There’s Still Good

My Thanksgiving? Not exactly what I had planned.  But rest assured this story has a happy ending.
I found out at the last minute that my cat sitter did not have a key to my apartment after all.  So, Wednesday night, when I should have been finishing laundry, packing, and going to bed early for a 6am airport departure the following morning, I was instead running around Chicago trying to get a copy of my keys made.
Initially I planned to just run over to Sears which is only a few blocks from my house.  Figuring I wasn’t going far, I shoved my wallet in my coat pocket and headed out.  Unfortunately, the Sears key station had already closed, and I found myself taking the bus out to Ace Hardware much further away.  Which was also closed.  Which led to me frantically making phone calls to other people who might have my key and trying to think of other places I could get a copy made without having to run all over town and be up much later than I had planned.
As my mom points out, when one is frazzled and out of sorts like that, mistakes are made.  At some point, my wallet fell out of my coat pocket.  I didn’t notice until I was almost home.  And then I freaked out.
I made phone calls to my parents (instinctual, plus if I didn’t find my wallet I could not fly), the police, and E., while tracing my whole path to Sears, the hardware store, and home–twice.  (that was a lot of walking by the way)  My wallet was nowhere, and I didn’t have a lot of faith that it was going to be found by the police.  In fact, I was pretty sure someone had found it and decided to keep it pretty quick.  Utterly dejected, I went home and told my parents that I wouldn’t be making it there.  My credit card, photo i.d.–everything I would need to board the plane–were gone.   I also kicked myself repeatedly for not being more careful.
When I got home, I had a message on Facebook.  It was from a guy who had found my wallet!!! He Googled me and couldn’t find a phone number, but recognized the Facebook picture as matching my license! In a hilarious twist, it turns out we have 2 mutual friends from the improv world.
However, as joyous as this made me feel, he had already left town and wouldn’t be back until Sunday.  So, I was still grounded in Chicago for Thanksgiving.
E. was sweet enough to come get me and take me to his parents’ house for Thanksgiving.  Which is great–one of the things I am perpetually thankful for (and I’ve mentioned it here ad nauseum) is the fact that I feel comfortable staying with his family.  It wasn’t the same as going home, for sure, but it was a good second.
The guy who found my wallet called Thursday to say his roommate is going to be around this weekend and my wallet is on the coffee table, so there’s a chance I can pick it up before Sunday.  I’m back at home and just waiting for that call.
All in all not the perfect Thanksgiving, but a good one all things considered.  And here is my big confession–I am still in awe of the good nature of people, and even more in awe of my own cynicism. Depite the fact I would return a wallet if found, and that I have in fact called banks when I’ve found credit cards, I was convinced it was gone.  I could not imagine that in this town in this economy anyone would actually return it.  There was cash in there, and a lot of it, since I was going to the airport in the morning.  Who knows, that may be cleaned out but if it is I would be quite sure that happened before the good samaritan found it.  And there has been no activity at all on my credit cards.
I think I had to learn a lesson that people are good.  Clearly I had grown quite cynical. Even in the wake of someone being trampled to death in a Wal Mart shopping surge (so, so very horrible), I DO believe that most people are good.

Onward!

I feel better enough to go to work today, so I’m not deathly ill and hopefully this means I don’t need to go to the doctor.
I know a lot of people are leaving town today so I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.  As many of you pointed out, I have a LOT to be thankful for.  And really, by virtue of not living in a third world country, a lot of us do.

And remember, this holiday isn’t about the food.  We don’t have to gorge ourselves….unless we really want to. (I for one will be eating lots and lots of sweet potatoes…and yes, some pumpkin pie)

Blah

I took today off work*, because my cold suddenly got really nasty.  I have a mild cough–it’s hard to tell how bad it really is because I’ve been steadily taking Mucinex every 12 hours. I do have a fever now, but I don’t know how high b/c I can’t find my thermometer.  I actually have felt better as the day went on, until just now, when my fever spiked again and I started feeling like crap all over.  I’ve ordered some more Tom Yum soup again because it’s spicy and warming and wonderful and totally what I crave when I have a cold.  Seriously, I wish Campbell’s would can THAT mojo.
Anyway, I had convinced myself that my cold was just on its last legs until I read Tori’s blog and got all freaked out!
So, if I feel like I am going to die tomorrow, I will head to the doctor.  But I don’t feel like anything’s infected, I’m just sick and for whatever reason got better and then worse again.  And made my poor Schmoopie** sick in the process.
At least I only have a 1 hr flight Thursday morning, and I can hit myself with Sudafed in the morning!
On the bright side, I’ve been having those wonderful fever-induced dreams that you can only have when you are sick, and I started seriously thinking I was becoming a Shaman by the time 3:00 rolled around.

