Stupid people

Everyone has those days when they do stupid things. Today was not my day. Instead, today was the day I was surrounded by others having their stupid day. That makes for a very bad day.

I have a very difficult patient who needed a refill on his medication. I e-mailed the psychiatrist yesterday. I spoke with the psychiatrist on the phone yesterday. I sent an alpha page to the psychiatrist yesterday...all three times requesting a refill of the medicine. After speaking with a very angry patient this morning, I e-mailed the psychiatrist again requesting the refill. She responds with something about "I wonder what this patient is thinking and what he really wants." HE WANTS HIS MEDICINE!!! Stupid person number one.

I was supposed to have a cookie exchange at work today. The planner of the exchange wanted to suck up to the bosses and give them cookies too. Since one of the two bosses was leaving early, another cookie exchanger took her cookies and my cookies to the planner to have them delivered before the boss left. The planner assumed the cookie exchange was then over but didn't tell anyone that and didn't bothering showing up to the meeting place. Stupid person number two.

One of the other cookie exchangers showed up to the meeting place for the exchange but hasn't ever been to this meeting place before. Stupid person number three, who has no idea what is going on and isn't involved at all, tells the cookie exchanger that she is probably in the wrong building and sends her next door. Next door tells her they don't know anything about a cookie exchange so she leaves and goes back to the hospital.

In the meantime, I am wasting precious note writing time hanging out at the meeting place for an exchange that no one shows up to. Maybe it was my stupid day after all. I think I need a vacation.

Thanksgiving leftovers

We had this wonderful Thanksgiving meal in Chicago with my parents over the weekend. We drove home and about an hour outside of Chicago realized we forgot our leftovers. I am very very sad. No turkey, no mashed potatoes with gravy. I was hoping for turkey sandwiches for lunch this week. Turkey soup perhaps? Nope. Nada. Nothing.

Ya know those questions things you hate to fill out...

I received this from a friend of mine the other day. I thought these questions were pretty fun being the holidays and all. It is one of those where you see the answers from your friend, delete their answers, put in your own, and send it off to a million people in your address book who probably aren't interested. Well, I thought I would include my answers just for the fun of it and to say I actually blogged again.

1. Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your family and friends. Okay, here's what you're supposed to do, and try not to be a SCROOGE!!! Just copy this entire email and paste into a new e-mail that you can send. Change all the answers so that they apply to you. Then send this to a whole bunch of people you know, INCLUDING the person that sent it to
you......Tis the Season to be NICE

2. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Gift bags because I lack the knack for nice wrapping. My corners never look right and the paper always gets bunched. My gifts generally look as though they were wrapped by a 6 year old.

2. Real tree or Artificial? I always said real but I'm getting cheaper in my old age and realize the sense of purchasing just one tree and sticking with it. However I do love the smell of a real tree.

3. When do you put up the tree? This is assuming we put up a tree at all. Every other year we are in Chicago and this year we are in Ohio. It kind of kills the desire to put up a tree when you aren't there. Plus we will be in Chicago three weekends out of the next four which is also cause for not getting a tree.

4. When do you take the tree down? When it dies.

5. Do you like eggnog? I love it but realize how bad it is for me so I avoid it.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? If I can't think of one, does that mean I received too many gifts as a kid?

7. Hardest person to buy for? It used to my by brother in law until it worked out that I don't have to buy for him. Now it is my dad. How many years in a row can he ask for socks, undershirts, an umbrella, a belt, a tie, and dress shirts. BORING!!!

8. Easiest person to buy for? My mom. She loves everything and appreciates whatever we give her...even if she has to fake it on occasion.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? No because we haven't gotten that far in buying Christmas decorations. My parents have one and my mom insists putting baby Jesus in Mary's awkwardly outstretched arms because she is convinced Mary wouldn't leave her newborn sitting in hay. (Not a bad point if you ask me.)

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? I send a Christmas letter but it is getting expensive and sometimes the creative juices aren't always flowing.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? I'm not very good at "favorite" questions.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Usually after Christmas unless I'm inspired beforehand and find something that is just perfect.

14. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Too many things to name. Let's leave it at I love to eat anything.

15. Lights on the tree? I grew up with multicolored lights on the tree. I prefer white lights when decorating the outside of the house.

16. Favorite Christmas song? Here we go again with the "favorite" questions.

17. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Always travel but never on Christmas day. I like to arrive a day or two early and leave a day or two after. It's all about the relaxation.

18. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Not a chance. Is there a Dopey?

19. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star or bow.

