Exceedingly Mundane

Well, I’m still not feeling very well. I feel absolutely horrible in the mornings and at night, and get to feeling a little bit better across the middle part of the day. What’s up with that? If I’m drinking something hot or cold, or have a Chloraseptic in my mouth, my throat is bearable. If not (read: the other 23 hours of the day), then my throat is killing me. I hope that two things speed my recovery – 1) all the over-the-counter medicine I’m taking (tylenol, chloraseptic, sinus medicine and that nasty gargling with warm salty water thing my mother always made me do), and 2) changing the air filter. I know that sounds funny, but I have noticed a pattern the last several months. I start getting stopped up and then get a sore throat or sinus thing going when our allergen air filter gets clogged up and needs changing. So, I got Tim to change it out today and I predict in about 36-48 hours I will start feeling better. I swear, as weird as it sounds, I get sick every time it gets dirty and clogged.

Poor Tim is really suffering today. I don’t feel like going anywhere, so I’m resting and staying here. He doesn’t do well with “sitting around the house” as he calls it. I told him he could go somewhere, anywhere he wanted, but he hasn’t taken me up on that offer. As a consequence, I think he’s fairly miserable. 🙁

He went back on-call Friday night and it didn’t take long – they called twice last night after midnight with problems. I have no idea how long he was up working, I went back to sleep. Bad, unsupportive spouse.

Oh, and in addition to everything else Tim did for us yesterday around here (including cleaning out the garage and getting rid of all the wood shavings– yeah!), he built me a small trellis for our climbing rose. We were looking for one a couple of weekends ago and most of the ones we liked were wood, but they were 25-30 bucks. Tim said, I have some scraps at the house, I can make one for nothing. After all, we hope in a couple of years that the rose grows and fills up the trellis anyway, so it won’t matter that much how it looks. I think it looks good though! It’s a custom design – he built it to go on top of the one that came with the rose, that we planted with it, because it already had several tendrils wrapped around the existing one. Click the -More- link to check it out.

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Tim is in super-duper worker mode today. He’s getting a lot done outside, in the garage and in the yard. And playing with his new toolbox on his truck too. 🙂

He planted the pass-along plant we got from our neighbor, the Confederate Rose. Click the -More- link to see a picture. We planted it right outside our bedroom window, so I will be able to see it from inside, which will be nice. I hope it takes off and blooms later in the summer.

I also took a picture of our clematis that is blooming in the backyard. Most of the blooms are open now and it looks really good. They have such big blooms.

I haven’t gotten much rest this afternoon. I fixed Tim some lunch, and then went outside and watched while he planted the plant, and then I watered it with root stimulator, then watered all of the other flowers. That nearly wore me out. So, now I’ve retreated back indoors (read: into the air conditioning) and I’m going to try to take some more medicine and rest a bit. My throat is still hurting really bad. 🙁

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Well, I’m feeling quite a bit under the weather today. I woke up yesterday (Friday) morning with a sore throat, which is not all that unusual for me. I get a lot of sore throats. But this one escalated quickly into a full blown sinus thing. I got a lot worse last night and today, I have a pretty decent sinus/migraine headache and my throat hurts so bad, it hurts to talk and swallow. I’ve spent all morning either on the couch or bed, just resting, and will probably spend most of the rest of the day there. Ick. No way to spend a weekend. Tim, thankfully, has lots of things he wants to do outside, in the garage, with his woodworking stuff (mostly cleaning up) and in the yard.

OK, if anyone wants to know, I’ve run some of my errands today. Went to the library this morning and checked out two more books (they are on the sidebar now). I also put a hold on the next Stephanie Plum book (High Five), but it won’t be in for a couple more weeks. I think myself and another person are reading them in order, because he/she has them checked out before me, every time!

I also ran to Kroger and picked up a few things, and am headed out to Sam’s in a few minutes to get a couple more things. Check out the -More- link if you want to see the shopping lists!
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Well, I’m doing my morning surfing and checking on the trivia on Hambones. Also, I just typed up a list of “season finales” and entered it on the TV forum on Hambones. Lots of good shows that we watch either ending forever or for the summer. It’s going to be a long, hot summer with nothing interesting to watch on TV. Will be time to hit the theatre for some summer blockbusters, rent more movies, and (hopefully) watch more from our ever-growing DVD collection. 😀

Some random thoughts I’m having this morning…

The poll of the day on Hambones is about a root canal – in honor of poor Tim having to go to the dentist this morning. 🙂 No root canal today, but he has had two before. I have, thankfully, never had to have one.

Today is Friday the 13th. I don’t really have triskaidekaphobia, although I do have a serious interest in Friday the 13th and superstitions in particular. My favorite EVER term paper I did in high school (or was it college). Learned lots about superstitions, loved it.

We didn’t go walking today because Tim had to work last night and I thought he needed to sleep late.