*I did log in briefly as I promised I would, and was happy to find that I’d gotten major props from my boss on a presentation I’d been working on.  Yay!

**E. and I have started using this term of endearment completely in jest because it is so hilariously ridiculous.  Schmoopie!

The Economy Makes Me Feel Bad

But not in the way you’re probably thinking.
E. and I have been doing a lot of shopping lately.  Over the weekend, he bought a new winter coat and he’s currently in the market for a new cell phone.  I just bought a treadmill, am still debating about a new tv post-holidays, and I’ve been plowing through my Christmas shopping.  Overall, I think it’s safe to say the economic downturn hasn’t affected us too much.  I keep joking that we’re just doing our part as good consumers with healthy credit to help keep things afloat.
I’m single, have no kids, no vehicle, and rent an apartment vs. owning a house.  This puts me in a good economic place to begin with right now.  I’m lucky to have a good job in a good company that is still actively hiring.  Part of that I chalk up to dumb luck, but I like to think that I’ve worked hard and made some good decisions to get where I am.  I made choices.  I work in a pretty solid industry.  I sold out, did nothing noteworthy with my Master’s degree (that I’m still paying for mind you) and gave up any potential “big dreams” for a steady paycheck and reliable rent money.  Yay for me…right?
Really, I’m having some serious “there but for the grace of God go I” thoughts lately.   I have friends who ARE struggling–with layoffs, or to find a job in their field of choice.  I feel like an ass because I am happily chugging along like nothing is amiss in the world.  I’m trying to be helpful and sympathetic without seeming like I’m flaunting my own good fortune in their faces.  Nothing makes either of us more or less deserving.  I’m just damn lucky right now.  The chances I could lose my job exist, of course, but it’s pretty unlikely it would happen anytime soon.  And I’ve got enough savings to still feel pretty okay if that even happened. (I would like to point out though that I HAVE struggled,  that I have worked jobs that were beneath my skills/education/expertise, and even got laid off once during a reorg–so it’s not like I’m sitting on my pile of happy without any perspective whatsoever)
I’m buying gifts for people for the holidays because I can and I like to, not because I expect anything in return.  But it feels awkward.  I feel like I should just forego the gifts and give money to charity.  But dammit, this is my money and I want to buy fun presents for the people I care about!  I feel awkward offering to pay for dinner, or not inviting people to things that may cost money.  Except for E., because I know he & I are in good shape.  I try to tip a little more generously because I know a lot of people are struggling, and yet I feel condescending doing so.  I told my cleaning lady she was welcome to clean a little more frequently for the extra cash, and that makes me feel like a horribly pretentious ass.
In the age-old war of the haves and the have nots, I’m a have, and it makes me feel weirdly guilty and ashamed.

Hi there

It’s been kind of quiet around here, huh?  After the drama with my gallbladder, and getting settled into work, I feel like I don’t have much to talk about.
I have a cold this weekend that really hit me hard today.  So I’ve spent most of the day resting, snoozing, and watching Austin Powers movies.  I just ordered one of my favorites–Tom Yum soup–for delivery.  E. and I finally saw the new Bond film yesterday afternoon and instead of being in the mood for other Bond films like most normal people, I wanted to watch Austin Powers.  Anyway, it falls into the same category as Clueless as far as “movies I like to watch when I am sick” are concerned.
The only other thing I want to share is that my fruit fly trap worked like a charm.  There is still a small cloud around the sink, and I need to pour some Draino down there to make sure anything potentially tasty or living is totally dissolved.  But for the heavy work, a cup of vermouth drowned quite a swarm of those little bastards.
Hope everyone is having a relaxing weekend, and I’ll try to write something a little more substantial before I leave town Thursday.  I have all kinds of thoughts about the “ecomony” but my brain is a nice big relaxed soupy mush right now. :p

Results & Other Things

Well, I got the results from yesterday’s round of testing and my gall bladder is functioning perfectly!

