a straw that pinched my back nerve, and I'm not even sure it's a back nerve that's pinched, but that's what I'm calling it for now. I don't even know what caused all of this mess, really. My guess would be that setting up the flea market booth did some of the damage, but who knows? This is what I do know...
About three weeks ago, my right leg started acting a little odd after I'd sit for any length of time. It was almost like my leg was asleep, but without the tingling feeling. It just hurt. I'd hobble around and it would go away after awhile. This went on for about two weeks. It just got worse and worse. I'd sit up in bed and then try to stand up, but had the same issues. It was really odd. So, this past weekend was a bit rough and by Monday afternoon, I was doubled over the arm of my desk chair, contorted in all sorts of ungodly ways, trying to find some sense of relief. I called my health insurance's nurseline, but they weren't much help. I almost asked the lady if she really was a nurse, as she kept recommending that I take Ibuprofen, despite me explaining that because of a stupid condition I have, Ibuprofen causes internal bleeding. I'm not sure what part of that she thought would be okay. Anyway, she said I needed to be seen within 24-hours, so I called my doctor's office to get an appointment, only to find that they were booking three weeks out. Rather than just go to a random doctor or to Urgent Care, I instead emailed my doctor's nurse, whom I have a really good relationship with (a personal email address too). So, she said that she'd try to work around the system and get me in this week, but in the meantime, to check out the Carolina Back Institute. They offer same-day appointments online (though not when you call), but I was still able to get in yesterday (Wednesday). Laura (the nurse) said she'd be able to get me in today, so it was a better idea to go with the back institute, as I could get in earlier and I'd end up getting referred to them in the end anyway. (Plus, even though it does require an actual referral to go there, Laura said they'd just act as if it were an official referral should it ever be questioned, even though it wasn't an official office call.)
So, yesterday, I went on in to the back institute (that has a MOST unfriendly receptionist), where they poked, prodded, x-rayed, and prodded some more. Oh, and inflicted pain upon my legs too. I looked lovely in a green hospital gown that was an XXL, as that was the only one long enough for me (it looked especially great considering my significant weight loss, as I looked like a little kid wearing a tent). They asked a million questions, including several about whether or not I'm experiencing numbness or tingling. I explained that I didn't feel either, but that my leg is really weak. (I can't put full weight on it and I limp as I walk, which is really weird as it's back pain yet my leg is acting stupid.) Well, they did the reflex test and my legs flailed appropriately, but when it came time to what I like to call the torture test, that's when there was a slight problem.
They use an instrument that resembles a pizza cutter--but it's a long skinny metal handle and a tiny wheel with spikes, but it's just like a pizza cutter--to test for numbness. The lady warned me it would hurt, as it's like needles running along your skin, but to let her know if I could feel it more on one leg than the other. She started on the outside of my left leg, which I fully felt, before moving to my right leg, which I did not feel so much. Then, the inside of both legs had the same result. Finally, she did the top of my left knee and I definitely felt it; I didn't feel the right side. She then tested for strength by placing her hand in front of each leg, while I pushed against them. Then, she put her hands on top of my knees and had me push against her hands. When it came to my right knee, she said, "Push." I said, "I am." And, I was. Just as much as I was with my left...or at least it felt that way to me. So, though I didn't think I had numbness in my leg, it turns out that I actually have very little feeling in my right leg at this point and even less strength than I thought. It's kind of an odd feeling actually. When I had my first knee surgery, they struck a nerve that resulted in me losing all feeling in my shin for months and months. It kind of tingled, but for the most part, there was no feeling. I could literally pull on my leg hair and not feel it. Normally, it would hurt quite badly. Eventually, the numb space shrunk to where I have the majority of feeling back (just one little section left that I'll never have feeling in again). But, that had the tingling--this just has no feeling. Very odd.
At this point, I go in for an MRI on Sunday and the results are due back on Tuesday. I have an appointment that afternoon to get those results. I got a PA when I went in, which normally I like the PAs better than the doctors, but not this one. We don't even know what's wrong with me and she's already discussing physical therapy, steroid injections, and surgery. I do not heart that. I think it's much less serious than an injury requiring surgery and my plan is to do every form of treatment BUT surgery. After my first knee surgery, the pain was gone and life was good--but my knee still didn't feel the same and hasn't ever since. I don't want that with my back. They said to let pain be my guide, so I'm still going to have my flea market booth this weekend (I'm taking off the following three weeks due to vacations and trips with friends/family.) I figure that any further damaged caused by setting up and breaking down the booth tomorrow will show in the MRI on Sunday, will all be treated starting next week, and I'll have three weeks of recuperation. It all works out beautifully.
At this point, I'm grateful I'm at least able to hobble about and function close to normal, that I have great insurance, and that financially, it's not a big issue as I have plenty of money in both my health reimbursement account (free money from my employer to help cover 1/2 of my $1000 deductible) and a lot in flex spending to cover any remaining cost. I'm going to use all of my remaining flex spending at the end of the year to pay down my braces, so I don't want to have to use much of it on my back issues, but I can use some and still make a huge dent in the cost for my braces.
So, that's the latest here. Life goes on, the flea market booth is doing very well, I'm making some great contacts, and I shipped off my first wholesale order this past week. Wahoo! I've got another retailer who placed a wholesale order with me that I'll be fulfilling next week when the products are back from my seamstress. (She's sewing my clothing tags into the t-shirts another company made--but they're my designs, so I want them tagged. :))
I hope all ya'll are doing well!
Love,
me
Monday, July 14, 2008
Designs ala Kade
So, it just dawned on me that I've never posted a link to the March of Dimes collateral I designed for this year's 5K here in Raleigh. You can enjoy my work by viewing it at the following link:
http://www.run4babies.org/Registration.php
If you scroll to the bottom of the page, you'll see two "Register by Mail" options--one is the form and one is the brochure. I designed both of them, but the brochure (as you will see) was a beast. It's a two-page tri-fold brochure, so picture it that way, otherwise it will look really odd. We have them in print too (which reminds me--I need to grab some to put in my portfolio), but they are also able to be printed from online so that more runners can be reached.
Anyway, I just had to share in my excitement now that I remembered it. :) Hope all is well!
http://www.run4babies.org/Registration.php
If you scroll to the bottom of the page, you'll see two "Register by Mail" options--one is the form and one is the brochure. I designed both of them, but the brochure (as you will see) was a beast. It's a two-page tri-fold brochure, so picture it that way, otherwise it will look really odd. We have them in print too (which reminds me--I need to grab some to put in my portfolio), but they are also able to be printed from online so that more runners can be reached.
Anyway, I just had to share in my excitement now that I remembered it. :) Hope all is well!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Happy Birthday, Derriere!
Today marks the 27th birthday of my beloved friend, Darin...aka, Derriere, Dakin Pulsion, etc. In honor of this auspicious occasion, I offer up a list of 27 memories and/or reasons why I am glad Darin is my friend. Sadly, it did not take long to come up with so many bizarre memories...but that's what makes our friendship fun. Afterall, we are Kade and Darin, Darin and Kade. We fight like an old married couple, finish each others thoughts, and I think we may have even been separated at birth. We'll have to do some DNA testing there. In the meantime, I share with you my...
