Death By Recycling

Tomorrow is our garbage and recycling day. Where we live, garbage is picked up once a week, but recycling is only picked up once a month. This means that our recycling bins are HUGE. Well, my husband is out of town this evening and won't get back until very late tonight. We try to make it a habit to set the bins by the curb the night before. We've been burned a couple of times when the recycling has been picked up very early in the morning when we didn't have it set out.

So tonight is my turn to take the garbage out, and let me first say this: Mother of God, it is cold outside! Right now it is about 15 degrees with a wind chill of 3 degrees. Having said that, I piled on a bunch of warm clothes, hat, and gloves and went to the side of the garage where we keep the bins. The snow that is still on the ground is frozen, so I pretty much slide my way into the bins. Now I look around and realize that I have to maneuver the bins over the mound of frozen snow. Not easy, but I manage to get the garbage bin to the curb. Now it's time for the recycling bin. Being a mere 5'2", this bin is almost as big as me, and it just happens to be stuck in the snow. I yank at it and pull it with all of my arm strength (which isn't much). I cuss at it and hope the neighbors don't hear me. Finally I manage to get it loose, but it starts to tip toward me. All I can imagine is this giant bin falling on me and pinning me to our front yard. Would anyone see me? It's pitch black out, and no one in their right mind would be outside, so I figure I would have to wait for my husband to come home. Fortunately it didn't tip over and I made it back into my warm house just fine.

Ugh, I'm tired of this weather. No warm up in sight - tomorrow's high is supposed to be 15 and it's only going to be 6 degrees by Sunday. Gotta' love the Midwest...

Random Pictures

I was cleaning out some boxes in our basement and came across these funny pictures:

My husband and stepson at the park quite a few years ago.

The annual trip to Holland, MI. From L toR: My grandma, my sister, my mom, and my aunt. I think this was the last trip before my aunt got sick.

August 1975. That's me standing between my sister and my dad.

The Most Awful Thing I've Heard In a Very Long Time

I have a nemesis at work. An arch enemy. We don't work in the same department, so there isn't any jealousy over who has the better job. She's just incredibly immature - especially for someone in their mid-20's, with a husband and two children. My theory is that she was emotionally stunted at the age of 15 and has never dealt with her issues. And believe me, she has issues. She brings them up ALL the time. She also is completely socially and professionally inappropriate. And she sings very loud to the radio she has in her office.

So on to the most awful I've heard in a while (aside from her singing). This was the conversation at lunch:

Nemesis: "I can't wait until I'm 40!"

Co-Worker: "Now that's just plain stupid!" (everyone laughs)

Nemesis: "Well, when I'm 40 my kids will finally get out of my house."

Huh??? First of all, her children are 3-years old and 6-years old. Secondly, she said this in front of our Executive Director. Thirdly, we work for a freakin' day care.

Wow.

Good News/Bad News

Well, the good news is that apparently I'm not dying. I also don't have mono. The mono part is true (according to the nurse at my doc's office). The first part is just my anxiety coming out, as I was completely paranoid that I had some form of blood cancer - leukemia, lymphoma, etc. I guess I also got checked for anemia and thyroid problems. After calling the doctor numerous times, and apologizing for calling so often (why do I do that?), I was told that there wasn't anything "too abnormal looking" in my test results. What? I asked her if that meant that there was something a little abnormal looking. She said "no" and apologized for using that expression. I think I know what she meant, but still, do not use that phrase when you're dealing with someone who thinks she might be dying of blood cancer.

That's the good news (in a warped and twisted way). The bad news isn't really bad at all - more like annoying - but "Good News/Annoying News" just doesn't have the same ring to it. The annoying news is that I actually am sick now, with something I can diagnose. It's just a bad cold/cough, but the fact that it fell on my b-day weekend with my family in town really stinks. So I have the typical sore throat, fever, cough, stuffy nose, lack of sleep thing happening. I left work a bit early today because 1) It was really warm in the office, 2) I did not have any more medication on me, and 3) My head was so stuffed up that when I bent down to pick up my pen I thought it would explode - "it" being my head and not the pen.

I'm not sure what was wrong with me those past few weeks, but I can't believe that it was a build-up to a run-of-the-mill head cold. That just doesn't make sense. I guess knowing that there wasn't anything "too abnormal" should make me feel somewhat better.

Another Year

I turned 34 years old today. Technically, I'm still 33 until 5:15 PM, but I guess it really doesn't matter. I don't feel 34, but then again, what the hell is 34 supposed to feel like?

You couldn't pay me enough money to be a teenager again, or in my early 20's for that matter. I liked my mid to late-20's. Lots of good times.

So, I took the day off from work today, which is a first for me. I've been dragging lately and this was the perfect excuse to stay at home.