2 more COMPLETE!

Posted on November 4, 2008 by The Bug

I can officially cross two more items off of my list:  #94: Vote in a presidential election and #95: Vote in a local election.  I’m considerably closer to #29…I officially applied for graduation with my Associate’s today!  I take 3 classes in the spring towards my Bachelor’s…one more class after that and #29 is G-O-N-E!  I’ve been releasing books, per #55, will be getting my eyebrows waxed YET AGAIN, per #64…I continue to donate rice (#76) and because of a new option at freerice.com (#76), I am also learning something new…50 Spanish words…oh and one of those classes I’m taking in the Spring is an Elementary Spanish class (#24).  I called an old friend (#97) and left a message…he didn’t answer, but I look forward to hearing back from him!  I did “IT” outside (#98)…do you really need more information than that?

The next few I would like to tackle are…#4…no eating out for 1 month…Andy and I are working on that one right now…So far it’s been 3 days…Andy will be working weekends again for awhile (that’s another entry in itself), so I may try out a few churches (#8)!

Now that my leg is S-L-O-W-L-Y healing, but definitely healing, I am planning on getting back on the workout track (minus running), which should help with #44 and/or #45 and hey, why not?  #46!

This month, I’m going to purchase Christmas cards and mail them all out before the end of November.  THAT will delete #52.  And…I started my list of things I love about Andy (#57).  I’m going to take my time with this one and add things as I feel them.  I don’t want to force it, I want the items on the list to be meaningful!

I think that’s a lofty enough list for now.  There has been a lot going on in “The Bug’s World”, but not much time to put it into words with all the work and the school and the knee therapy.  Thanks for sticking with me…I know it’s been quiet around here.

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Back to the list…

Posted on October 1, 2008 by The Bug

After my accident, things from my 101 in 1001 list fell by the wayside.  I was (and still am) distracted by my knee injury and all of the therapy, etc… involved in the ridiculously looooooooooong healing process.  Working full time at my new job (now 4 months in!) and going to school full time (currently taking 13 credit hours), has hindered my ability to focus on much else.

Prior to my accident, I did complete another item from the list…#99!  We were at Deep Creek Lake over Memorial Day weekend with my brother and his girlfriend and we went miniature golfing!  For the life of me, I can’t figure out how to upload a freakin’ picture into this post, so you’ll just have to use your imagination.  Regardless, I crossed another item off of the list!

I have two on my list that I COULD cross off, but I don’t want to, since my vacation was ruined.  Number 85:  Travel outside of the USA and Number 86:  Take another quiet beach vacation….RUINED.  We’re looking at another beach trip in February ‘09…We shall see!

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Political Strategy?

Posted on September 23, 2008 by The Bug

I don’t fall on one side of the fence or the other, I go by the issues and what makes sense to me.  BUT, I got this email today and I’m wondering if anyone has any thoughts on this:

“This rumor just in, and totally unverified, but might be feasible for a panicked liberal campaign?
 
On or about October 5th, Biden will excuse himself from the ticket, citing health problems, and he will be replaced by Hillary.  This is timed to occur after the VP debate on 10/2.

Generally, the feeling is that Republicans should all go ahead and get it out there to as many blog sites and personal email lists as is possible.  I have already seen a few short blurbs about this - the ‘health problem’ cited in those articles was aneurysm.  Probably many of you have heard the same
rumblings.

However, at this point, with this inside info from the DNC, it looks like this Obama strategy will be a go.  Therefore, it seems that the best strategy is to get out in front of this Obama maneuver,  spell it out in detail, and thereby expose it for the grand manipulation that it is.

So, let’s start mixing this one up and cut the Obamites off at the pass - send this info out to as many people as you can - post about it on websites and blogs - etc.”

Thoughts?

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Seriously?

Posted on September 8, 2008 by The Bug

I have been sitting in my office since 5:00 pm, diligently TRYING to study “Fundamentals of Weather”, which just happens to be my lab science course, which means it’s not EASY to comprehend.  I have received 4 telemarketing calls in 3 hours.  I have NO problem with telemarketers, everyone has to make a living, blah blah blah…  and honestly, these aren’t even “real” telemarketers, as I have put myself on every list under the sun to avoid “those people”.  No, these are the charitable donation “telemarketers”.

Now, in the past, I was EXTREMELY gullible and donated $25 to just about every person that called our house after we moved in.  That is probably the BIGGEST reason that I am on EVERY charitable organizations “sucker” list.  Regardless, I have wisened up, and I am being a bit more selective as to where my charitable money is going these days.  And there ARE donations going out of this house!  I have just decided that I will choose IN ADVANCE where I want those $$ to go.