27 Memories/Reasons of Why I'm Glad Derriere is my Friend
- The entrance to Nebraska. Who else could I possibly have enjoyed/endured that with?!
- A-nnette Willie and the many, many, many years of jokes we’ve gotten from her. We’ve ridden her a long time…but that’s one ship that keeps on sailing. More of a pontoon than a ship, but whatev.
- The uteran bulge. It deserves its own line.
- The road trip across America…the rain, the Kleenex, the cargo strap, the motel searches, the endless word games…
- Deli sandwiches from the convenience store fridge at 2 a.m., somewhere in Ohio. That was Hell. Let’s not do that again.
- The overpass…peeing into an oncoming car…oh, wait…
- Denny’s trips…Erica and her heaving bosom, ready to do CPR on you at any given second—particularly the mouth-to-mouth part.
- The many adventures in good ol’ Aggie.
- Cemetery drives with no headlights…and thus, little voyages off the road.
- Cub River…locking the pregnant cat in the bathroom with Jen, making not-so-fun discoveries of pre-marital trysts happening in MY bed…
- You’d rival A-nnette Willie in any beauty contest…well, except for the swimsuit competition, of course.
- Lava Hot Springs…Bertie and Gertie; Arthur A. Rowsell; the dead bird; evenings eating ice cream and watching movies all night.
- This is hard…do I really have to do 27?
- The fact that you did not want me back in “your” hot tub, after I jumped in the hot tub with Billy Bob and Nalani’s boiled urine and sweat. You’re so selfish. Gosh.
- “You want menus? For here?”...and then looking so out of place at that fun little diner in Downy, Idaho. (Why did we go back?!)
- My first trip to DC back in the day…spilling my HOT chocolate on you…you being a thermostat Nazi. (“Shhh…Cammie Jan. Don’t tell Darin. He can’t find out. He’ll beat us.”)
- The many weekends of you escaping Grandma Flo’s, sleeping on my floor, and being Brenda’s “good son”.
- The OBX…your bus trip, my speeding ticket, swimming into the nest of baby jellyfish.
- Hanging up on you the night you were mugged in NYC…pleasant for us both, I know. “Just remember, Darin, you can depend on me in any situation…just make sure I’m fully awake first.”
- The sugar cookies shipped to Brazil via boat. Bless him.
- You inhaling pillow fluff and subsequently vomiting in the kitchen sink. Ah, graduation. Fun times. “Why Miss Scarlet! He’s dead!” (And you almost were.)
- Googly Eyes and the one quarter that provided hours of entertainment…and the Oreos at the payphone.
- The many nights at the convenience store with Kris and Jeff…mixing sodas to see which combo was good, eating nachos, laughing to no end, etc.
- What? What?
- The cornfield…and discovering the corn was not edible for humans.
- Hitting the deer and then trying to lasso it off the road. What were we thinking?! You laughing non-stop while I was having a heart attack. (And, I did NOT kill the thing…it was still twitching.)
- Despite your many flaws…and I do mean many…you are a tremendous person whom I am blessed to call “friend”. You accept me for who I am, put up with my sometimes (and very rare) not-so-bright ideas, and are always there for me. Plus, how many people have provided me with so many years of crazy memories and so much laughter? Not many.
Happy birthday, friend! I’m looking forward to 27 more years of insanity, adventure, and copious hours of laughter…
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
A Picture to Commemorate Pilgrimage Anniversary
I forgot that I have the perfect picture to use to help commemorate mine and Darin's voyage across America. It will also give you an idea as to what I'm referring to in my emails re: the cargo strap and the overstuffed backseat. Good, good times. This was at the very beginning of the trip. We were not smiling this much at the end...
Sunday, June 22, 2008
A Noteable Anniversary
As Darin pointed out earlier this evening, this week marks the two year anniversary of our pilgrimage to the South. We left Utah in Luh-fawn-duh the Honda (my beloved Accord) and had quite the drive across the country. I went back through my emails and found the two emails I had sent to my friends and family, updating them as to our travels and adventures. I shall paste them here for your enjoyment. Ah, memories...
Email #1 "Greetings from Zanesville, Ohio!"
Hello Friends!
Greetings from the other side of the country! It has been quite the adventure and we're only on our second day. Right now, we're in Zanesville, Ohio, which is 78 miles out of Columbus (Columbus is quite the beautiful city at night). We were hoping to make it into West Virginia tonight, but we're bushed. It's 12:45 a.m. and we've been driving since 9:00 a.m. We didn't get to bed until 4:30 a.m. That was twice as much sleep as we received the night before.
I was pretty much packed by Thursday night, but I still had a few things to throw in and then my room to pick up. I also wanted to go spend time with my family and then had to pick up Darin in Brigham. We got back to my house at 1:30 a.m., got the car packed, and then we were up until almost 4:00 a.m. getting stuff finished. We then woke up at 6:30 and got on the road. It was rough. Anyway, we survived the drive through Wyoming (the UGLIEST of states) including seeing some giant statue of Mary or Jesus (we couldn't tell which it was) and then we got to see a trailer house with teepees built into it. Like, permanent, concrete teepees built into the middle of a trailer house. It was insane. Don't worry, I took pictures. Anyway, we then headed into Nebraska and that is where the fun began.
A few miles into Nebraska, Darin was driving and noticed this HUGE field full of cattle. He was like, "Wow! That's a ton of cattle." I meanwhile was studying the atlas (Did you know Ohio is the 7th most populated state in the US?) and looked up and said, "That is a lot of cattle." Those were almost the last words I spoke. The cows were not just any cows. They were primed and ready for the slaughter, which meant they were fed a warm grain and it stunk to high heaven. We coughed, we gagged, we gulped down the vomit, and we tried to hold our breath. Because we were crying and laughing so hard, that proved impossible. So, we shoved our noses in our armpits to smell the deodorant over that hideous stench. I was brave a couple of times and tried to see if the smell was gone. It wasn't. It honestly was the worst smell on earth and lasted for MILES!! I would rather smell ten dead skunks at once than smell that again. That was our introduction into Nebraska. It was almost a death by toxic fuming. The reason I know about the warm grain, etc., is because I was texting my dad at the time, who drives through that area constantly. I told him I was taking my last breath and that it was due to these horrible cows. He wrote back, "Oh, those ones on the right hand side? Yeah, that's pretty bad. There's a rest area a few miles ahead. Pull over, walk around, and get a cold drink. It will help with the sickness." I don't think anyone will ever understand how bad it was unless they were to smell it themselves.
OK, so beyond the cows, we kept seeing urine filled bottles by the road, mile after mile. I couldn't figure out what I was looking at, until Darin explained that a lot of truck drivers do that to save time and then throw them out. That made me sick to my stomach too. But, a few miles later, we were both sick as we looked over to see a lady vomiting by the side of the road. OK, OK, I'll stop with the nasty details of the trip.
