It’s been such a long time

Bad blogger!  I don’t think that anyone’s reading so why bother.  I hit a rough patch over the Summer too and really didn’t think that anyone would want to read my whining.

I’ll try to recap sans whining.

What started out as Dishydrotic Eczema turned into Psoriasis during the Spring and got much worse, as it tends to, during the Summer.  It’s on the bottoms of my feet, the palms of my hands and some of my finger tips.  The hands, I can deal with, but I need my feet for things like walking so that was a bit of a problem.  It was so painful that I just started bursting into tears while doing things like reading or watching TV.  I didn’t do much due to the painful walking.  It was very depressing.  I’d also started a new job that I wasn’t thrilled about for various reasons and that didn’t help my outlook on life.

I finally got in to see a Dermatologist who diagnosed the Psoriasis and told me that my case was severe due to the way it affected my quality of life.  Did I mention that I pretty much sobbed through that whole appointment?  First, it was finally having someone to talk to who could help me and then when Dr. C said “You’ve come to the right place; I promise we’re going to make you feel better” the relief I felt was more than overwhelming.  I went through topical treatments which helped somewhat but it wasn’t enough, so I started light treatments.  They worked beautifully on my hands, but alas, burned my feet.  So, we moved onto Soriatane.  Which has a multitude of heavy-duty possible side-effects and I can’t donate blood for 3 years after I’ve stopped taking it because it can cause very serious birth defects.  It seems to be helping.  Slowly but surely.  I’ve been taking it for about 2.5 months and thankfully the only side-effects that I’m experiencing are dry skin and really chapped lips.  I can work with that.  And I can walk!  I can walk Miss Ivy!  I can’t walk for miles and I can’t stand in line for too long but I can walk!  Unfortunately, my finger nails are suffering big time.  I have 4 normal nails out of 10.  I hope they recover.

The job also got better as I started to become more confident in what I was doing and was able to take on more work.  That made me MUCH happier but things were slowing down business wise due to the economy.  My boss was one of about 30 people laid off in September and another team member was also let go during that lay off.  I knew then that if the economy did not improve quickly, I was going to be next and sure enough, I was laid off in October.  I wasn’t surprised but I was disappointed.  This was not the job that I was going to stay in for the rest of my career but it was a job and paid more than unemployment.

Once Thanksgiving comes, recruiting efforts fall dramatically for the rest of the year.  Combine that with a recession and you come up with a very challenging environment for finding a job.

I’m bored.

My house is cleaner than ever.  DH always has clean clothes.  Dinner is cooked.  I’m about to embark on holiday decorating.  Ivy is one happy Corgi.  The cats kind of like me being home, too.  I don’t have to get up at 5:30am if I don’t want to.  And I have plenty of time to blog, you lucky reader out there.

I also have my health…a nice home…a wonderful husband…and health insurance.  I am a very lucky woman.  Very.

Tag!

I’ve been tagged by Lynne for another screamin’ meme.

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?

I was working at Banyan Software and living on Gay St. in Marlborough.  Let’s just say that Gay St. isn’t one of the upper class sections of Marlborough and leave it at that.  I was still recovering from my divorce and trying to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up.

2. What are 5 things on my TO-DO list for today?

Get the heck out of work at 5 on the dot!
Stop at BJ’s for more party supplies
Have dinner with DH and maybe catch the Red Sox game.

3. Snacks I enjoy:

Trader Joe’s Popped Potato Chips
TJ’s dark chocolate covered mini-pretzels
Cashews
Ice cream!

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

Open my own animal sanctuary where all animals are welcome to live out their lives with love, comfort
and great care.
Buy a compound at the beach with plenty of room for friends and family…and a chef and a few maids.
Travel, travel, travel.
Buy a villa in Tuscany. 
And a flat in London.

5. Places I have lived:

Baltimore, MD
Michigan
Hopkinton, MA
Shrewsbury, MA
Worcester, MA
Marlborough, MA
Hudson, MA
Acton, MA
Leominster, MA

6. Jobs I have had:
Chamber maid
Babysitter
Pet sitter
Cashier
Customer Service Rep
Customer Advocate
Inside Sales Rep

 

Happy Patriot’s Day!