On the news: The Naval Station in Pascagoula is on the base closure list, out this morning. I hope it dodges the bullet. There’s about 1400 military folks there, the news just reported.

On TV tonight – the last two episodes EVER of Star Trek: Enterprise. Sniff Sniff. I’ve been a Trekkie all my life, and although Enterprise is nowhere near as good as Next Generation was, I still like it and will miss having a Trek show to watch.

Also on TV tonight – the season finale of Numbers, new show that came out mid-season. It appeals to me because of all the math and crime solving. Right up my alley!

I just finished my cappuccino – my splurge that I save for Friday mornings. 😀

I’m headed out in a bit to one of my favorite places on earth – the library! Time to get more books. Like a bookstore, which I love more, but better because it’s FREE!

Elizabeth is supposed to stop by this afternoon and do some laundry. Her apt for the summer doesn’t have a washer and dryer, so hopefully we’ll get to see her more this summer!

I can’t wait for 5 o’clock and Tim getting off work, so we can start our weekend! 😛

OK, I know I should not be admitting this, but I just saw the mouse/rat that is living up under our deck. EWWWW!

Tim said he saw one this past Saturday afternoon late and put some rat poison under the deck. Apparently, it is not working, or hasn’t worked yet. I called him at work and he said the box said it may take up to a week to work. I saw one, THEN TWO, rats come out from up under my deck and start eating my verbena. I thought they were coming to up under my bird feeder to eat the leftovers and hulls, much like my squirrel does every day or so. But, NO, I saw them eating my flowers.

I think Tim will be asked very nicely to put out a double dose of more rat poison tonight when he gets home from work.

If, for some odd reason, you want to see what one of them looked like, click the -More- Link for the one decent picture I got. Those buggers were faster than greased lightening! And yes, I know, I’m sick. I’m here in my house, listening to my AC run because it’s 89º outside, then I look out and see a rat, so that means I must run immediately and get my camera to take a picture. I’m sick in the head. I know it. I need a dog. Or a cat. Or a goldfish. I miss Sally.

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Found this on another lady’s blog and thought we could do this here. Play along if you’d like, just post your answers in the comments section. Mine are below! 🙂

Name four books on your bookshelf: September and Shell Seekers by Rosamund Pilcher; Tara Road by Maeve Binchy; Lake News by Barbara Delinsky

Name four DVDs Movies in your collection: all of the Lord of the Rings movies; You’ve Got Mail; Sleepless in Seattle; The Wedding Planner

Name four things on your walls: family pictures; mirrors; the crocheted Hammons plaque Linda gave us for Christmas; pewter sconces

Name four things in your wardrobe: blue jean capris; pink sleeveless shirt; my favorite t-shirt from last summer (turquoise, with a monkey on it, says “Do I LOOK like I care?”); pink flip flops

Name four artists in your music collection: Tim McGraw; Toby Keith; Celine Dion; Def Leppard

Name four real life stores you shop at regularly: Walmart; Target; Sam’s; Bed, Bath & Beyond

Name four things in your bag/purse: wallet; lipstick & chapstick; Purell hand sanitizer; blue pen

Name four things in your cupboard that are in cans: garbanzo beans; black beans; pineapple chunks; tuna fish

Well, I sat up a little late last night and finished my latest book. “Shopaholic & Sister” was a light, fun, entertaining read (as was the other book in this series that I had previously read). I like this author and these books. They are guaranteed to be good for a lot of laughs. 😆

I am headed back to the library tomorrow, to drop these two off and see about getting more books. I’m open to suggestions for books to read, if anyone wants to suggest something they have read or enjoyed. Gail has offered to loan me some of her “Zion Chronicles” books, which I will try, but it may be a bit before we see them again, so I’m looking for something else to read in the mean time. We do have several more John Grisham books I have not read, and the latest Nicholas Sparks one I bought. But, I might pick up one or two more at the library – so, send me some ideas!

Well, so far today has been a really good day.

We got up early and went walking. That really seems to make a big difference in how our days go. Tim and I have commented several times that when we make the effort and get up and go, it really starts our day off right and we feel like we’ve gotten something good accomplished.

I have had a really productive morning, as well. Nothing huge or noteworthy really, just a lot of little things that needed to be done around here, that I have been putting off. I’m the world’s greatest procrastinator, especially when it comes to the little things. The big things seem to find a way to get completed as needed, and my “normal routine” things seem to stick to their routine, but it’s the “little things” that often slip through the cracks. So, when I get a bunch of those knocked out, I always feel better!

More later… maybe! 🙂

I have quite an extensive list of blogs I like to read. Some are stay-at-home moms, some are working moms, many are scrapbookers. Some blog extensively about TV shows that I watch, reality and otherwise, and some just blog about nothing at all. A la Seinfeld. Sometimes those are the most enjoyable. I stumbled upon a blog by a writer named Carmi Levy, out of Canada. You can visit his blog here. He’s a bit of a techie, but he has a healthy sense of normalcy to him that you don’t always find with geeks. 😀 Here’s a sample of what he wrote last week about the space station (yes, I love anything to do with space), and after I read it, I went “MAN, I wish I could write like that“.