So, last night, we were planning on making it to Des Moines, Iowa. We were so exhausted though and tried to stay in Omaha, Nebraska instead. It turns out there was some college world series going on and the entire town's motels were booked, including all of the towns for the next two hours. We were exhausted, couldn't find a place to sleep, and we were starving. We finally found a place somewhere by Elk Horn, Iowa. I almost ran over a family of raccoons, but due to my sharp sight at 2:00 a.m., I avoided the tragedy. The funny thing is that Darin and I were playing the either/or game earlier in the day and one of his questions was, "Would you rather run over and kill an entire family of kittens or watch Duchess get eaten by a boa constrictor?" Of course, I'd much rather run over the cats. Anyway, a few hours later, there we were, with me almost running over a mama raccoon and her four babies. Disaster was avoided, so I hope Duchess doesn't meet up with any boa constrictors.
OK, so we couldn't get food b/c everything was closed, so we backtracked several miles to an open gas station to grab some junk to get by on, including refrigerated deli sandwiches. It was awful. But, for those of you who have seen me when I'm tired and hungry, you know it was best that I get something, anything really, to eat. It was essential. So, we were up early this morning and have driven about 1800 miles, maybe a bit more, between today and yesterday. We've driven through Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and most of Ohio. We're going to hit it tomorrow and try to get to Washington, DC by 1:00 p.m. I am aiming to get to South Boston, Virginia by 5 p.m. I'll head into Raleigh on Monday morning. I have an apartment now and a roommate, so that'll be fun. I'll meet him on Monday or Tuesday. I'll still be house sitting for the week, but will be able to drop all of my stuff off at the apartment so I'm not unpacking twice. I limited my packing to 120 shirts, 40 pairs of pants, 25 pairs of shoes, and then a lot of crap that I just had to have. Darin didn't do much better, so poor Luh-fawn-duh the Honda is loaded to no other. Bless her soul for surviving so far. We bought a cargo bag for the top of the car for luggage and it's stuffed too. The straps go through the car and hook inside, so now the door seals are separated making it soooooo noisy in the car. We solve this by stuffing kleenex and toilet paper in the door frame by the straps. We are both about the same height and the straps hang down a few inches from the roof of the car, so we are slouching down in the chairs to avoid having a strap pushing down on our heads the whole time.
OK, OK, I'll let ya'll go. I need to get to bed and this e-mail is long enough to keep you busy for a while. I hope you are all doing well. I'll catch ya' later. Have a blessed day!
Love,
Kade
Email #2 "Greetings from Raleigh"
Hello friends!
I have made it! 2600 miles later I am here. It was quite the trip full of fun and adventure in mile after mile. Darin and I made it to DC yesterday evening about 5 hours later than planned, so I didn't get to my Virginia destination until late last night. We had spent the night in Ohio and drove through West Virginia, Pennsylvania, back into West Virginia, through Maryland (HORRIBLE TRAFFIC!!) and then into DC from there. I took off from DC last night and drove down to Clover, VA and stayed with some friends there, before driving down to Raleigh this afternoon. I only got severely lost once I got to Raleigh itself. It's going to be quite the adventure trying to find my way around this town.
Yesterday, we hit a ton of rain storms, which didn't help us in getting to DC in time either. In fact, this morning the news was that portions of DC flooded, including the home of my friend's niece. It sounds quite bad. Anyway, not only did this put us behind schedule, but we also had other issues because of this. We had the cargo bag on top of the car, with the straps coming through the doors and connecting inside the car itself. This proved to be quite noisy as it made the door seals not work properly. To combat this, we had stuffed kleenex in the door jam and that had worked for us...until the rain that is. Of course, the tissue absorbed the water, sending it right to the inside of the car, dripping down on us. I was driving and it wasn't so bad on my side for a while, but Darin was getting dumped on. So, I had him pull a bath towel from the backseat and we used it to blot the soaked car and strap. (The car roof material inside the car window was soaked and dripping too.) We were just trading the towel back and forth as mine occasionally dripped, but pretty soon that wasn't enough. So, I had Darin dig through the pile in the backseat and find another towel, so we could both wrap our arms in them and try to not get soaked. Can we say ghetto?! But, it was still way fun. I drove by the Watergate tower, the Federal Reserve, and the Kennedy Center yesterday, which were places I didn't see last time I was in DC. I'll have to go back up and explore a few times while Darin lives there. It was weird driving out of DC because I wasn't at all concerned with sightseeing, but that is one main place to visit for that. It just became another place on the map to drive through.
Anyway, I forgot to mention in my previous e-mail that most of you got, that in a freakish accident I managed to dislocate my jaw while flossing my teeth. I know, I know. No need to make comments on this one. Anyway, it has hurt like no other and there have been so many times on the trip that we were laughing so hard at stupid stuff and it didn't help the situation. So, now I have a swollen jaw and it hurts to even chew food. Well, I thought this was bad enough. But, it gets better (or worse as the case may be). While driving out of Maryland, I tried to take a picture of the "Welcome to Maryland" sign b/c I had missed it on the way in. Logistically, I had to turn around in my seat (no, I wasn't driving at the time), duck under the cargo case straps, and over the tremendous pile of junk in the backseat, all while trying to keep my seatbelt on. Needless to say, it flopped. Not only did it flop, but I pulled a groin muscle (too much info, I know) and it started cramping. So, I'm screaming and laughing while trying to straighten out my leg, keep my jaw shut, and take a picture. It was horrible. It didn't help that Darin was laughing hysterically as well. But, I think I would've done the same if it were him. To make matters worse, the picture didn't turn out. However, despite all this, I am here safe and sound.
I have a job interview tomorrow and I should move into my new apartment this next week. Come next week it's going to be really rough when I have to cough up a fortune for rent and utilities. Short of prostituting myself, I'm going to have to do anything and everything to come up with money.
Well, on that happy note, I must bid you all adieu. I need to go get ready for dinner. Also, my cell phone only works if I sit in the rocker on the north corner of the front porch, so if you call me, you'll most likely get my voicemail. I'll try to check them periodically and call you back when I get a sec. I hope all is well with each of you. Take care and have a blessed day!
Love,
Kade of the South
It's hard to believe it's been two years already! The road trip was indeed an adventure, but the two years since then have proven to be quite the adventure as well. I don't know as I ever want to make a road trip across the country again, but it was worth doing once. Anyway, I'm glad I am here in Raleigh and that all has gone well since moving here and I look forward to many more fun years to come!
Email #1 "Greetings from Zanesville, Ohio!"
Hello Friends!
Greetings from the other side of the country! It has been quite the adventure and we're only on our second day. Right now, we're in Zanesville, Ohio, which is 78 miles out of Columbus (Columbus is quite the beautiful city at night). We were hoping to make it into West Virginia tonight, but we're bushed. It's 12:45 a.m. and we've been driving since 9:00 a.m. We didn't get to bed until 4:30 a.m. That was twice as much sleep as we received the night before.