20. Open presents on Christmas Eve or morning? Always Christmas Day although the Elves arrive Christmas Eve with new jammies for everyone.

21. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? The traffic, the crowds, and the need to give too much when so many others have too little.

22.Favorite Ornament theme or color? Favorite, favorite, favorite, blah, blah, blah...

23. Favorite for Christmas dinner? My mom's buttery turkey, buttery mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, cinnamon rolls, pumpkin pie.

24. What do you want for Christmas this year? Chris keeps asking me this same question and I don't have an answer for him either.

25. Who is most likely to respond to this? My mom.

26. Who is least likely to respond to this? Christopher. He will read it, laugh, and delete it.

It's been a while...

It dawned on me yesterday that I haven't blogged in forever. It is directly related to being on facebook which is an addiction that has captured my husband but which is slowly fading for me...most likely the reason why I'm now blogging again.

A decent amount has happened since I last wrote. First, Chris and I both passed our boards and are officially licensed clinical social workers. For social workers, this is as good as it gets. Most people receive a pay raise with this achievement but for us, we get to keep our jobs which, in a sense, is a pay raise. We took the test October 20th and I think we are just beginning to feel as though we have our lives back after spending so much time with our nose in the books. For fun, we spent one study day at Oliver Winery in Bloomington, IN and yes, we actually studied. At the end of our study session we goofed around in their garden a little.



Chris took me to a Chicago Bear's game as my 30th birthday present and the weather couldn't have been better.


Then right before Halloween, we went to a pumpkin patch and went apple picking with a friend of ours.























Last weekend we went to Gatlinburg, TN for a mini vacation with some friends of ours. We rented a fabulous cabin with three other couples. This is a picture Chris took from the inside of our cabin looking out onto the back deck.

Each couple had their own bedroom and walk in shower. There were flat screen tvs in every room, a hot tub, a huge kitchen, a pool table, etc... We hiked, zorbed (more on that later), ate, and most importantly, relaxed. It was just what we needed and felt like a bit of a reward for our hard work. One hike we did required scaling up some rocks to get to the very top. We got about half way when I chickened out and decided that going further without being roped in wasn't worth the risk. These is a picture of Chris going up and another of me at the furthest point we were willing to go.


There were some beautiful places along the hike. This was one of them, albeit with Chris and I a bit washed out from the flash.

Another little reward for passing the exam was the purchase of a new counter top for our kitchen. We have never liked what we have and have always wanted a seamless kitchen sink that is attached from under the counter. We picked one out and it is going to be installed in a few weeks. Our winter projects are to paint the cabinets, attach hardware, and depending on how our yellow walls look, possibly paint the kitchen. Of course none of this will start until the new year since we are going to be out of town almost every weekend starting with Thanksgiving.

Now, back to zorbing. Our friend did take video of us doing this but we haven't received it yet. I'm sure it won't look much different so check out this from youtube. It is the same company...the only place to zorb in the United States.

There is water in the inside ball we are in which prevents us from going upside down. We get wet but I don't know when I have laughed as hard as when Chris and I did this together.

Needless to say that Chris and I are still enjoying life together and the blessings we have been given. Stay tuned and hopefully it won't take two months for me to blog again.

Time for a change at 8500 hits

Chris and I are sitting here watching the Chicago Bears game (we are currently winning by the way) and playing around on the computer. We decided it was time to change the blog a little bit. Hope you like the new look of it. The only thing it lost from the old version was the counter. I'm very proud to say that I had reached 8500 hits. Either people have a lot of time on their hands or they have a lot of time on their hands because someone clicking on my blog that many times is absolutely crazy. Thanks to all who have visited and I hope that I provided a few laughs over the last few years and will provide a few more in the future.

Neighborhood practical jokes

I was looking out the window onto my deck yesterday to check on my tomato plant when I saw that I had acquired a couch. A rather large and unattractive couch I might add. This couch was sitting right in the middle of my desk. After taking a second and third look, I called Chris in Chicago to ask who he had told could put this said couch on said deck. He was just as surprised as I was and so the investigative work began.

Wayne, our designated neighborhood watch, said he was volunteering all day and didn't know anything. Dave, our next door neighbor wasn't answer his door. Eric however... Eric, our neighbor who lives on the other side of Dave, he was outside and had too innocent look on his face. He admitted that Dave had purchased a new couch and that he thought that his old couch would be a good addition to our deck. Gee, thanks Dave. I spent some time on the couch last night making phone calls and was going to hang out there tonight with my friend Vanessa but it was RAINING! so we stayed inside. We stayed inside long enough until we had a plan. Always beware of paybacks.