…

Yeah, take a second to read that again. I was totally thrown.  But, apparently despite a little polyp and some stones, there is nothing blocking the normal functions of my gall bladder.  My doc now suspects something is up with my gastrointestinal system and has increased the dose of the pill I take for IBS.  We’re trying this for a couple weeks and we’ll see what happens.  I guess it would explain why pizza AND potato chips Monday night did nothing to bring on pain or apparently inflammation.  They just made me feel gross. :p  So this is good news…I’m still kind of taking it all in but for now it means no surgery.
For now.
I still have gall stones, which makes me nervous that at some point they WILL be a problem.  Plus, I feel like I just went through a whole lotta hassle for nothing.  I guess I should be relieved but I’m more puzzled than anything.

I bought a treadmill at Sears today!  I had been haggling with a woman on Craig’s list, but the whole thing was getting to be a bigger pain than it was worth.  Aside from the fact E. and I would have to recruit about 2 other people to move it up into my place, I couldn’t find a vehicle with enough cubic footage to haul it.  I looked into renting a mini van for the weekend, and for the price I could have just about bought a new treadmill.  Gah!  I looked into renting a truck from Home Depot, which you can apparently do for a mere $20 an hour, but you had to have your own car insurance and since I don’t have a car I don’t have the necessary insurance (I’m covered by IGo’s plan when I drive their cars).    Yeah, I could have waited until after Thanksgiving, but I want one NOW!!!  The one I bought was on sale anyway, and was just a newer model of what I was going to buy off the girl on Craig’s list.  And for a mere $75 I can have it delivered AND assembled on December 6th.  Yippee!!

I have been fighting a horrific fruit fly infestation. I HATE those tiny bastards with such a passion.  Because I do not live in filth, I just happened to have some bananas that were ripening up for banana muffins and somehow the fruit flies got in and built an entire civilization in my kitchen.  Normally my weapon of choice against those little turds is a glass of wine out on the counter–they fly in, get drunk, and drown.  Works like a charm.  But I had no wine, so I tried a method that involves covering a glass with fruit in it with plastic wrap.  You poke tiny holes in the plastic so that the fruit flies can get in, but for whatever reason they usualy can’t get themselves out.  My fruit flies seemed too smart for that though, and I only had 2 captured over a 2 hour span.  However, I did find out that a lot of fermented beverages other than wine work just as well.  So I have a little vermouth trap out on the counter and I have to say, just in the last 24 hours I’ve made significant process wiping them out.  And if all else fails, apparently bait + a vaccuum hose does a great job too.

Not Much To Report Just Yet…

My gallbladder scan went fine; I stayed up late last night so that I’d be groggy before having to lie (lay? dangit, I never could get that right) still for an hour.  The worst part was the i.v., and even that wasn’t bad.  All the technicians were super duper nice and I didn’t even have to wait more than 2 minutes to get started.  My doc won’t have the test results until tomorrow though.
I’ve got a very watered down case of the cold that’s going around, which may or may not be the reason I came home and slept most of the afternoon.  That was lovely.
My boss was really, really understanding…there was no reason to suspect she wouldn’t be other than my own neurosis.  My first job out of college my boss threatened to fire me when I didn’t come in while I had strep throat.  I now know that’s sort of illegal and also really dumb.  She wasn’t the greatest boss. But anyway, I still worry about stuff like that happening.  Instead, I was told to take as much time as I need and not to hurry back if/when I have the surgery done.  Thankfully things are pretty dead around the office this time of year, so that’s good.
That’s all I’ve got today.  I had my organs scanned, and then I took a really long nap, and I’m having salmon for dinner.