I was pretty much packed by Thursday night, but I still had a few things to throw in and then my room to pick up. I also wanted to go spend time with my family and then had to pick up Darin in Brigham. We got back to my house at 1:30 a.m., got the car packed, and then we were up until almost 4:00 a.m. getting stuff finished. We then woke up at 6:30 and got on the road. It was rough. Anyway, we survived the drive through Wyoming (the UGLIEST of states) including seeing some giant statue of Mary or Jesus (we couldn't tell which it was) and then we got to see a trailer house with teepees built into it. Like, permanent, concrete teepees built into the middle of a trailer house. It was insane. Don't worry, I took pictures. Anyway, we then headed into Nebraska and that is where the fun began.
A few miles into Nebraska, Darin was driving and noticed this HUGE field full of cattle. He was like, "Wow! That's a ton of cattle." I meanwhile was studying the atlas (Did you know Ohio is the 7th most populated state in the US?) and looked up and said, "That is a lot of cattle." Those were almost the last words I spoke. The cows were not just any cows. They were primed and ready for the slaughter, which meant they were fed a warm grain and it stunk to high heaven. We coughed, we gagged, we gulped down the vomit, and we tried to hold our breath. Because we were crying and laughing so hard, that proved impossible. So, we shoved our noses in our armpits to smell the deodorant over that hideous stench. I was brave a couple of times and tried to see if the smell was gone. It wasn't. It honestly was the worst smell on earth and lasted for MILES!! I would rather smell ten dead skunks at once than smell that again. That was our introduction into Nebraska. It was almost a death by toxic fuming. The reason I know about the warm grain, etc., is because I was texting my dad at the time, who drives through that area constantly. I told him I was taking my last breath and that it was due to these horrible cows. He wrote back, "Oh, those ones on the right hand side? Yeah, that's pretty bad. There's a rest area a few miles ahead. Pull over, walk around, and get a cold drink. It will help with the sickness." I don't think anyone will ever understand how bad it was unless they were to smell it themselves.
OK, so beyond the cows, we kept seeing urine filled bottles by the road, mile after mile. I couldn't figure out what I was looking at, until Darin explained that a lot of truck drivers do that to save time and then throw them out. That made me sick to my stomach too. But, a few miles later, we were both sick as we looked over to see a lady vomiting by the side of the road. OK, OK, I'll stop with the nasty details of the trip.
So, last night, we were planning on making it to Des Moines, Iowa. We were so exhausted though and tried to stay in Omaha, Nebraska instead. It turns out there was some college world series going on and the entire town's motels were booked, including all of the towns for the next two hours. We were exhausted, couldn't find a place to sleep, and we were starving. We finally found a place somewhere by Elk Horn, Iowa. I almost ran over a family of raccoons, but due to my sharp sight at 2:00 a.m., I avoided the tragedy. The funny thing is that Darin and I were playing the either/or game earlier in the day and one of his questions was, "Would you rather run over and kill an entire family of kittens or watch Duchess get eaten by a boa constrictor?" Of course, I'd much rather run over the cats. Anyway, a few hours later, there we were, with me almost running over a mama raccoon and her four babies. Disaster was avoided, so I hope Duchess doesn't meet up with any boa constrictors.
OK, so we couldn't get food b/c everything was closed, so we backtracked several miles to an open gas station to grab some junk to get by on, including refrigerated deli sandwiches. It was awful. But, for those of you who have seen me when I'm tired and hungry, you know it was best that I get something, anything really, to eat. It was essential. So, we were up early this morning and have driven about 1800 miles, maybe a bit more, between today and yesterday. We've driven through Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and most of Ohio. We're going to hit it tomorrow and try to get to Washington, DC by 1:00 p.m. I am aiming to get to South Boston, Virginia by 5 p.m. I'll head into Raleigh on Monday morning. I have an apartment now and a roommate, so that'll be fun. I'll meet him on Monday or Tuesday. I'll still be house sitting for the week, but will be able to drop all of my stuff off at the apartment so I'm not unpacking twice. I limited my packing to 120 shirts, 40 pairs of pants, 25 pairs of shoes, and then a lot of crap that I just had to have. Darin didn't do much better, so poor Luh-fawn-duh the Honda is loaded to no other. Bless her soul for surviving so far. We bought a cargo bag for the top of the car for luggage and it's stuffed too. The straps go through the car and hook inside, so now the door seals are separated making it soooooo noisy in the car. We solve this by stuffing kleenex and toilet paper in the door frame by the straps. We are both about the same height and the straps hang down a few inches from the roof of the car, so we are slouching down in the chairs to avoid having a strap pushing down on our heads the whole time.
OK, OK, I'll let ya'll go. I need to get to bed and this e-mail is long enough to keep you busy for a while. I hope you are all doing well. I'll catch ya' later. Have a blessed day!
Love,
Kade
Email #2 "Greetings from Raleigh"
Hello friends!
I have made it! 2600 miles later I am here. It was quite the trip full of fun and adventure in mile after mile. Darin and I made it to DC yesterday evening about 5 hours later than planned, so I didn't get to my Virginia destination until late last night. We had spent the night in Ohio and drove through West Virginia, Pennsylvania, back into West Virginia, through Maryland (HORRIBLE TRAFFIC!!) and then into DC from there. I took off from DC last night and drove down to Clover, VA and stayed with some friends there, before driving down to Raleigh this afternoon. I only got severely lost once I got to Raleigh itself. It's going to be quite the adventure trying to find my way around this town.
Yesterday, we hit a ton of rain storms, which didn't help us in getting to DC in time either. In fact, this morning the news was that portions of DC flooded, including the home of my friend's niece. It sounds quite bad. Anyway, not only did this put us behind schedule, but we also had other issues because of this. We had the cargo bag on top of the car, with the straps coming through the doors and connecting inside the car itself. This proved to be quite noisy as it made the door seals not work properly. To combat this, we had stuffed kleenex in the door jam and that had worked for us...until the rain that is. Of course, the tissue absorbed the water, sending it right to the inside of the car, dripping down on us. I was driving and it wasn't so bad on my side for a while, but Darin was getting dumped on. So, I had him pull a bath towel from the backseat and we used it to blot the soaked car and strap. (The car roof material inside the car window was soaked and dripping too.) We were just trading the towel back and forth as mine occasionally dripped, but pretty soon that wasn't enough. So, I had Darin dig through the pile in the backseat and find another towel, so we could both wrap our arms in them and try to not get soaked. Can we say ghetto?! But, it was still way fun. I drove by the Watergate tower, the Federal Reserve, and the Kennedy Center yesterday, which were places I didn't see last time I was in DC. I'll have to go back up and explore a few times while Darin lives there. It was weird driving out of DC because I wasn't at all concerned with sightseeing, but that is one main place to visit for that. It just became another place on the map to drive through.