Dave now has a bathroom vanity with sink (minus the mirror of course) on his sidewalk directly in front of his porch. It should be a good welcome as he walks out his front door tomorrow morning.

Annoyed

Yup. You heard right. I'm annoyed. A first for me I'm sure. Ok, well maybe not but moving along with the story... In the state of Indiana, for a social worker to become clinically licensed, they have to have 3 years of supervised social work experience post grad school. Then they have to obtain oodles of paperwork turned in at the Indiana licensing agency and pray it isn't lost (which happened to one of my friends.) Once the board reviews the application, we have wait for a letter to confirm our approval before we can register for the exam. Once we register, we have to wait for another letter so we can choose a date and time for the exam. And then we study, and study, and study, and study, because the pass rate in Indiana isn't so hot. So either Indiana has really dumb social workers or the test is stinkin hard. I think it is a combo of the two. Anyway...

I turned in my application. They never sent me an approval letter and after a month had passed I called and was informed I was one month short of supervision hours and needed to submit another form. Gee, thanks for letting me know. I re-submitted the paperwork and finally received my approval letter. Then I got on-line and registered for the exam, of course paying for the exam and study materials. I received an e-mail two days later stating my registration was denied. Apparently the licensing agency forgot to send the registration people my name. Oops. Oh, and thanks for the apology.

I was going to call the registration people back knowing they now had my name when it dawned on me that they had my payment already which the bank said was pending. When I called I was informed that of course I wouldn't be billed twice, that they did need a credit card number again for me to re-register for the exam, and (not quite in these words) that I was stupid. Apparently she isn't a social worker since we are all so nice and cheerful all the time. She said that since my registration was denied that the payment wouldn't go through and "hadn't I checked my bank today?" No I hadn't because I checked it yesterday and was at that moment sitting in a car waiting for a veteran to get out of the grocery store.

So as it stands, my payment (two days later) is still pending, I'm still not registered for this stupid exam that will suck to take, and the clock is ticking. I have one year from my date of eligibility (early June) to pass the exam before I am canned at my job. So yeah, I'm a little annoyed.

Thanks for letting me vent.

Funny stuff

New Orleans vacation/conference

What a crazy trip!!! New Orleans wouldn't normally be our first choice for a vacation spot but I had a work related conference so we decided to make a trip out of it. The trip started with arriving at the airport only to be told that my work never purchased a plane ticket but made some sort of general reservation. We called the travel department at the VA hospital frantically but to no avail and had to purchase a very expensive one way ticket. Then we had to run through the airport after learning Chris' ticket was standby and the plane was full. We got very lucky that others on the place were willing to give up their ticket so Chris was able to get on the plane. Thankfully we made it safely to New Orleans and settled into our very nice hotel room...courtesy of VA hospital.

The first night had some excitement when I woke up in the middle of the night and smelled ammonia. It was really strong and I was surprised when, after waking up Chris to inform him we were being gassed, that he couldn't smell it. We talked about it the next morning and determined I must have had an olfactory hallucination. I was vindicated when two days later I smelled it again and this time Chris smelled it too. It odor came in waves and since we weren't spending much time in the hotel room, it was easy to ignore. The second to last day though, ignoring it became impossible. The smell was so strong it was giving us a headache. After dragging the housekeeper into the room to confirm we weren't crazy, we went to the desk and informed them we wanted a new room which we were given. That night, in our new room, we heard yelling in the hallway. A man was standing outside a room door and was cursing and threatening the couple inside. We called security and despite us staring into our peephole, we couldn't see what happened. We did see the couple in the room (when they walked by our peephole) get escorted off the hotel room floor by the police and we heard the woman say they were separated and this was the first time her husband had seen her with another man. Interesting...

The thing about New Orleans that Chris and I learned is that mid August is NOT the time to go. We were told this by a few locals and were informed that the heat and humidity would improve in about 3 weeks. In the meantime, Chris and I avoided the sun and after walking around each day, would lie on the bed with our hands and feet in the air to bring down the swelling. Imagine a dead bug. That was us. This is a picture of the trolleys. We were going to take the St. Charles trolley to the garden district to walk around and look at the beautiful houses. Instead, we stayed on the trolley until the end of the line and then hopped back on and took it home. It was just too darn hot to walk.