Has it really been that long since my last post?  I beg for mercy.  After being home for almost 8 months, getting back into the working groove has been challenging.  I know, woe is me.  But I don’t know how I did it before.  And my job at Monster could be very stressful.  I feel as if I don’t have much time to myself.  Damn, work really gets in the way!  I do like my job…so far.  My only real complaint is there is way too much testosterone in that place.  And a lot of comparing, if you know what I mean. 

I have the day off today, which is very nice.  Poor Ivy is happy.  I think she’s having the toughest time adjusting.  We have a dog-walker come in every afternoon, which helps, but Ivy and I are very bonded and I think she really misses me during the day.  I certainly miss her.  I bet if they let people bring their pets to work, they’d be happier workers. 

Okay, so back to the holiday.  Today is Patriot’s Day in Massachusetts.  It is also Marathon Day.  I grew up in the town where the marathon starts.  The common is about 2 miles from our  Mom’s house.  It was a big deal the first year we lived there, then just a pain in the arse after that.  Hopkinton is a very small town about 30 miles West of Boston.  On the weekend before and on Marathon day, it becomes a chaotic mess.  Well, not really, but there’s traffic!  And little-to-no parking!  And strange people all over the place!  Thankfully, they all spend money.   

It’s been a pretty good weekend so far.  The weather was fabulous!  It was close to 80 on Saturday.  I had housework but I just couldn’t.  So I did some yard work.  And cleaned up the porch, on which DH, JubJub and myself lounged upon sipping margaritas later on in the evening.  The cats were loving it, too.  Our porch is a wrap-around, fully screened-in porch and the cats can come and go as they please through windows that open into it.  They ADORE going out there and I’m very happy that they have a safe place to enjoy the outdoors. 

Sunday was the Annual Adult Easter Egg Hunt at Laurel’s.  It turned out to be a fabulous day and the party was a blast!  I ate far more than I should have because we were due at Mom’s for dinner at 5:30 but I couldn’t help it!  The ham was delish, the asparagus was yummy and I can never resist Mary’s salads.  Oh, and the PINK cupcake!  My brother brought cupcakes from the Portuguese bakery in Hudson and one of them had hot pink, creamy frosting and I had to have it.  Then, the egg hunt.  Laurel and crew stuffed Goddess only knows how many plastic eggs with candy, prizes and tickets.  I don’t think I’ve gotten that much candy since the last time I went trick-or-treating.  The tickets were for the prize table.  i got some cool magnets and party poppers, which make a mess but are cool.  It was so nice to see everyone and it was a lot of laughs, as usual.  Where else can you act like you’re six and no one cares?  In fact, Michelle and I were encouraging each other.  Which might have been a mistake on my part as she is also my hair stylist.  I’ll keep you posted.

Okay, so my day off is not going to be all that much of a day off.  I have to: wash the towels, do laundry, go grocery shopping, change the sheets and make tacos.  I dusted while my tea was steeping this morning and DH vacuumed Saturday, bless his heart.   Oh and I have to walk the dog…or at least take her over to the field and let her run and play with the Chuck-it.  It’s a wonderful toy.  My hands don’t get slimey & grimey and she has to run twice as far to get the ball. 

Happy Patriot’s Day to you all!

 

Vacation over, man

What has been possibly the longest paid vacation ever sadly came to an end as of 8am this morning.  I’m way too exhausted to type more.  But it’s a good exhaustion. 

Mariouchie

DH and I decided to get take-out from Al Dente last night.  Unfortunately, we also didn’t pay attention to the time.  Sadly, Al Dente closes at 7pm on Sundays.  What to do?  Satisfy the craving I’ve had for a Baja Chimichanga at the Ixtapa Cantina. 

Arriving at Ixtapa we’re pleasantly surprised to find the parking lot rather empty.  Yay us!  We’re seated right away.  Yay us again!  Upon sitting down, we realize that there’s a mariachi band strolling around the other half of the dining room.  Loudly.  DH mutters something about paying them to go away if they come to our table. 