Anyway, I forgot to mention in my previous e-mail that most of you got, that in a freakish accident I managed to dislocate my jaw while flossing my teeth. I know, I know. No need to make comments on this one. Anyway, it has hurt like no other and there have been so many times on the trip that we were laughing so hard at stupid stuff and it didn't help the situation. So, now I have a swollen jaw and it hurts to even chew food. Well, I thought this was bad enough. But, it gets better (or worse as the case may be). While driving out of Maryland, I tried to take a picture of the "Welcome to Maryland" sign b/c I had missed it on the way in. Logistically, I had to turn around in my seat (no, I wasn't driving at the time), duck under the cargo case straps, and over the tremendous pile of junk in the backseat, all while trying to keep my seatbelt on. Needless to say, it flopped. Not only did it flop, but I pulled a groin muscle (too much info, I know) and it started cramping. So, I'm screaming and laughing while trying to straighten out my leg, keep my jaw shut, and take a picture. It was horrible. It didn't help that Darin was laughing hysterically as well. But, I think I would've done the same if it were him. To make matters worse, the picture didn't turn out. However, despite all this, I am here safe and sound.
I have a job interview tomorrow and I should move into my new apartment this next week. Come next week it's going to be really rough when I have to cough up a fortune for rent and utilities. Short of prostituting myself, I'm going to have to do anything and everything to come up with money.
Well, on that happy note, I must bid you all adieu. I need to go get ready for dinner. Also, my cell phone only works if I sit in the rocker on the north corner of the front porch, so if you call me, you'll most likely get my voicemail. I'll try to check them periodically and call you back when I get a sec. I hope all is well with each of you. Take care and have a blessed day!
Love,
Kade of the South
It's hard to believe it's been two years already! The road trip was indeed an adventure, but the two years since then have proven to be quite the adventure as well. I don't know as I ever want to make a road trip across the country again, but it was worth doing once. Anyway, I'm glad I am here in Raleigh and that all has gone well since moving here and I look forward to many more fun years to come!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Utah We Love Thee
After months and months and months of work and preparations, an unpleasant smelling plane ride, and a small fortune, we pulled off my grandma's surprise 80th birthday party last week! I headed off to Utah a week early to complete the final purchases and plans, which ended up turning out great. Grandma didn't know I was in town, let alone that we were having a party for her. So, it was all very, very fun. Meanwhile, I tried to also pack in as much as I could when it came to spending time with my family and friends. Having said that, here are a few pictures from my week.
The triple rainbow--This is from my sister's backyard and it doesn't show the third rainbow, but there actually was one behind the one to the far left. I've never seen a double rainbow, let alone a triple. It was very cool.
My most favorite boys on earth--my nephews Aydyn and Kyeler. Ayd is identical to Kye when Kye was that age. Absolutely adorable.
The gym/cultural hall at the church all decked out for Grandma's party. (It looked much cooler in person.)
Part of the spread that fed the masses...
This is the centerpiece for each table. We did a beach theme, as Grandma loves the ocean. So, the Carribean blue tulle is supposed to look like waves, with the ceramic bowl in the center holding white sand, a flickering votive candle, and seashells. We had 80 yellow (sunshine) and blue (water) balloons about the room.
This is me, my mom, and my sisters. The funny thing here is that, despite us clearly not planning, Mom and Kodi still managed to match.
This would be me and my sisters (Kami on the left; Kodi on the right). Such a happy trio are we.
And here I am with the birthday lady herself... I seriously have the greatest grandma ever. She could not be cooler if she tried.
I'm a bit disappointed that my camera was being stupid, so the picture of Grandma walking in and being surprised did not turn out like I had hoped. But, nonetheless, here it is...
This one turned out a little bit better, but it wasn't the initial surprise shot...
After the party, the adorable nephews (Kye is on the left; Ayd is on the right) had a blast playing in the balloons, as witnessed here...
After the party was over, Mom and I stopped at the local convenience store to grab some bottled waters for our ride home. The clerk behind the counter is the son of the lady my grandma sold her house to when she re-married several years back. Mom chatted with him for just a moment, but he thanked us for having the party there in Malta, Idaho. He said it meant a lot to everyone there that we thought of them and that there were strict orders throughout the valley to not breathe a word of the party so the surprise wouldn't be ruined. It was kind of a challenge to plan a party to be held in a different state and in a town with very limited resources. There wasn't even a suitable motel or hotel in town, let alone a grocery store, bakery, etc. So, we had to haul it all in. To give you an idea of the scenery, we stopped along the side of the road so I could take this shot (can we say "desolation"?!)...
Oh, I almost forgot to post the picture of me, my sisters, my grandma, and my cousin. On that side of the family, I only have two cousins. The one who is missing was out of state and is about 10 years younger than me. Otherwise, this is it for that side...
All in all, I must say I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Utah, despite the limited play time, all of the work, and the stress of getting it all together in time. But, I loved seeing my family, some great friends, and re-connecting with some people I hadn't talked to in forever and a day. I wish I had more time to see more people, but unfortunately, that's not how it worked out. However, it was well worth the trip, but particularly because it was for my grandma, whom I love and adore. I can't imagine my life without her. So, happy 80th birthday to Grandma and happy Utah trip to me!
The triple rainbow--This is from my sister's backyard and it doesn't show the third rainbow, but there actually was one behind the one to the far left. I've never seen a double rainbow, let alone a triple. It was very cool.
My most favorite boys on earth--my nephews Aydyn and Kyeler. Ayd is identical to Kye when Kye was that age. Absolutely adorable.
The gym/cultural hall at the church all decked out for Grandma's party. (It looked much cooler in person.)
Part of the spread that fed the masses...
This is the centerpiece for each table. We did a beach theme, as Grandma loves the ocean. So, the Carribean blue tulle is supposed to look like waves, with the ceramic bowl in the center holding white sand, a flickering votive candle, and seashells. We had 80 yellow (sunshine) and blue (water) balloons about the room.
This is me, my mom, and my sisters. The funny thing here is that, despite us clearly not planning, Mom and Kodi still managed to match.
This would be me and my sisters (Kami on the left; Kodi on the right). Such a happy trio are we.
And here I am with the birthday lady herself... I seriously have the greatest grandma ever. She could not be cooler if she tried.
I'm a bit disappointed that my camera was being stupid, so the picture of Grandma walking in and being surprised did not turn out like I had hoped. But, nonetheless, here it is...
This one turned out a little bit better, but it wasn't the initial surprise shot...
After the party, the adorable nephews (Kye is on the left; Ayd is on the right) had a blast playing in the balloons, as witnessed here...
After the party was over, Mom and I stopped at the local convenience store to grab some bottled waters for our ride home. The clerk behind the counter is the son of the lady my grandma sold her house to when she re-married several years back. Mom chatted with him for just a moment, but he thanked us for having the party there in Malta, Idaho. He said it meant a lot to everyone there that we thought of them and that there were strict orders throughout the valley to not breathe a word of the party so the surprise wouldn't be ruined. It was kind of a challenge to plan a party to be held in a different state and in a town with very limited resources. There wasn't even a suitable motel or hotel in town, let alone a grocery store, bakery, etc. So, we had to haul it all in. To give you an idea of the scenery, we stopped along the side of the road so I could take this shot (can we say "desolation"?!)...