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OK, I have looked at this meme before, but I don’t think I have done one of these. From this site. It’s listed as a Wednesday meme, but the questions were dated last Friday. So this one is really late!!

This week’s is all about your tv viewing. If you’re not a tv person (like my brother) you can just go and sit and play with this lump of clay.

1. Who’s your favorite talk show host? Oprah!

2. Late night talk show? Jay Leno

3. What’s your favorite drama? if I have to pick one, I guess I’d pick “Lost”

4. Favorite comedy? We don’t watch much comedy… maybe the Friends or Seinfeld of old

5. Least favorite show or genre? dating type reality shows

There’s more questions… just click here! Read the rest of this entry »

Questions For May 10th
Sibling Rivalry

1. Do You Get Along With All Of Your Siblings?: I think so, you might have to ask them!

2. Did You Fight As Children?: No, they were so much older. They left for college when I was like 5 or 6

3. What’s The Worst Thing You Ever Did To Your Bro/Sis?:Hmm, I thought I was the poster child for a perfect younger sibling (cough, cough). I’m sure they will pipe up with something, probably lots of somethings, since I can’t come up with anything! 😀

4. What’s The Worst Thing They Ever Did To You?: OK, I have this overwhelmingly distinct memory of getting up in the middle of the night when I was really little, after having a bad nightmare, and going to Suzie’s room. I wanted to sleep with her because I was so scared. Suzie grumbled and told me to leave her alone, so I went and asked Gail to sleep with her, which she let me do! 🙂 I have told this story many times before and neither one of them seem to remember it, but I do!

5. How Often Do You See Them?: Not often enough. We see Gail fairly often, but only get to see Suzanne once or twice a year, whenever she can fly home. Maybe she’ll come back again soon!

Today appears to be one of those days when I might have been better off staying in bed with the sheets over my head! 🙂 Just kidding. I went and got my hair cut this morning, then ran a bunch of errands. I came out of Walmart right before lunch and found a flat bed cart rammed into my car and some paint missing where it had scraped the car. 👿 Then, about 20 minutes after I got home, the cable tv and internet service went out. We were down about 2 hours, Hambones and everything. One of those days!

Well, I feel like I have removed a small portion of the proverbial “monkey on my back” just now. I just entered 3 reviews in the Reviews section of Hambones. Two are for movies we saw two (soon to be three) weekends ago. Ocean’s Twelve and Spanglish. The other is for a book I really struggled with, and didn’t particularly love, called “Blue Shoe”.

I know we’re different from a lot of you in what we like to watch and what I like to read. Tim and I enjoy movies for the pure entertainment and escapism factor of them. We like non-thinking, non-controversial types of movies. The same goes for me with books – I like what I fondly refer to as “chick lit”. Not Harlequin romance or trashy stuff. Not high-brow either. Nor the classics, although I really should be rereading a lot of those. No, I like to pick up a book and be transported into somewhere far away, fun, entertaining, funny, enchanting or otherwise engaging. I like to read to escape, not to be enlightened or educated. Very different from many of you, but that’s me. Just me.

So there (big sigh), having said that, read the reviews at your own risk. They are open to all members and visitors alike on Hambones.org (as are the recipes) – check them out here

Well, Tim called about 3:30 and said they were just pulling out of the parking lot. So he will be pretty late getting in. They needed to stay to cover one of the last items on the agenda, and then their new boss wanted them to stay behind for a few minutes and talk. 🙁

So, since he will be 10 or after, I have another quiet night planned. Got quite a few things left to do before supper time, but then, it’s going to be another quick and easy one. I have some fried rice leftover from our Chinese take-out on Sunday night. I have two Tai Pei brand frozen chinese entrees in the freezer – anyone want to vote on which one to eat? The choices are Bourbon Chicken (170 calories, 2.5 grams of fat) and Teriyaki Chicken (470 calories and 5 grams of fat). Maybe I’ll just toss a coin

Then, it’s TV Time!!!! I am SO looking forward to the 2 hour finale of Amazing Race. Can’t wait! I want Joyce & Uchenna to win, but I’ll be ok with Rob/Amber… still debating on Ron & Kelley. He’s ok, but she’s got a really nasty little streak in her! 🙂 I will watch American Idol too, since they are down to 4. I feel like Anthony will probably leave next, but you never know. I see a Bo/Carrie final 2. Anyway, I’ll have to tape other shows, Tuesdays are our busiest TV night. Will tape the ones I watch, for Tim, and also tape NCIS and House. House is a great show, he’s so acerbic! Anyway, if Tim is not home by then, then I’ll read my book till he gets home. 🙂