Marbles Collected

Sorry about that little freak-out yesterday.  I’m feeling a lot better today.  A 2 hour nap helped.  So did three pots of fondue! (cheese, butterscotch, and chocolate–yum!!)
I had a really wonderful run today, and E. suggested that I bump looking for a treadmill a bit higher on the priority list.  I tend to agree.  I need to have one or two days during the week that I can exercise at home.  The jump rope is one thing, but it’s not something I’ll use consistently.  My house was a disaster, which depresses me, but as I said to him it is very hard to maintain your house when you’re never in it.  Or at least when you do arrive in it, you’re pretty much ready to start the routine for bed.  So tonight, among a few other outstanding tasks, I need to go back to shopping on Craig’s list.
I am nervous about talking to my boss about the time I need off for the medical testing and potential surgery. I want to take the whole day off Tuesday, since I need to fast until the procedure starts at 11am (which will likely make me grouchy and tired) and the test itself can last a couple hours.  Then I’ll probably be tired, loopy, AND grouchy.
I don’t know why I am so distressed about this.  I had an endoscopy and colonoscopy when I was in graduate school and I dealt just fine. Okay, I only slept the night before the endo because I was given a Xanax for nerves.  But still, it was really an in-and-out no-big-deal kind of deal.
I think it’s just been a hard year.
Tonight I had dinner with A., which was really nice.  But also kind of sad because I found out a young woman from our circle has been diagnosed with breast cancer.  She is only 31, and has a partner and a young daughter (about age 2).  Thankfully they have insurance, but still, she has to have a masectomy and chemo starting the week of Thanksgiving.  I am keeping my eyes and ears open for any benefits or gifts directed their way.  Suddenly my gallbladder seems like a walk in the park.
The fondue party was definitely fun and worth the trip out to Naperville, although the drive was hellish.  It was fun to toodle around and run my errands yesterday, but nothing puts me off the idea of having a car like driving on 90/94.  Anyway, everyone at the fondue party was really cool and sweet and I had a great time catching up (and gossipping) with the hostess.  She is a friend of E.’s that I met early in our relationship and totally consider one of my friends.
I’m behind on blogs I think, as usual.  So I apologize if I haven’t stopped by or said anything of value lately.  I can only handle so much reading on my Blackberry before I want to claw my eyes out.  Maybe once I get that treadmill in place, I can spend a little more time catching up in the evenings…

I Need a Nap

I owe so many people e-mails…and I mean e-mails of some depth, not just a quick shout out.  I just want everyone to know that I’m here and I’m alive and I’m struggling.
I just burst into tears over the fact I’ve barely been in my house the past two weeks.
Also? I was up at 8am to go to two consecutive Dr. appointments (with a trip to the grocery store squeezed in between).  My hair is gross and my legs need to be shaved and I feel flat-out nasty.
Anyway, I have to have a test run on Tuesday to check the function of my gallbladder.  I had two bad attacks this week, one of which pretty much totally debilitated me Thrusday night.  If the test shows what my doctor suspects, then the next step will be gallbladder surgery and I’ll be on my way to getting that scheduled, hopefully before the end of the year.
Which is really not a big deal–I suspected as much, and it will STOP the problems.
But I really want to go back to life being in a quiet lull like it was for…oh, a month.
Please Jeebus, let this all mean that 2009 is totally without medical incident.
Oh yeah, I have to go to a fondue party later tonight. I mean, I don’t HAVE to but I promised to be there, and it’s going to take me well over an hour to drive there (it’s in Naperville).  I just want to be in bed with my kitties and my sweetie all tucked nicely under many warm blankies for the remainder of the weekend. 

Hi-ya!

I am not as tired this week, thank goodness, but I do feel like I am just going non-stop.  Today went really, REALLY fast and it still boggles my mind how I am 3x busier working in the office than I was working from home.
Oh, and yesterday my boss announced that she is pregnant and due in March. I suspected as much, but it is official, which means spring (historically the time I usually am working on 25 jobs) will be very interesting. :p
There has not been a single night so far in the past 2 weeks that I’ve come straight home after work.  I am working on ways to deal with that, particularly finding cardio I can do at home.  Today I didn’t go home after work because I was picking up a JumpSnap I bought on the cheap from Craigs List. I am also looking at fold up treadmills, but debate back and forth about where to keep it.  Anyway, so far only one person I inquired with has e-mailed me back and she didn’t know how old the treadmill was because she had purchased it used.  Pass!
In the meantime, E. and I took an Aikido class at our gym last night, and I think we will continue attending through the end of the year.  It was SO. MUCH. FUN.  I don’t normally like taking group exercise classes, because it seems like they are always filled with hard-core Trixie devotees who sneer and giggle at you if you slip or lose a step here and there. (although, I don’t think that would be as likely at our gym–one of the things I like is that it’s a pretty diverse mix of people)  This class was about 50/50 male to female, with varying levels of martial arts experience.  It also went VERY fast, and while I didn’t feel I was getting exercise, I left sweating and sore.  I waddled home hunched over from the soreness in my back and core, and today I hurt in places I didn’t know I had muscles.  In a GOOD way!
So, there’s fitness, fun, and E. time all covered in one evening.  Hey, I’m all about the multitasking!