We’re happily munching away in relative peace.  The band is loud but they’re in the other dining room so we can still have conversation.  Uh oh.  Just as our waiter starts crossing with your entries, the mariachi band enters our dining room.  It’s still okay as they’re on the other side.  Then it starts.  The Clapper.  As we were shown to our table I noticed a little boy sitting at one near us and he looked as if he may be disabled.  He’d been clapping along with the band very quietly when I noticed him.  I think his parents had been holding him back because as soon as the band started near him, he started clapping.  Loudly.  VERY loudly.  DH looks at me and says “I can deal with the band but that is just TOO much.”.  At this point, I start to have difficulties.  It’s very hard to eat your chimichanga and laugh at the same time.  DH was facing the band and leans over to say “They’re coming over here and I am NOT tipping them.”  Thankfully, I’d finished my dinner.  It’s a bit easier to laugh while sipping a margarita then eating.  At least they didn’t play a Mexican polka.  It was actually a good song.

The moral of the story…if you don’t love mariachi music, don’t go to the Ixtapa Cantina on Sundays between 5-8pm.

A blast from the past

DH and I went out to dinner a few nights ago.  As we were finishing up our Bushmen Shrooms, in walked El Diablo himself.  The Devil. Satan.  He looked exactly the same as the last time I saw him which had to be at least 5 years ago.

 DH and I finished up dinner and walked over to the bar.  “If it isn’t Satan.” I said.  He laughed and asked if we wanted to do some shots.  Same old Devil.  I introduced him to my DH and we played catch up for a few minutes.

Bascially, he’s the same except he has a new job.  He asked about my brother and SIL and we exchanged a few more pleasantries.  Then he mentioned Dick.  Dick is my ex-husband, for those of you who don’t know.  “I saw Dick the other day.” he said.  I thought “So?”.  But instead I said “Oh.  That’s nice…I heard he left ABC Company.”  What else was I supposed to say?  “Um, gee, really?  Is he still the biggest dickhead around?”  Or “Is he still as miserable as the last time I heard?  Oh goody!”.  We’re all grown ups here, right?   Time to get the hell out of there.

It was nice to see El Diablo.  He was a good playmate at times.  I could always count on him to dance with me.  I remember going to Tammany Hall in Worcester to see the Swinging Johnsons.  El Diablo had just broken his foot.  He was still up there with us, gettin’ down to the funk, cast and all.  I can still see him dancing one on foot with a glass of Crown on the rocks in his hand.   Those really were fun times.

Movie Game

Thanks Lynne!

1. Pick 10 of your favorite movies.
2. Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie.
3. Post them on your blog for everyone to guess.
4. Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.
5. Looking them up is cheating, please don’t.

 1.  “Magic Legs!”.

2.  “I am the greatest swordsman that ever lived. Say, um, can I have some of that water?”  From Willow.  Christi got it.

3.  “That’s the one good thing about Paris: there’s a lot of girls willing to take their clothes off.”  From Titanic.  Christi again.

4.  “Ah, hon, ya got Arby’s all over me.”

5.  “I said my earrings are American. They’re African-American. “

6.  “Does anybody here know how many times I had to watch Funny Lady?”  From In & Out.  Another one for Christi!

7.  “Hit ‘im again Smitty!”

8.  “We’re all very different people. We’re not Watusi, we’re not Spartans, we’re Americans. With a capital “A”, huh? And you know what that means? Do you? That means that our forefathers were kicked out of every decent country in the world. We are the wretched refuse. We’re the underdog. We’re mutts. ”

9.  “That’s why you ran across the whole field?… Wait, you’ve got to tell me – was it spongy?”  Another one for Christi.  You’re a movie trivia Goddess, too!  I challenge thee to a game of Scene It.

10.  “Now he’s going to play that damn Vicki Carr record, and when he comes to bed he won’t touch me. ” Lynne got it.  From Moonstruck.

Good luck!

 Hmm…maybe some of my quotes are a tad obscure.  1.  This movie spans decades.  4.  A sleeper and all the characters have a very distinct, regional accent.  5.  Shares the same lead actor with #1.  7.  An incredible movie debut for an icon.  8.  C’mon people!  It’s an Army movie. 

Guilty as charged

Yes, I did it.  And I’m not proud. 

I let my dog poo and didn’t pick it up.  In my defense, she climbed over a snowbank into about 1.5 feet of snow to do it.  I could’ve climbed over and slogged through the snow to pick it up.  But here’s the thing.  It was two little turds and we’re about to get at least an inch of snow, which will cover it nicely and by the time everything melts, it will just seep into the grass with everything else.  Also, it was right next to the the child molester’s car.  And, they allow their dog (which they’re not supposed to have) to do it’s business on other people’s yards without picking it up.  Pay back?  Possibly.  I still feel guilty.  I usually mutter something when I see someone (including the molester) allowing their dog to poop without cleaning it up.  All bets are off if they do it on my property.  I have no problem going out and asking the offender to please clean up after their dog.  I hate walking around with the blue bag of poo but at least my neighbors know that I’m a responsible pet owner and considerate neighbor.  Usually.