Two other low lights had to do with walking the streets of New Orleans. First, the place smells foul. The French Quarter reeks of stale beer, vomit, and garbage. The garbage is place on the edge of the sidewalk but the streets and sidewalks are so narrow that it is impossible to avoid walking dangerously close to the garbage. Second, the begging for money was out of control. The moment I pulled out my camera to take a picture, someone would offer to take the picture for a small tip. There were different mimes or clowns in the streets, children tap dancing, and the run of the mill homeless person all wanting money. I had one woman put her arm around me and proceeded to call me stingy after I wouldn't give her any money. She then tried to get money from Chris and I informed her that the bad news of the day was that Chris was just as stingy as me. She left quite annoyed. Oh well.

There were a few highlights...Chris getting peed on by a baby alligator, feeding alligators marshmallows during the swamp tour, eating, eating, and eating. And best of all, Chris and I not only remembered to bring the camera, we actually used it.

Just another day at the office

My morning started by meeting a veteran at his house to transport him to the hospital to have some bandages changed. We sat in his house as he smoked his last cigarette before walking out to my car. I sat down in the driver's seat and looked over at the passenger door as he opened it. Sadly I had a bird's eye view of his pants fly that was gaping open and he wasn't sporting any under garments. I got quite an eyefull and gently suggested to him that his zip up his pants before getting to the hospital. That is a horrible vision to have engrained in my memory and it will take years of therapy to move beyond it.

My next veteran wanted to go bra shopping. Not a big deal except that the veteran is a man. We went to a store and he said he needed a 46DD. Funny thing since I wouldn't have put him over a B cup...even with the estrogen patches he wears. (He is a bit mixed up sexually and that is the least of his problems.) Anyway, he purchases 4 bras and then tells me that they didn't have his size. I suggested he return them and said I would find him a place where they did have his size. He wasn't going for it and began to escalate. He started yelling at me that I didn't understand and that his testicles were hurting because his bras were all too tight. Then he pulls up his shirt and demands I look at his breast. I figured I had already seen the bottom half of one veteran, what was the difference in seeing the top half of another? Please note that he was not wearing a bra. I looked at his breast to tell him that yes, I did see it and yes, I'm sure it was terrible to be in such pain. After calming him down and helping him bring his groceries to his apartment, he told me that the bra he was wearing was uncomfortable and too small. I clarified that he was meaning the bra he was wearing at that exact moment and he said yes. He must have been meaning his invisible bra... Or he is crazy. I think the latter of the two...

This all happened yesterday but it must be the week of exposure because I had another veteran pull up his shirt to pinch his nipple during a home visit today. He said he was sure he had breast cancer due to a lump he found. I convinced him to 1) call his doctor and 2) put his shirt down.

Just another day at the office...

The Foot...final update

At least we hope it is the final update. Things are better. We met with the doc last Friday and were finally given some good news. He said he thinks Chris' foot will heal on its own without further medical intervention. The top skin of his foot is pretty hard and the doctor said the skin will most likely sluff (how do you spell that darn word?) off on its own. Chris is also noticing that he is lacking feeling in certain parts of his foot when someone touches it but we are guessing that is part of the dead skin thing and nothing to worry about...we hope.

The part of his foot that was black is still black and has now leaked out blood into a thin layer of skin just above the surface. It is kinda neat to push the blood around with your finger. Chris wanted me to take a video of us doing this but a picture of his foot will have to do and you will have to use your imagination. I'm just not that techy.

Chris went back to work for the first time today. He also spent 45 minutes at the gym which was pretty exciting. He is finally off crutches and manages fairly well with his walking boot. He is almost completely off of his pain killers. He is still finishing off his antibiotics but should be done with those soon. All of the prayers, meals, offers to mow the lawn have been wonderful. Thank you to everyone who helped or offered to help. We are very lucky to have you in our lives.

The Foot II (Still PG-13)

Chris and I went to the ortho doc last Thursday which was the last post. The doc decided Chris' foot was getting worse instead of better and scheduled him to go into surgery the next morning and to stay through the night. The surgery went well and the doc removed 100cc's of red gunk. He said the foot had made a sort of cavern to hold the fluid and it was easy to remove and "power wash" the inside.

The big question was what kind of infection Chris might have...staph, MRSA, etc... We were put into a huge hospital room with a negative airflow sign in the door which wasn't very encouraging. We met with the infectious disease doc who said he wouldn't have the cultures back until Monday but put Chris on hefty antibiotics. The night in the hospital was pretty rough as Chris was in a lot of pain and the morphine was no longer doing the trick. We finally made it back home Saturday around 1:00pm and spent the rest of the day (my 30th birthday) relaxing. My parents were in town and were wonderfully helpful as we made the transition from hospital to home.