Oh, I almost forgot to post the picture of me, my sisters, my grandma, and my cousin. On that side of the family, I only have two cousins. The one who is missing was out of state and is about 10 years younger than me. Otherwise, this is it for that side...
All in all, I must say I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Utah, despite the limited play time, all of the work, and the stress of getting it all together in time. But, I loved seeing my family, some great friends, and re-connecting with some people I hadn't talked to in forever and a day. I wish I had more time to see more people, but unfortunately, that's not how it worked out. However, it was well worth the trip, but particularly because it was for my grandma, whom I love and adore. I can't imagine my life without her. So, happy 80th birthday to Grandma and happy Utah trip to me!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Nokia Nonsense
Welcome to post #50. I just happened to notice that as I logged in. Very fun. Speaking of fun, I have quite the story to tell from tonight's interesting experience.
I was gone the whole day, returning to my mom's house late this evening. I grabbed some take-out on my way home from a restaurant I used to frequent and was sitting at the dinner table, eating and chatting, when the doorbell rang. Mom said, "Great. Another salesman. I don't need another security system." Well, it was certainly not ADT. It was actually the really strange girl from just down the road who is often seen just wandering about. I'm not quite sure what her deal is, but Mom and I certainly got to know her well tonight.
She said, "Can I please use your phone for two minutes? I have an emergency phone call I need to make." Mom asked if it was local or long-distance, to which the girl replied that it was long-distance. So, Mom handed her cell phone to this er, um...lovely?...girl, who promptly invited herself in and plopped down in the recliner. Meanwhile, I stayed at the kitchen table and listened to the girl's conversation, in-between chatting with Mom. Of course, we could only hear one side of the conversation, but these were some of my favorite lines:
-No, I'm not cheating on you. I said that as a joke to get you going.
-No, I didn't ever sleep with Dustin.
-No, I didn't ever sleep with John.
-She's just trying to break us up.
-Well, maybe if they shove two tubes up inside me, they can get the things out. (Lord only knows on this one...I was a bit nervous myself just hearing that.)
-I don't want to marry the wrong guy. Remember how drunk the last one got and then he got me drinking coffee every day. I'm waiting 2 1/2 years to marry the right guy.
There were plenty of other little things she said here and there that made me cringe, but those were the ones that got the most laughs from me. The really crazy thing was that she didn't seem to care that she was sitting in a total stranger's living room, with two people listening in on the convo. I whispered to Mom that we should move to the couch and just stare at her to see what she does. But, Mom didn't like that idea.
In the beginning, I told Mom that I'd give her maybe five minutes and then ask her to leave. Well, after the first five minutes were so bizarre, I told her to give the girl 10. Then, at 10 minutes, we were just getting to the good stuff, so I told her to go for 15. I said, "Mom--this is great blog material. We have to keep listening." At 15 mins., she asked the girl to please wrap up the call. At 20 minutes, she told the girl to wrap up the call, to which the girl responded that she needed two more minutes. Mom said, "You told me two minutes when you got here. It's been twenty." And with that, the girl ended her convo with a "Yeah, I need to go...Well, because I'm using someone else's phone...OK, love you, bye!"
Mom said, "You told me you would be two minutes and that was twenty. It also was not an emergency phone call like you said it was." She said, "I'm sorry. I had to call my boyfriend to straighten out some crap." Mom quickly saw her to the door and sent her on her way. A little bit later, a text came through that said, "I need to talk to Hidee. Please have Hidee call me. I need to talk to her." So, I'm going to assume the girl's name is Hidee, but who knows? Either way, it was truly bizarre and was one of the more awkward moments of my week. Based upon Mom's reaction, I can safely say that Hidee will not be using Mom's phone again. Ever. And that, my friends is the tale of the nonsense that took place tonight on Dear Brenda's Nokia. OK, I assume Mom's phone is a Nokia, but if not, I'm still going to go with it as I like the alliteration of Nokia Nonsense. :)
I was gone the whole day, returning to my mom's house late this evening. I grabbed some take-out on my way home from a restaurant I used to frequent and was sitting at the dinner table, eating and chatting, when the doorbell rang. Mom said, "Great. Another salesman. I don't need another security system." Well, it was certainly not ADT. It was actually the really strange girl from just down the road who is often seen just wandering about. I'm not quite sure what her deal is, but Mom and I certainly got to know her well tonight.
She said, "Can I please use your phone for two minutes? I have an emergency phone call I need to make." Mom asked if it was local or long-distance, to which the girl replied that it was long-distance. So, Mom handed her cell phone to this er, um...lovely?...girl, who promptly invited herself in and plopped down in the recliner. Meanwhile, I stayed at the kitchen table and listened to the girl's conversation, in-between chatting with Mom. Of course, we could only hear one side of the conversation, but these were some of my favorite lines:
-No, I'm not cheating on you. I said that as a joke to get you going.
-No, I didn't ever sleep with Dustin.
-No, I didn't ever sleep with John.
-She's just trying to break us up.
-Well, maybe if they shove two tubes up inside me, they can get the things out. (Lord only knows on this one...I was a bit nervous myself just hearing that.)
-I don't want to marry the wrong guy. Remember how drunk the last one got and then he got me drinking coffee every day. I'm waiting 2 1/2 years to marry the right guy.
There were plenty of other little things she said here and there that made me cringe, but those were the ones that got the most laughs from me. The really crazy thing was that she didn't seem to care that she was sitting in a total stranger's living room, with two people listening in on the convo. I whispered to Mom that we should move to the couch and just stare at her to see what she does. But, Mom didn't like that idea.
In the beginning, I told Mom that I'd give her maybe five minutes and then ask her to leave. Well, after the first five minutes were so bizarre, I told her to give the girl 10. Then, at 10 minutes, we were just getting to the good stuff, so I told her to go for 15. I said, "Mom--this is great blog material. We have to keep listening." At 15 mins., she asked the girl to please wrap up the call. At 20 minutes, she told the girl to wrap up the call, to which the girl responded that she needed two more minutes. Mom said, "You told me two minutes when you got here. It's been twenty." And with that, the girl ended her convo with a "Yeah, I need to go...Well, because I'm using someone else's phone...OK, love you, bye!"
Mom said, "You told me you would be two minutes and that was twenty. It also was not an emergency phone call like you said it was." She said, "I'm sorry. I had to call my boyfriend to straighten out some crap." Mom quickly saw her to the door and sent her on her way. A little bit later, a text came through that said, "I need to talk to Hidee. Please have Hidee call me. I need to talk to her." So, I'm going to assume the girl's name is Hidee, but who knows? Either way, it was truly bizarre and was one of the more awkward moments of my week. Based upon Mom's reaction, I can safely say that Hidee will not be using Mom's phone again. Ever. And that, my friends is the tale of the nonsense that took place tonight on Dear Brenda's Nokia. OK, I assume Mom's phone is a Nokia, but if not, I'm still going to go with it as I like the alliteration of Nokia Nonsense. :)
Sunday, June 8, 2008
View from the Top
So, I’m currently sitting on the airplane, about an hour into my flight to Utah. I’ll just copy and paste this later, but while I’m the middle of this hell known as flight #1855, I may as well write. A couple of days ago, a co-worker and I were discussing flights and I said, “hopefully I’ll end up without having screaming children, stinky people, or obnoxious people next to me and no children kicking the back of my seat.” Well, the children are plentiful but not screaming yet…otherwise, I totally jinxed myself.