Remind me why I live here

While watching the news this morning, the 2nd biggest story (GO PATS!) is the impending snow storm.  Yesterday, we were in the 6″-10″ range.  Now, we’re in the 11″-13″ range.  And of course, we’re getting more snow than anyone else in the friggin state. 

We live in what’s called the snow belt and I swear I had to think for a few minutes about why we moved here.  Then I remembered.  Mostly affordable housing.  It really is lovely here.  When there isn’t a foot of snow on the ground. 

I just got the dog bathed and sand-free.  She was leaving piles of sand behind in her sleeping spots.  I kid you not.  Thank the gods for Dust Busters!  Yesterday was the first walk we’ve taken in weeks where she didn’t come back spattered with mud, her belly caked in sand and black, muddy paws.  One day, she even had spatters of mud on her chin.

Whilst I would like to be employed, I am also thankful that I do not have to drive anywhere tomorrow.  My thoughts go out to all of you that do. 

We shall overcome.

Benazir Bhutto

Benazir Bhutto was assassinated yesterday shortly after giving a campaign speech. 

When I was about 13, I received several issues of MS. magazine as a substitution for issues that I’d paid for another magazine that went out of print.  While all of the magazines were interesting, there were two stories that made lasting impressions on me.  One was about female circumcision and the other about Benazir Bhutto.  It was written in the early 80’s before she was elected as Prime Minister the first time.

I didn’t know much about Pakistan or the Middle East but somehow I knew how important and triumphant it was to have a woman of power in the Pakistani government.  Mrs. Bhutto left a life-long impression on me.  I’ve kept up with her life as the years have gone by.  I read about the alleged corrpuption and theft of close to 1.5 billion in kick backs.  I honestly don’t know if that’s true or not.  Perhaps Mrs. Bhutto was just another politician out for herself.  Though, I don’t think that of her.

Mrs. Bhutto’s father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was the founder of the Pakistan People’s Party and the first PPP Prime Minister.  He was hung in 1979 by Muhammed Zia-ul-Haq, who was the President of Pakistan for 11 years.  Her brothers were both mysteriously murdered.  Yet, she went on, though it is noted that the second brother’s death contributed to the break-down of her second term as Prime Minister.

I’ve always admired Benazir Bhutto’s dedication and love for Pakistan.  This time, she was running against General Musharraf who came to power via a coup d’etat.  Mrs. Bhutto sent an email claiming that if she died during the elections, General Musharraf would be responsible.  Mrs. Bhutto was the most popular candidate running in this election and it was generally thought that she would win.  She was against terrorism and against the Taliban and would have made a fierce ally for the United States.

Funnily enough, President Bush is urging General Musharraf not to postpone the elections.  The other party running is going to boycott the elections in protest of Mrs. Bhutto’s assassination and the PPP won’t have time to produce another candidate.  That means that General Musharraf, a man who gives safe haven to the Taliban and probably other terrorist groups, would win.  This could turn into a rant about GW but that’s for another blog.

When I read that Mrs. Bhutto was assassinated, I cried.  She was one of my heroes, corrupt or not.  Her family has been involved in Pakistani politics for generations and she’s seen several of those family members die because of what they stood for.  She didn’t allow it to push her into life-long exile or to become meek.  I saw an interview with one of her professors from Harvard on the news last night and he said that the moment Mrs. Bhutto found out that her father had been executed, she became a politician.  I don’t think her aim was to avenge her father but to continue the work that he started in order for Pakistan to become a democratic country.  How can you not admire a spirit like that?  A woman who sacrificed her whole life to her country.

Mrs. Bhutto’s death is a huge blow to anti-terrorism efforts and with two swift bullets, turned her beloved Pakistan into a fiery, bloody hell. 

Benazir Bhutto set an example for all people, not just women or readers of Ms. Magazine.  Her love and passion for something that she deeply believed in is something that we should all strive for.