The Ice Queen and the Good News

Today Ty had an echo cardiogram to make sure his heart has not developed any problems due to the chemo he received two years ago. He'll have to go in every year just to make sure it's still alright. He's got a good, strong ticker and I'm not worried.

Next he had an ultrasound of his leg to check for blood clots. It was taking a little more time than normal, when the doctor actually came in (without being asked) which means he'd been monitoring the screen remotely and seen something he wanted to get a closer look at.**

Fortunately there were no blood clots, only a couple of suspicious masses.

Don't worry, the oncologist actually went downstairs and discussed things with the radiologist. There is only the potential for a bad situation and not an actual emergency. We were referred to another department that will take it from here. We'll see them in December.

(Aside: what is it with snotty receptionists? I was bewildered by her ice queen demeanor. I really felt I had been nothing but peaches and cream to her and she had to go and whip out her freeze ray, making her doctor's office all exclusive and junk. She didn't give a rat's you know what that ONCOLOGY (you know the people that take care of CANCER patients) had sent him down because it was kind of a big deal and that he'd already had the required scans. Nope, she wanted a letter from God stating why he needed to be seen by their office. Honestly, some people.)

All in all it was a good news day, even though we don't have all the answers yet.

**apologies for leaving my prepositions hanging out in the wind.

Con-Hair?

I'm away on a girls' trip this weekend. I know I've been indulging my wanderlust ridiculously as of late, but hey you take what you can get WHEN you can get it.

It was a last minute decision and due to heavy traffic we didn't make it to our destination until we'd driven straight through the night, arriving nearly at sunrise. My sister and I kept ourselves awake with tales from our youth (me probably having slightly more tales to tell) and honey roasted almonds.

My lips are mere hints of lips, they are so shrivelled and salted. But we made it and tumbled into bed before seeing the sun come up. Today we did the sisterly thing and went shopping. I purchased a flat iron from a kiosk at the mall (I KNOW!) and narrowly escaped being talked into splurging for hair extensions. They clipped in so easily and VOILA! insta-hair and it was a perfect match to my hair color and everything.

Once it was styled I had hair envy so bad (except that the hardware that attached it to my head made me feel sort of like an armadillo) - I nearly succumbed to the allure of having long, golden tresses.

I felt like a rock star. A rock star armadillo, but still: Long! Golden! Hair! I may even have swished my head back and forth to see the light shimmering off my newly donned locks.

But my sister breathed reason into my ear and the spell was broken. What did she say? Three simple words, Sleep on it.

Poof!

As the studio turns

Homework: Do any or all or be inspired.
~Your best friend just called and said, through her tears, "I know you've had experience with_____. What did you do?" What would she be calling about? Answer her question in a note.

~Write about a time you made a presentation of some kind. Were you nervous? Excited? Prompt: "After I was introduced, I stood up and said_____"

~Remember someone who poured out their heart to you. How did you feel towards them after hearing their story? Were you sympathetic? Shocked? Disgusted? Understanding?


I think I must be a good listener, or at least, a sympathetic one. People's "stories" have always fascinated me, and fortunately I get to hear a lot of them.

I have always stayed and waited for my daughters during their lessons, and waiting involves a lot of sitting and knitting. Knitting needles must be the universal symbol for "Talk to me" since I have yet to sit in silence.

One woman and I were comparing divorce horror stories (not our own as we don't have any) when she decided to confide in me her own dramatic marriage. First, it made me very grateful for the wonderful man I married and second, it made me fearful that I might hear about her on the 6 o'clock news some night. And not in the hurt-her-kids-Susan-Smith sort of way but more in the her-husband-cut-her-into-tiny-pieces-ala-Lacy-Petersen sort of way.

Inside, I was aghast at the details of her dysfunctional marriage but outside I tried to remain supportive and encouraging. I suppose that's akin to telling a passenger on the Titanic that the water isn't all that cold. There are drugs, money, children with major medical issues, overwhelming debt, corporate espionage, mystery clients, theft, etc. involved. This one woman lives a life that sounds like the plot line to a daytime soap.

The funny thing is, nearly everyone there has a story that can compete.

Slo-Mo Moment

I've never been attacked by a piping hot sample of Tomato Bisque before. It's not something I'd care to repeat.

The sales girl brought to sample cups to the counter for Michelle to taste (she was suffering from brace-face and in need of soft foods, STAT) and plopped them down. What with physics being what they are and all, that tomato bisque flew right out of the sample cup landing squarely on my chest and brand new (formerly cute) jacket. It was like something right out of The Matrix only I couldn't manage that back-breaking layout to dodge the basil-tomato bullet.

We both stood there open-mouthed -me because Holy Hannah! was that soup ever HOT and she because (in her words) Well, that's never happened before.

Finally I managed to gather some composure and squeak out Can you get me something, it's burning me! You'd be surprised at just how much havoc two tablespoons of soup can wreak. I soaked the jacket, but haven't had the heart to see if it's stained. In such a case do I cut my losses and buy a new one or ask for compensation? I'm inclined towards cutting my losses since it was an accident, I think.

But I'm normally such a crusader for justice that inclination somewhat surprises me. I'm just pleased that I didn't let any un-ladylike words fly. Especially in front of my daughter.

This one is definitely coming down

I don't know what came over me today, maybe I can blame it on Halloween and the coinciding black hole in my closet? Or maybe the full moon?

Whatever the reason, I grabbed this sweater off the rack and squeezed myself into a vanity-sized 4 skirt. It's a horrible angle, but no matter how you look at it, it appears I'm channeling my inner Carol Burnett/Charo. I don't even think you could dry clean the thing with all those feathers .Don't worry honey, it's going right back to the store, I'm over my temporary fashion insanity - mostly.

Next thing you know I'll be sporting fascinators and hats with netting - poor Mr. O.

P.S. Can we not talk about my hand placement? I obviously have no idea how to pose or what to do with them.

However does she come up with these?

Tonight we went (all of us) in the new van to my parent's house to celebrate October and November birthdays. Or as Ellie calls to have a Cousin Day. We took along the camp cot for Ty to lay/lie (?) on and then since Mr. O had a church meeting and came over later, I had him bring a little sedative to calm Ty's nerves. Ty does not like crowds or leaving our house, really (although he does make an exception for school which he loves). But he's going to have to get used to getting out more now that the van makes it absurdly easy to take him places.

Anyway the adults were visiting in one room and the children were playing in another. All of the sudden I heard major tears and Ellie came running into the room.

Someone broke my life!

What?

My life, someone broke my life!

What does that mean?

They broke my heart.

How did that happen?

I was building a tower and they knocked it over.

Well, then. No we have no drama in our house, none whatsoever, why do you ask?

My mom turned a tricot sheet into a couple of costumes for the girls. An angel for Nicole:

And a Greek goddess for Michelle:

Everyone should have such a talented mom.

NoNo NaNoWriMo

It's said that everyone has a novel in them. It's not true.

I am novel-less. Vignettes, however, I have aplenty. So I've decided to use November to catch up my journal writing. I'm just mentioning it here so I might actually follow through.

I'm also committing to daily exercise. I've been such a slacker since it got cold outside and haven't been running. I'll replace it with cardio and yoga and continue with weightlifting. I'm only 10 lbs away from my goal and I AM going to make it by Christmas (as long as I can stay away from the clearance priced Halloween candy).