I have never had to use the vomit bags on a plane before (though my sister Kodi has—funniest story ever, but I can’t think too much about vomit or I will completely wretch at this point, so I’ll have to save the story for another time); I have had to seriously consider using the “Feel Better” bag on this flight. The man and woman next to me are a lovely couple…if you enjoy men with fingernails two inches long and completely dirty, a lot of loud chatter, and having your seatmates eat the stinkiest food one could smell. I seriously have no clue what it is—it looks like very damp pita chunks that were baked with a whole heap of nasty. When they first opened their carry-on bag to pull out said grossness, I concurrently smelled what I assumed to be a skunk. I thought…how odd that the skunk smell is coming through the air vents. (Keep in mind I’m going on three hours of sleep here and haven’t fared much better many nights this week.) Then it dawned on me that the plane could not have hit a skunk (don’t worry—it didn’t take too long to come to this conclusion).
This led me to start looking around me for the source of the abomination. Turns out I only needed to look a couple of inches to my right. Now, the couple is Asian and I do love me some Asian people, but I think the food they clearly learned to cook in the motherland should not have made its way with them to America. It is complete and total air pollution. Polar bears are drowning because of these people's cooking and ensuing pollution. I was eating my tasty Biscoff cookies (incidentally, my favorite—I heart Biscoff cookies) and then BAM!...almost instant vomit. So, I did what any sane person who doesn’t want to vomit in public did-—I turned away from the stench source, put my finger under my nose so I could just smell Biscoff remnants, and took the smallest breaths possible. I thought I’d either hyperventilate or sniff so hard my finger would be inhaled. It finally got to the point that the smell was dying down…and then they went for seconds. Out came the Ziplock of Putridity AKA the skunk that had been ran over 100 times and left in the baking sun with a bit of sewage poured on top of him came back to life. I prayed they would nibble quickly and feel satisfied with their consumption. I think my prayer may have been answered as the food has seemingly been tucked away. Darin is the only person who will appreciate this, but Darin, think Nebraska feed lot and combine that with limited air supply. It’s a miracle I’m alive.
So, in other fun, I’ve got the pre-teen girl in front of me who thinks it’s great to keep turning on and off the overhead light, while bouncing all over the place in her chair (my laptop screen touches the back of the seat so it’s a jiggling away); I also have the little boy behind me that is attempting to make seatback kicking an Olympic sport. He would take the gold without a doubt. Giving his parents crusties has not worked yet. (I indeed gave them “the look”…how else will they learn?)
OK, I reckon that’s enough griping. Anyone who has spent any time around me when I’m tired and hungry would well be able to picture the look on my face and the bitterness I’m exuding right now. However, in good news not only did I enjoy my cookies, but I also have the coolest TV screen in front of me. It’s cooler than the typical seatback TVs on normal planes. This has HBO, Food Network, 10 movie options, complete CDs of any genre, and it’s all touch screen. I can even control the headset volume and overhead light though the screen. I tried to listen to Madonna’s “The Confessions Tour” CD, but I wasn’t overly impressed. So, I’ve moved on to The Killers new CD. (Side note: the little pre-teen beast is about to get more than just my knee punching the back of her seat if she keeps it up. I am passively aggressively sending a message while bruising my knee in the process. Good times.)
Anyway, the music is excellent, the cookies delicious, and I have been able to get some work down for my site. So, that’s all a bonus. And, as I just typed that last sentence, my little female neighbor reached for the food bag again. I got a whiff of the stinky and was sure I was doomed…but apparently she just bumped that bag while getting out a most-delicious smelling orange. I can handle orange. I heart orange. I’m currently thanking the good Lord above for oranges. It was a great idea. Go God! OK, so I’m sure I’ll be cast to Hell for that one, but maybe not as I am giving Him props. Anyway, I’m off to contemplate my eternities of suffering that are sure to ensue. And, I’ll also be thinking of how excited I am to be going to Utah for the week. Wahoo!!!!!
I have never had to use the vomit bags on a plane before (though my sister Kodi has—funniest story ever, but I can’t think too much about vomit or I will completely wretch at this point, so I’ll have to save the story for another time); I have had to seriously consider using the “Feel Better” bag on this flight. The man and woman next to me are a lovely couple…if you enjoy men with fingernails two inches long and completely dirty, a lot of loud chatter, and having your seatmates eat the stinkiest food one could smell. I seriously have no clue what it is—it looks like very damp pita chunks that were baked with a whole heap of nasty. When they first opened their carry-on bag to pull out said grossness, I concurrently smelled what I assumed to be a skunk. I thought…how odd that the skunk smell is coming through the air vents. (Keep in mind I’m going on three hours of sleep here and haven’t fared much better many nights this week.) Then it dawned on me that the plane could not have hit a skunk (don’t worry—it didn’t take too long to come to this conclusion).
This led me to start looking around me for the source of the abomination. Turns out I only needed to look a couple of inches to my right. Now, the couple is Asian and I do love me some Asian people, but I think the food they clearly learned to cook in the motherland should not have made its way with them to America. It is complete and total air pollution. Polar bears are drowning because of these people's cooking and ensuing pollution. I was eating my tasty Biscoff cookies (incidentally, my favorite—I heart Biscoff cookies) and then BAM!...almost instant vomit. So, I did what any sane person who doesn’t want to vomit in public did-—I turned away from the stench source, put my finger under my nose so I could just smell Biscoff remnants, and took the smallest breaths possible. I thought I’d either hyperventilate or sniff so hard my finger would be inhaled. It finally got to the point that the smell was dying down…and then they went for seconds. Out came the Ziplock of Putridity AKA the skunk that had been ran over 100 times and left in the baking sun with a bit of sewage poured on top of him came back to life. I prayed they would nibble quickly and feel satisfied with their consumption. I think my prayer may have been answered as the food has seemingly been tucked away. Darin is the only person who will appreciate this, but Darin, think Nebraska feed lot and combine that with limited air supply. It’s a miracle I’m alive.
So, in other fun, I’ve got the pre-teen girl in front of me who thinks it’s great to keep turning on and off the overhead light, while bouncing all over the place in her chair (my laptop screen touches the back of the seat so it’s a jiggling away); I also have the little boy behind me that is attempting to make seatback kicking an Olympic sport. He would take the gold without a doubt. Giving his parents crusties has not worked yet. (I indeed gave them “the look”…how else will they learn?)