Chris talked to the infectious disease doc on Monday and we were told that nothing grew. We took that as good news...until today. Today we met with the ortho doc who removed Chris' bandages from surgery. I think we were all surprised with how bad Chris' foot looked. The doc said that he is doubtful there isn't an infection regardless of the cultures done. He explained that since Chris was on antibiotics since the injury two weeks ago, unless the infection was raging, it would prevent any growth in a culture. He said that from looking at Chris' foot, he believes that it could be strep and that Chris will need to continue on the antibiotics. The other concern was a black spot on his foot which the doc said is necrotic. This is a fancy medical word for dead. I heard the words skin graff, plastic surgeon. The doc also talked about having ongoing concerns that Chris might spike a fever from an infection. When the doc had said post surgery that Chris could return to work whenever he felt good enough to do so, the doc now said that Chris wasn't allowed to return to work for at least a week and that he needed to be seen again this Friday.

So, prayers needed still. We never expected all of this to happen. We figured we would go home after Montrose and that the foot would heal after a few days and this would be over. This continues to be a challenge for both of us. Chris is having a difficult time staying home, especially since he is usually so active. (Think gym workouts 5 days a week at 5:30a.m.) I'm having a difficult time running the show by myself. We have been blessed with a wonderfully supportive church who is bringing us meals every other day. I'll keep you posted. These are the pictures I took in the doctor's office this morning after the bandage was removed and before another one was put on.

The Foot (PG-13 due to graphic content)

Since the majority of my readers consist of family members, most of them could probably write this blog entry since they were all there when this happened. Just in case there are a few random readers, this is for you.

As I was growing up, my immediate family would meet in Pennsylvania with my extended family every summer for a vacation. We stayed in my grandma's log cabin and spent our days building forts in the woods behind the cabin. I hadn't been back to the cabin in 9 years since my grandma died. When my cousins, Chris, and I went wandering back to our old forts, we realized there was nothing left of them. We decided we needed to build a fort that would withstand the test of time. That fort started and quickly ended with a rock wall.

Not having been in the woods for so many years, there was a lot of debris that covered the large flat rocks we were using. Chris picked up a rock that appeared much smaller than it actually was. The rock was so heavy it slipped out of his hands, dropped on the ground, rolled down and crushed his foot. I'm not sure how he managed to get down the hill on his own but by the time my dad and I got to him...roughly two minutes after the accident...his foot was so swollen already that we almost had to cut his beloved Chaco sandals off of him. We rushed him to the tiny small town ER and they x-rayed his foot determining that nothing was broken. We were given no real direction on what to do next, Chris was handed crutches, and we were on our way.

Fast forward to a week later. Chris' foot was still so swollen and painful that he went to the doctor and had an MRI done. His ortho doc that he was finally referred to over a week after the accident said that the ER was correct, that no bones were broken, but that his injury was just as bad, if not worse with all of the soft tissue damage.

He has a large hematoma on the top of his foot that can't be drained because it is too long after the initial injury and all of the blood has coagulated. Chris needs to massage the hematoma in an attempt to break it up. Of course he can barely touch it without extreme pain and that is when he is on the narcotics prescribed to him.

He noticed yesterday that his foot was starting to get red. I suggested he call his ortho doc and let him know since his follow up appointment isn't scheduled for another 5 days. Included are pictures he took today. Keep in mind that this happened almost two weeks ago. He is still on crutches. It is hard to see the bruising running along the sides of his foot but you can see some of the bruising that has moved into his toes. It has been a rough few weeks.

Busy, busy, busy

It's been a very busy summer for the Ray family. We kicked it off by going to Florida the first weekend in June to see my sister's family...see last post. The next weekend we took it easy to celebrate Flag Day. How does one celebrate Flag Day you might ask? Great question. Moving right along... The third weekend I was on call for Clarian North hospital...also see a previous post...and Chris was in Washington DC for a conference. The last weekend in June we drove two and a half hours north to Ft. Wayne, IN to go boating with friends of mine from college. The first weekend in July we were in Pennsylvania for the Torrey family reunion and for this weekend, we just returned from another boating trip in Ft. Wayne, IN about an hour ago.

This coming weekend we will be home to celebrate my 30th birthday. I don't know what Chris has in store for me but I'm excited.

Finally, some pictures

And no, I didn't have some epiphany and actually remember our camera on our trip to FL. My lovely sister Jill sent these to me. They are of my sister, our nephew Deven, and us. Enjoy.