First call?  The police department.  But it’s not the actual police department calling to ask me for money, it’s some charity fundraising group.  I have read and heard about these groups, and my understanding is that the fundraising organization actually charges a fee, so some of your charitable donation doesn’t make it to it’s intended recipient.  Reason #1 to determine your donations in advance.  SO, I kindly ask this person to remove from there list as I have already made my donations for the year.  They say, “Thank you” and hang up.  Perfectly cordial

Call number TWO…Nice man from the fire department calls.  Very kind, I believe he is actually FROM the fire department, BUT that doesn’t change the fact that I am no longer donating “on a whim” and I will not be giving this kind man my money.  He continues his spiel, I quietly listen, and AGAIN, politely decline to give him my hard-earned cash.  After another minute of “explaining”, he finally allows me to hang up.  Still not too bad.

Call number THREE is from Children’s Cancer Research Coalition.  Jumps right into the script and I wait for the pause…and JUMP in and try this route, “Sir, I have recently ran in to some financial difficulties and won’t be able to donate and money.  If you could please remove from your li..” and he interrupts me and says, “We like to remove people like you from our lists”, and HANGS UP ON ME.  I tried calling back, using the number that came up on the caller ID, but of course, it’s a dead number.  I mean, I’m not in any serious financial trouble, but if I was?  This would have made me feel 10X worse than it already has.

Call number 4 is from an actual telemarketer.  It’s some credit card company with a recorded voice telling me that this is my last chance to lower my interest rate and that I need to press 1.  I press 1, knowing full well that it’s complete bullshit.  Some kid answers and starts blabbering and I say, “What is this about?” and he says that they would like to consolidate my credit cards and offer me ONE LOW INTEREST RATE!!!!!  I’m fed up at this point, but still trying to be polite, I say, “Sir, I don’t have any credit cards, so if you could remo….” and I get hung up on, AGAIN.

I’m seriously pissed.  Things are seriously going downhill if the telemarketers can now treat ME like crap when all I’ve done is be completely polite.  I know that a lot of people treat telemarketers like dirt, but I have ALWAYS been very nice to “these people”.  Is there an 800 number you can call to bitch about telemarketers, in general?  I doubt it.  That’s what makes me most upset.  I can’t DO anything about these people treating me like crap.

BAH.

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Healing

Posted on July 28, 2008 by The Bug

So when I left you last, I was freshly engaged and fairly damaged with road rash, busted teeth, and an extremely F’ed up knee…So, let me catch you up on where we are almost a month later!

After Andy asked me to marry him, we had dinner at the resort restaurant (going much farther really wouldn’t have been possible with the crutches and the not being able to walk, etc…) and I had a cheese quesadilla (couldn’t chew with the missing teeth)…Andy had LOBSTER!  He was kind enough to share.  He was very sweet and cut my food into tiny portions and helped me eat.  Not only were my front teeth knocked out, but my jaw was all messed up from my chin hitting the pavement.  I couldn’t really chew, so I just had to kind of mash the food up with my tongue.  It was SEXY, let me tell you!

After dinner, we went to bed fairly early and took off for the airport bright and early June 7…my birthday!  We got home, had a birthday dinner at Ledo Pizza and went home.  I spent quite a few days in bed, Andy waiting on me hand and foot.  He was/is a VERY good nurse to me.  He sat with me while I showered, just in case I needed anything (you try showering without standing on your right leg), and until this weekend, he has driven me everywhere I needed to go.

That brings me to my next point…I haven’t driven in over a month!  I finally got my knee to bend 60 degrees and am able to squeeze into the drivers seat of our truck.  Meaning I can finally drive myself to work.  Sweet Andy has been getting up with me at 4:30 am and driving me to a drop off spot where a very sweet co-worker would pick me up and carpool me into work.  After work, she drove me ALL THE WAY HOME, even though it’s at least a half an hour out of her way. 

I don’t know what I would have done without Andy and this wonderful co-worker.  BUT, it sure feels wonderful to be in the drivers seat again.  Relying on other people to get around makes life very frustrating.  There’s nothing worse than sitting at home with a perfectly functional car outside, and REALLY wanting a soda and not being able to just hop in said car and drive yourself to get what you want!

I guess what I’m trying to say is, I’m not healed yet, but I’m definitely on the road to health.  I start physical therapy tomorrow.  I had to wait until I could drive to start therapy, and I’m hoping that it will speed up this healing process.  I have 3.5 weeks until I see the doctor again, at which point he will let me know if I have to have surgery or not.  Keep your fingers crossed for me!!!!