OK, I reckon that’s enough griping. Anyone who has spent any time around me when I’m tired and hungry would well be able to picture the look on my face and the bitterness I’m exuding right now. However, in good news not only did I enjoy my cookies, but I also have the coolest TV screen in front of me. It’s cooler than the typical seatback TVs on normal planes. This has HBO, Food Network, 10 movie options, complete CDs of any genre, and it’s all touch screen. I can even control the headset volume and overhead light though the screen. I tried to listen to Madonna’s “The Confessions Tour” CD, but I wasn’t overly impressed. So, I’ve moved on to The Killers new CD. (Side note: the little pre-teen beast is about to get more than just my knee punching the back of her seat if she keeps it up. I am passively aggressively sending a message while bruising my knee in the process. Good times.)
Anyway, the music is excellent, the cookies delicious, and I have been able to get some work down for my site. So, that’s all a bonus. And, as I just typed that last sentence, my little female neighbor reached for the food bag again. I got a whiff of the stinky and was sure I was doomed…but apparently she just bumped that bag while getting out a most-delicious smelling orange. I can handle orange. I heart orange. I’m currently thanking the good Lord above for oranges. It was a great idea. Go God! OK, so I’m sure I’ll be cast to Hell for that one, but maybe not as I am giving Him props. Anyway, I’m off to contemplate my eternities of suffering that are sure to ensue. And, I’ll also be thinking of how excited I am to be going to Utah for the week. Wahoo!!!!!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
A BlackBerry? No...a Lemon.
I hate my phone. Yes, hate. In the past few months, I have experienced the following with this supposed technological marvel--the BlackBerry Pearl:
-It wouldn't send picture messages for weeks
-It deleted the internet browser on its own
-It's stopped receiving texts...twice. The first time was during a break-up, only making the whole situation worse as it looked like I was being an @$$ and ignoring my texts
-It deleted all of my 465 contacts, while I was trying to do a software update in an attempt to fix another problem it had. My favorite part of that fiasco: I did backup the data--or attempt to--but, when I went to restore it all, I found that the backup file was "corrupted", resulting in hours of work trying to recover the contacts; I got back 430. I'm still discovering who the 35 missing are. Oh, and when that whole thing happened, it froze my phone up and wouldn't let me call anyone--and I was heading out on a blind date, with no capability of checking in with friends to let them know I was fine. It was awful.
-It has started deleting all of my messages before I can even get them open--or the second I close them, they'll delete
-At random, my inbox (which I do not keep overfilled anyway) deletes texts or emails, sometimes all of them at once
-The phone freezes up regularly and gives me that stupid twirling hour glass--usually at the most inopportune times too
-In the middle of texting, it will switch from doing "SureType" to doing the multi-tap alphabet on its own
-The camera zoom has completely failed to work
-The scrolling mouse thing only works occasionally and when I try to scroll to select the correct word from the SureType list, it doesn't work and picks a random one, resulting in me re-typing the word several times before it accepts it
-And, the latest saga: I sent a text to some friends and family members this morning, letting them know that, yet again, my phone is not receiving texts. I know this because I was mad at a friend for not answering me yesterday, so I yelled at them. But it turns out they answered me--twice--and I just didn't get it. Grrr. Anyway, I sent the text this morning and almost instantly, I got a call from some random Utah phone number (801 area code). I thought, "Hmmmm...this is really early for Utah time. It could be an emergency, but it could just be a wrong number." So, I let it go to VM and then immediately checked it. This is how the voicemail went:
"Yes, if your phone number is (...), please stop texting my son! He's 12 years old. We live in Ogden, Utah. He just got a text saying that your phone is messed up and this is the 10th text he's gotten from you. Please stop texting him! We have to pay for every one you send."
I called back and apologized and got his phone number to see if it just happens to be one number off from any of my family members', but it wasn't anywhere even close. I told her I was taking the phone in today to be fixed...again...and then apologized again. After hanging up, it occurred to me that my phone has done some pretty stupid things. So, I went into each family member's record to make sure his number didn't get added into it somehow. Sure enough, my phone replaced my sister Kami's cell number with some random 12-year-old boy's cell number. AAAAAHHH!!! I so want to smash the thing...but instead, I will do the calm thing and make Verizon replace it. I called them yesterday again anyway and they said they'd do whatever it took to make me happy. They'd better stand by that, as I do not need a $300 piece of junk that texts random 12-year-old boys. Not cool.
OK, I have said my peace...amen.
-It wouldn't send picture messages for weeks
-It deleted the internet browser on its own
-It's stopped receiving texts...twice. The first time was during a break-up, only making the whole situation worse as it looked like I was being an @$$ and ignoring my texts
-It deleted all of my 465 contacts, while I was trying to do a software update in an attempt to fix another problem it had. My favorite part of that fiasco: I did backup the data--or attempt to--but, when I went to restore it all, I found that the backup file was "corrupted", resulting in hours of work trying to recover the contacts; I got back 430. I'm still discovering who the 35 missing are. Oh, and when that whole thing happened, it froze my phone up and wouldn't let me call anyone--and I was heading out on a blind date, with no capability of checking in with friends to let them know I was fine. It was awful.
-It has started deleting all of my messages before I can even get them open--or the second I close them, they'll delete
-At random, my inbox (which I do not keep overfilled anyway) deletes texts or emails, sometimes all of them at once
-The phone freezes up regularly and gives me that stupid twirling hour glass--usually at the most inopportune times too
-In the middle of texting, it will switch from doing "SureType" to doing the multi-tap alphabet on its own
-The camera zoom has completely failed to work
-The scrolling mouse thing only works occasionally and when I try to scroll to select the correct word from the SureType list, it doesn't work and picks a random one, resulting in me re-typing the word several times before it accepts it
-And, the latest saga: I sent a text to some friends and family members this morning, letting them know that, yet again, my phone is not receiving texts. I know this because I was mad at a friend for not answering me yesterday, so I yelled at them. But it turns out they answered me--twice--and I just didn't get it. Grrr. Anyway, I sent the text this morning and almost instantly, I got a call from some random Utah phone number (801 area code). I thought, "Hmmmm...this is really early for Utah time. It could be an emergency, but it could just be a wrong number." So, I let it go to VM and then immediately checked it. This is how the voicemail went:
"Yes, if your phone number is (...), please stop texting my son! He's 12 years old. We live in Ogden, Utah. He just got a text saying that your phone is messed up and this is the 10th text he's gotten from you. Please stop texting him! We have to pay for every one you send."
I called back and apologized and got his phone number to see if it just happens to be one number off from any of my family members', but it wasn't anywhere even close. I told her I was taking the phone in today to be fixed...again...and then apologized again. After hanging up, it occurred to me that my phone has done some pretty stupid things. So, I went into each family member's record to make sure his number didn't get added into it somehow. Sure enough, my phone replaced my sister Kami's cell number with some random 12-year-old boy's cell number. AAAAAHHH!!! I so want to smash the thing...but instead, I will do the calm thing and make Verizon replace it. I called them yesterday again anyway and they said they'd do whatever it took to make me happy. They'd better stand by that, as I do not need a $300 piece of junk that texts random 12-year-old boys. Not cool.
OK, I have said my peace...amen.
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