On call

Beep, beep, beep, beep. That was the sound I heard at 2:30 this morning. I returned the page and spoke with the doctor in the emergency room at the hospital I am on call with. She had an intoxicated man who was talking about wanting to commit suicide. In the state of Indiana, the legal limit for alcohol is .08. This man was at a .5. Most of us would be dead. The doc then decided that I could wait to come in until 5 or 6 in the morning since he was so drunk I probably wouldn't be able to assess him properly. Too bad the doc didn't decide that until AFTER she paged me. I did my best to shut my brain down and fall back asleep.

I dragged my sorry butt in the hospital at 5:45, still very tired after not sleeping well after getting the page. I determined the man was no longer suicidal, also not as intoxicated which is not uncommon and which the doc should have considered. I spoke with the patient's 77 year old father who was infuriated with me because I wouldn't have his son sent to a psych unit against his will. I tried to explain the whole, "People have civil rights thing" but it didn't go over too well. Neither did the whole, "I can't tell you what your son said due to patient confidentiality." I think it was then he got into my personal space and said something about his son killing a family member of mine while driving drunk. I knew it was time to go home.

I crawled back into bed and slept for about an hour before I woke up to beep, beep, beep, beep. I returned the page and was informed there was a mother at the hospital with her daughter and the mother wanted to go home, check on her son and do some things around the house before returning to the hospital. Oh, and she wanted the hospital to pay for the cab fare both ways. I was the mean old social worker who said no, was informed by the mom it had been done for her all week, and told her I would call the full time social worker and get back with her. Thankfully the full time social worker is a friend of mine who said her story was accurate and that I needed to inform her this would be the last time prior to discharge that we would do this.

I gave up on trying to sleep so Chris and I walked down to the Farmer's Market. On the way back, beep, beep, beep, beep. This time it was the hospital chaplin who explained that a guy who was engaged to a patient at the hospital was having his utilities shut off due to not paying the bills. He wanted our help with the utilities but didn't want his fiance to find out. I told the chaplain he was out of luck on a Saturday and to try back on Monday.

I hate this job. I actually quit this job but decided to keep this last weekend to help out. Knowing I will never have to do this again is keeping me sane. I'm off to a wedding reception and a goodbye party. We'll see how long I can attend before I hear the beep, beep, beep, beep.

The longest short trip ever

Chris and I planned a short vacation to visit my sister Jill in Naples, FL. Since I am still new at my job, my vacation time is very limited which in turn mean that our trip was going to be very limited. We purchased plane tickets to fly out of Indianapolis right after work last Thursday. We were supposed to arrive in Ft. Myers around midnight and have all day Friday and Saturday. Our return flight on Sunday was supposed to get us back to Indy with enough time to grocery shop and prepare for work the next day. I think you know where I'm going with this...

We arrived at the Indianapolis airport only to be told that our plane was having mechanical problems and would be delayed. The concern was that our connecting flight through Atlanta might be missed but were assured that the connection was also running late so we might make it in time. Despite our frantic runs through the Atlanta airport, we did not make our connection. Instead, we were put up in a smelly hotel that is doomed to shut down based on what we saw. I was planning on using Jill's toiletries because Chris and I didn't want to check any baggage. When we realized we needed toothpaste, I was given plastic disposable toothbrushes with plastic bristles that have the "convenience" of the toothpaste already being included. If you pushed up on the handle, it forced a pathetically small amount of what they say to be toothpaste between the plastic bristles which was just as helpful as not brushing your teeth at all. For all of you who know how weird I am about having fresh breath, I can guarantee you that no kissy face occurred in this hotel.

Did I mention that in this hotel, even the wine glasses in the bar smelled bad? Oh, and the hotel check in lady had to explain that the contractor and hotel owner had a falling out so before the contractor was fired, he installed all of the hotel door handles upside down so when opening the door you needed to life up instead of down.

Friday morning we arrived back at the airport VERY early, especially being that we arrived VERY late the night before. We boarded the plan and then we were told that the plan was having, you guessed it, mechanical problems. We sat for a few minutes before they got back on the overhead to announce that the problems were more serious than previously expected and we would need to get off the plane. So we waited...again. The plane eventually took off and we made it to Florida for a wonderfully relaxing 1 1/2 days. I would show you pictures but I forgot my camera. Big shocker I know. (See previous post.)

Sunday we left Jill's house around 9:00am to catch our plane. We were thrilled when this occurred without a problem. Our flight landed in Chicago on time. Too bad our flight out of Chicago wasn't on time. As a matter of fact, a storm had just blown through and many flights were cancelled, almost all were delayed. We were one of the delayed flights. It was supposed to be a two hour delay. It wasn't. Approximately twelve hours from the time Chris and I left Jill's house, Chris and I drove into our garage completely exhausted and having made the decision that we will NEVER (except for the family reunion trip that is already scheduled and paid for) have a layover again.