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Vacation…Day 3

Posted on July 3, 2008 by The Bug

Day three of our vacation started at midnight in Hospiten in Playa del Carmen.  From ambulance ride to here, I had received stitches in my upper lip, my wonderful nurse, Marcos, had cleaned and bandaged all of my road rash, and my right leg had been x-rayed.  The x-rays showed no broken bones, but the bottom half of my leg was not moving the way that it should.  They brought in an orthopedic surgeon to take a look.  It was determined that I most likely had Medial Collateral Ligament injuries.  He recommended that I wear the brace they provided, use my crutches to get around, and if I was still in Mexico on Monday, come back to Hospiten for an MRI, which would determine the actual extent of the damage.  My hospital care in Mexico was one of THE best experiences I have ever had with medical care.  In addition, it was also the cheapest!

Around 1:30 am, we were finally discharged (eww, I said discharge), hopped in a cab and stopped at the pharmacy to pick up some drugs and bandages.  The taxi driver was great and helped Andy with the language barrier at the pharmacy, as well as running down the street to get us some ice from the convenience store.  After all of that, the driver stopped at the site of the accident, allowed Andy to grab one of the rented scooters (they were just sitting on the side of the road, Andy didn’t know what else to do with them!), and the taxi and I followed Andy back to the Cabana.

I crutched my way up to the cabana, collapsed on the bed, and with a little help from Andy, got into my pajamas and passed out.  What a trying experience.  I have NEVER had so many injuries over my entire life, let alone all in one day.

Andy spent all of day 3 running around, calling the airlines, negotiating refunds and discounted flight change fees, etc…  He also brought me food, helped me eat, and bought me a cute little sundress!  He was wonderful.  Around 4 or so,  he helped me get a shower and we took a short nap.  After he helped me put on my new dress, we went and sat on our “front porch” overlooking the ocean (the view) before going down to dinner.

We sat and talked about how lucky I was that my injuries were “minimal” (they sure don’t feel minimal, but I guess in the grand scheme of things, I am pretty lucky), and Andy told me how happy he is with me, and that he’ll be with me forever…and that’s when he reached into his pocket and I started to cry.  He came over, got down on his knee and looked me in the eye and said “So, will you marry me?”  I cried, of course I said yes, and then he gave me the most beautiful ring I have ever seen.

Our engagement photo is PRICELESS.

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Mexican Hospital?!?!?

Posted on June 26, 2008 by The Bug

After skidding across the pavement and scrambling to the side of the road, I was on my back and holding my right leg up with my right arm, and covering my mouth with my left hand.  My right knee cap was on the side of my leg and my right foot was facing outward.  There was definitely something terrribly wrong with my leg.  In addition, I could feel that my two front teeth were VERY chipped and there was blood coming from somewhere on my face.

Andy came running over to me, as did a lot of locals that were kind enough to stop and help us.  Everyone was standing over me and staring down at me as I screamed and tried not to look at my disfigured leg.  Andy used his Spanish VERY well, and a local dialed the ambulance and let Andy use a cell phone to get the ambulance to us.  The ambulance arrived in less than 15 minutes, it was amazingly fast.  While we were waiting, all I could think was “What the F is a hospital in MEXICO going to be like???”

The paramedics jumped out, ran over and asked what happened.  Andy was able to tell them (I speak NO spanish, even though I have TRIED to learn) and then they did something that I was NOT expecting.  They grabbed my right leg…AND STRAIGHTENED IT OUT.  Now, I don’t recall if that was actually painful, or if I just expected it to be painful, but I know that I screamed.  It was not something I would like to repeat.  They then strapped me to the stretcher and loaded me into the “ambulancia”.  I was scared that they would shut the doors and drive away without Andy, but he was keeping an eye on me, while explaining what happened to the police.  The police man came saying that an ambulance is “very expensive” and Andy kept asking “What else am I going to do?”  It’s not like he could throw me over his shoulder and scooter me to the hospital!

Finally, Andy finished the police report, hopped in the back of the ambulance with me and we sped off to Hospiten in Playa del Carmen.  When I wrecked, we were actually closer to a hospital in Tulum, but the locals told Andy over and over that we should definitely go to Playa del Carmen, NOT Tulum.  I guess Tulum’s hospital is not a very good hospital!

On the way to Hospiten, the medic cleaned up my face and Andy held my hand and just kept telling me, “It’s not that bad sweetheart, you’ll be fine”.  I could see in his face that he was trying very hard to keep himself together so as not to worry me.  He was amazing the entire night.  About 20 minutes later, we arrived at Hospiten and the long road to healing began…

Filed under: Mexico, Travel | 2 Comments »

Vacation…Day 2

Posted on June 24, 2008 by The Bug

We woke up relatively early to the sounds of the ocean on June 5.  I put on a little sundress and we took a walk down the road to another set of cabanas to have breakfast.  We sat outside overlooking the ocean and had breakfast with a few companions…kittens and iguanas!!  I had bacon and eggs, always the health nut and Andy had a fruit plate and a breakfast shake. 

kittensWe walked back to our cabana, changed into our suits and headed back down to the beach.  I was a little more daring and went TOPLESS! for a little while.  Andy fell asleep and I read my book…before he woke up, I had decided that since everyone else was naked, I might as well join the party…Andy was quite surprised when he woke up from his nap!