Playing hookie

Chris and I played hookie a few weeks ago. We had both already been to the gym and were getting ready for work in our respective gym locker rooms. Chris sent the initial text message with the temptation of calling in sick. The magic words he used were something along the lines of, "We could go hiking." Sold! I called my boss and told her I had been having a lot of headaches lately (true) and that I was going to take the day off to relax (true if you call hiking the most difficult trails in the park relaxing) to fend off any more headaches. I hung up, drove home, and Chris and I packed up for a day of fun.

I finally remembered our camera so here are a few pics of our hike in Turkey Run State Park. The first picture is the dubious bridge we had to cross to get to the hikes we wanted. The last picture is where we ran into three older women who were trying to figure out how to hike through the stream and decided to watch us first to figure it out. Chris and I figured out that the trick was to find the 4 inch ledge along the side of the rock, walk gingerly along it using the sporadic fingerholds, and pray you didn't fall into what ended up being a decent drop into the water. Needless to say the women took their shoes off and walked in the water. Complete cheating if you ask me! The middle two pictures were of great scenery. Enjoy!

Team work

I think that part of what makes a marriage work is having teamwork. Part of teamwork is bringing to the table different skill sets that compliment one another. One of my skills is baking. I have started a new weekend activity of making a new dessert every weekend. This weekend I made lemon icebox cookies. I also made rice krispie treats with cranberries and mini chocolate chips. My job is to keep us chubby.

One of Chris' skills is cooking. For example, he is currently making noodles from scratch, grilling chicken outside, and going to turn it into a creamy pepper pasta dish. It will be delicious. He was out of town the other day and when we talked on the phone before bed he asked what I had for dinner. Cereal and corn dogs of course. Was I actually supposed to cook? Chris' job is to keep us alive.

Morning clothes quandries

I have discovered a problem with going to the gym in the mornings. It isn't exactly about the gym itself but more the dilemma about having to get ready to go to work at the gym after working out.

Chris and I have a routine each evening which involves packing our lunch, pre-setting the coffee maker, and packing our gym bag with the clothes we will wear to work the following day. None of this is problematic. The problem comes after I have showered and start pulling out the clothes chosen the night before from my gym bag. It is only then that I discover I have forgotten my belt. Or my shoes look completely ridiculous with my outfit. Or I packed pants I machine dried for the first time and didn't realize how much they had shrunk. Of course my shoes also had big heels on them that day so I looked like I was waiting for the next flood. I couldn't pull them low enough on my hips to avoid the "Is the Ark coming soon" look so after arriving at work, I took scissors and ripped the hem out of the bottom of each pant leg. So much for those pants...

Recently I decided I was tired of wearing the same outfits over and over so I pulled a shirt out of my closet that I never wear. Was I smart enough to try it on before tossing it in my bag? Of course not. After pulling on my pants at the gym, I realized I forgot my belt. Not a huge crisis. Not until I put my shirt on and remembered why I never wear this shirt. It is WAY TOO SHORT!! It was terrible. If I had remembered a belt, I could at least have hoisted my pants up high enough to look like Urkle and cover my belly. But between my sagging pants and the horribly short and tight shirt, I was a fashion nightmare.

Let me point out that one of the reasons I go to this specific gym is that it is the halfway point between home and work. The bonus to working out so early is that I get through the worst spot of traffic in Indianapolis before traffic even becomes an issue. This of course means that driving home to change a nightmare outfit is never a possibility. I would be at least an hour late to work. In the case of the no belt and too short/too tight shirt, my solution was to wear my coat zipped half way up the entire day. I only received a little bit of deserved abuse from my goodnatured coworkers and the shirt is now sitting in the pile to go to Goodwill.

I suppose this is one way of cleaning out the closet...

Indoor fun

I realized something about myself last night...something disappointing. I realized that I don't take pictures. I also realized that I really like having pictures. Not a good combination. That is the biggest reason why there are so few pictures in my blog. I was thinking about all the things I wanted to write on and what great entries they would have been if I had remembered my camera. Sad.

Three weekends ago I went downtown Chicago to celebrate the 30th birthday of some friends. We went to a steak house and then to see My Fair Lady. It received great reviews...just not from us. The singers were difficult to understand. They were muffled and frequently the orchestra was louder than they were. Instead of sleeping in the city, I drove home to Wheaton and picked up my poof couch from college. It looks like an oversized bean bag chair. Instead of little beads, it is made of recycled mattresses which makes it the ultimate in comfort.