We swam for awhile, enjoyed the solitude, and then decided to head up to the “city”, Tulum.  We hailed a cab outside of the reception area and headed out.  On the way, we passed a Hertz rental car place and stopped to rent scooters for the week.  MUCH cheaper than a car or taxis everywhere!  Now that we were free to travel wherever we chose, we scootered our way to Playa del Carmen to find a Harley dealer.

I was a little nervous at first, but got the hang of it very quickly.  It was actually MUCH easier than riding my Harley.  I guess because it’s lower to the ground and lighter…whatever the case, we were up and running and arrived in Playa del Carmen around 6.  At this point, I realized it was going to be getting dark soon and asked Andy if we could head back SOON to avoid riding on the highway at night.  He didn’t want to leave so soon, but gave in and we headed back after an unsuccesful attempt at finding a Harley dealer.  (We have since found out that there is NOT an actual Harley dealer in Playa del Carmen)

On our way home, we were going between 80 and 90 kilometers per hour (between 50 and 60 MPH) and everything was going smoothly.  Instead of on/off ramps, they have GIANT speed humps in Mexico.  You have to slow WAAAAAAAAAAAAY down to go over these and it allows people to U-turn and enter their destination.  There aren’t very many of these speed bumps, and they are NOT clearly marked.  I’m guessing you have an idea where this is going…

We’re cruising along, we’re almost back to Tulum, and then it happens…One of those stupid, giant speed bumps snuck up on me.  I didn’t see it AT ALL and I hit it going at least 80 KMH.  Needless to say, I flew through the air, landed, skidded and the scooter fell over.  My right leg skidded underneath the scooter, my face hit something, and when the skidding stopped, I scrambled to the side of the road.

There I stayed, staring at the night sky, wondering what the F a hospital in Mexico would be like, and how the hell I was going to get there.  I was terrified.

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Hello? Is it me you’re looking for?

Posted on June 23, 2008 by The Bug

Sooooo…a lot has happened since I last stopped by.  I got a new job on May 5 and things are going QUITE well here.  My direct supervisor is awesome.  And her direct supervisor is one of the company owner’s and he is great.  I sit in his office, so the fact that he is awesome definitely helps matters.  I can’t imagine sitting in the same office as ANY of my previous employers and not wanting to shoot myself in the face, so that right there should show how much better this place is…so far anyway!

I like the work that I’m doing, I like the people I work with, I like the commute…It’s the first time I have ever carpooled and I actually enjoy it!  I have always enjoyed my drive to work because it gives me a moment to listen to my music and clear my head.  But now, I meet my co-worker/supervisor at the Park-n-Ride and we ride in together.  It’s great because we can use the HOV lane and she drives FAST!  I don’t ever have to drive because my truck is a gas eater, I just give her gas money.

So…the new job is going great, and I went on vacation on June 4 to Tulum, Mexico!  We flew in on Wednesday and took a bus and then a taxi to get to our Cabana.  It was BEAUTIFUL.  We were up on a little cliff overlooking the ocean in a cabana with a king size bed and NO ELECTRICITY.  It was absolutely beautiful.

We spent the rest of our day relaxing in the sun on the clothing optional beach.  I was not “risque” enough to go nude, but I seriously considered it!  Then we had dinner at our cabana’s restaurant and went to bed around 10 or so, listening to the sound of the waves crashing down below.

More updates tomorrow!

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Reunited…and it feels so good!

Posted on May 19, 2008 by The Bug

See part 1 here…

So, I found VERY cheap tickets to Florida on USA3000…Oh?  You’ve never heard of it either?  Well SO WHAT?  CHEAP TICKETS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, I flew to Florida mid-March, and as expected, things were never awkward.  We picked up where we left off 2 years ago and not only that, we finally discussed some of the “stuff” hanging over our heads the past few years.  I explained why i had missed Ann’s funeral, she asked why she wasn’t asked to be in my wedding, (for the record, it was family only, I’m not a mean person!), and we just sat and talked and talked.  We went over our lives for the past ten years and expressed how we had become the women that we are now.

Needless to say, I am happy to have her back in my life.  She is a beautiful girl with a beautiful heart, and I hop that we never lose touch again, but it is nice to know that if life happens and we don’t hear from one another for awhile, we’ll be able to pick up where we left off.

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