In my house, we have three bedrooms. One we turned into an office/poop room for the cats. While spending the weekend before Chicago in Lexington, KY with other girlfriends, it dawned on me that we should get rid of the office and turn it into a reading room. This would make it usable space since the office was going unused and would also allow for Chris and I to have a retreat when we needed alone time. I wish we had before and after pictures since the poof couch in the reading room is where I am sitting and it looks so different than before. Mijo has also decided he likes this room and if frequently found on the poof couch.

Anyway, getting to the title of this post, Chris and I went tobogganing two weekends ago in northern Indiana with another couple we are friends with. With the wind and having to wait in line 30 minutes for each ride down the track, it was really cold!! The track is refrigerated and with the two hills, we were able to reach 36 mph. After getting tired/cold of standing in line to go tobogganing, we decided to engage in some winter hiking. Chris and I were new at this but it was a lot of fun. I recall a snowball fight breaking out...

This past weekend we joined another couple and went indoor rock climbing. Initially I was hesitant since my last experience wasn't that great. This experience was completely different. I don't know how many walls I climbed but as long as I stuck to the easier ones, I was able to make it up with ease and build my confidence. The best part was my last climb. As more of a joke than anything else, I decided to try a wall that was inverted. My girlfriend had gotten a quarter of the way up before falling so that was my goal. I made it halfway up before losing my foothold and dangling in the air by my hand grips. I managed to hold on, re-establish my footing, and I made it to the top. I think my friends were as surprised as I was.

If only I remembered my camera...

Life at the new job

I could have written many times earlier about the job. It certainly isn't for lack of stories. For me, it was about timing and desire. Well, the timing is right and the desire is here.

I'll call him The Grinch to protect those who aren't innocent but those whose name I can't say for HIPPA reasons. He is around 55 years old and has paranoid schizophrenia. Oh, and he is horribly mean. This is unrelated to his illness. He just happens to have the illness and be mean at the same time. I think the mean part came first but that is just my opinion. He is known for treating women poorly. For those who know psych terms, he has many transference issues. For those who don't know psych stuff, he had a bad relationship with his wife and takes it out on all other women.

I had met with him in his apartment on one other occasion. He was bearable. Not so today.

I arrived and he was already on edge and irritable. In the 5 minutes I was there he misunderstood (or didn't listen) to everything/anything I said which was all of about 2 sentences. He became hostile, said he wasn't a Jew and that he believed in God. I am going to note right here that my initial question was, "How are you?" Crazy question I know!!

Anyway, he said that he tells people that if they don't like him or don't like what he says that they can get the f*** out of [his apartment]. I asked if he has had to tell anyone that lately. He shared that he was telling me that and repeated himself louder. He continued to cuss me out using the "F" word, certainly winning the world record for number of times it can be said in such a short period of time.

I informed him in my calm and soothing tone of voice that I wasn't going to file a complaint but that I was going to leave. He became more hostile, continued to cuss me out saying the "F" word repeatedly, and finished by demanding I get the f*** out of his apartment and not to let the door his my a** on the way out. I kindly said I would call him later in the week to see if he was ready for a visit.

And then I called my mom. Moms are good for things like that, like being able to share exactly what was said and being appropriately appalled but not to appalled since she knows the population I work with. My next phone call was to my co-worker to inform him of my home visit with The Grinch. He said leaving was exactly the right decision.

Since I have only worked with kids, knowing what to do in situations with seriously mentally ill adults sometimes stumps me.

In my previous life as a child's therapist, I would have looked him in the eye and said, "It's ok to be mad. It's not ok to be mean" and I would have left. Perhaps I will try this next time. I wonder if The Grinch would beat his cussing world record. Probably but I would leave with a smile on my face. If they act like children, treat them like children.

Running

There are three different kinds of runs.

There is the "I need to lose weight" run. Those are generally anguish filled and can be hard to maintain motivation to complete the run.

There is the "Gee it is lovely outside and I really want to get some fresh air" run. Those can be nice on 70 degree spring days when the birds are chirping.

Then there is the "I'm doing this for my mental health" run. For me, those are the best. The speed, distance, and length of time spend running are all completely up to you. I suppose so are the "Gee it is lovely outside" runs but the mental health runs are special.

To be outside and focus on the sound of your feet hitting the pavement...
To think about everything or nothing...
To simply be...

Tonight I went on a mental health run. It was 32 degrees outside and there were hardly any cars the road let alone runners. It was snowing and I could see my breath. It was calming, soothing.

It was perfect.