American Idol and other reality shows

I enjoyed yesterday's Rock'n'Roll show, I think they all did well. Generally speaking, my top 3 would be James, Scotty, and Casey. My 3 low choices are Jacob, Stephano and Pia. Pia and Jacob are good singers but I don't care so much for their style. So today they had the results, I am not going to say who got the boot because Mia reads my blog and she doesn't want to know, but I was surprised. Another show I enjoy is America's Top Model, those girls are bitchy! Other reality shows I currently like are: All the cooking shows like Top Chef, Sharks, The Amazing Race, The Celebrity Apprentice (the current one is funny!), Undercover Boss and Secret Millionaire, Dancing with the Stars (sometimes). Oh I like Hoarders too lol. So yes, I like reality type shows better than regular shows. But I like Glee and Raising Hope and The Big Bang Theory too. I guess I am not crazy about dramas. In the home front, M went to have his iron infusion and he is doing well, unfortunately at night sometimes he gets leg cramps that are pretty painful. And I went back to school to find a note my sub left me, saying my kids hyper, disrespectful, didn't listen etc etc. No surprise here! He had written the names of the "worse kids" on the board. It was full with about 11 names out of 24 with comments like: he ran away, he lied, he pushed a girl, he kissed a girl, she wouldn't stop talking, they didn't listen to me.......grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Mini meltdown

Well, it's official: I am a wimp! Today we went back to Kaiser to get M's catheter flushed, and when it came time to put on a mask, I couldn't get it right and when I finally had it right I started to hyperventilate and felt like I was going to pass out. They sent me out of the room and I cried. It may have been stress, or maybe I was thinking about my phobia of masks (Tia Socorro). We went later to have another catheter placed for a different purpose. I have to say M is doing super well, he's sore and tired, but doesn't complain and everything is going well,. After all he's been through I am proud of the way he's taking it in stride :) And here's another anecdote about my being stressed (or being a dummy) lol. I went to the store to get some groceries after we came home from the hospital. I was driving the pick up and I have some trouble opening and closing the door with the automatic opener. So when I got to the store, I locked the door manually. When I came back with the groceries, I clicked the opener and it wouldn't work, I clicked and clicked and clicked some more and was getting upset. A nice man drove by and stopped and asked me if I had locked my keys inside, I said no, I had the keys but maybe the battery was low. It never occurred to me to put the key in the lock and try to open it that way. I kept clicking and was totally aggravated when I noticed....I was using my Mustang keys instead!!!!!!!

The longest day

We left home at 6:30AM on our way to Kaiser Hospital for Marvin's OP catheter laparascopic surgery, we had to be there by 7:3o for pre op. They said it would take about 2 hours, and they would call me when he was ready. I went downstairs to the cafeteria, and had a Pepsi and played with the iPad for a while. Went back upstairs and he was all ready in his cubicle waiting for surgery (scheduled at 10:30). Well the time came and went and still no surgery...I went to ask what was the hang up and was told the doctor was doing another surgery that was taking longer than expected. Marvin was having bad legs cramps and I was taught to grab his toes and push to relieve the pain. Around 12, they came to take him to surgery. They said it would be a couple hours and then the doctor would come and talk to me, then there was 2 more hours mandatory post op, and after that maybe an hour more to make sure everything was OK. At that time, rather than wait around the cafeteria, I decided to walk to Jack in the Box for lunch. It was quite a walk, for me, but it was good to be outside, it was a warm breezy day so it was nice. I had a spicy chicken sandwich and the 2 tacos for .99 cents. It had been a while since I had them and I enjoyed them :) I went back to the waiting room and they said he was still in surgery, the waiting room was quite crowded, so I went to the "Meditation Room" which was empty, and read my book (The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen). Later on I went back to the waiting room and they called my name and Dr Crabtree came to talk to me, he was very nice, holding my hand, taking a cursory look at what I was doing (playing "Angry Birds" in the iPad) that made him chuckle a little. He explained everything went well and he was doing fine. I like him, he's very nice and comforting. So he said he was in post op and I could see him after 2 hours. So I went back to the cafeteria because they have a nice outside area with tables and umbrellas, and had a chocolate milk and assorted nuts, and read some more. Finally I went up again and they let me in, and they said he was ready to go. He was still a bit drowsy and tired looking, so I went downstairs to the Pharmacy to get some pain meds and by the time I got back, he was all dressed and ready to go :) And now, back at home, after a delicious dinner of chicken broth and Jell-o, we are both ready for bed. It's been a long day!

Another day

Back to work today, I wanted to get a few things done since I am taking off Tuesday and Wednesday, and next week is Open House and Mia is coming and I don't have much time to prepare. However I got almost nothing accomplished. It's hard to try to clean and put things away with all the lil monsters acting up lol. I did write my lesson plans for my sub (good luck to him!)

I was tired when I got home so I had a nap.

Marvin and I talked after dinner (KFC) about tomorrow and what to expect etc. There'll be quite a bit of waiting around for me, so I am taking my iPad, I just learned they have wifi but I also have an Internet connection, I will also take a couple of books.

Marv is feeling a bit apprehensive -he's never had surgery before-. I think women are more used to it because of childbirth etc. I had thyroid surgery in Twin Falls, ID when Sandy was about 2 years old. I had a lump in my neck which I felt one night while I was reading in bed. We went to the doctor and he told Marvin that if I was his wife he would take me to the hospital right away, which we did the next day. Luckily the lump was benign, but I still have a scar around my neck. Of course I also was in the hospital when I had my two daughters. And then the last time was when I had a car accident, when the car turned over in black ice. I broke my left ankle and shattered the bones, I was hospitalized for a few days. I am posting a picture of me sitting at home with my leg in a cast :) That was about 30+ years ago.

I will let you know tomorrow how everything went with Marvin's surgery.

Sunday

We slept late today, then I made breakfast : waffles and bacon. It was good. After that I went back to my cleaning, this time I emptied some of the drawers and straightened up others. Later on I went to the Jacuzzi. I had filled the hummingbird feeders and was hoping I would see some feeding. Sure enough, I had been soaking for a few minutes when here comes a tiny hummingbird. After drinking for a while, it went to the fountain and had a little bath, I wish I had my camera because it was really cute. Other birds were feeding from the regular bird feeders, they are small pretty songbirds, some with red chests and yellow collars. I don't know what they are called :) We went for an early dinner to the Panda Inn. We had moo shoo pork and crispy fish with green beans in a spicy sauce. Very good. It was a nice day.

Spring cleaning

I got a new computer monitor, it's cool!

Today I decided I needed to make some room in the guest room closet, so when Mia comes to visit she has some place to put her clothes. That closet is the largest one in the house, and most of my clothes and shoes are there. The closet in my room is not very big, in it I keep my everyday school clothes etc.

Well I guess I am a little "hoarder". Marvin said that even though I say I don't like to go shopping, I have accumulated quite a closetful of clothes. My problem is I have trouble discarding stuff, Sandy and Lizzie are good at it, but I seem to keep things for a long time, to the point that I am surprised to find some stuff I even forgot I had.

One thing I know I buy a lot is shoes. Since the time I broke my foot in a car accident in Twin Falls, I have trouble finding shoes that are comfortable. I cannot wear heels, so all I have are flats. When I find a pair that fits right, I buy them. But then i keep on wearing the same comfortable pair until it falls apart.

Tomorrow I will tackle the chest of drawers drawers :)

April

Another of my beautiful roses

I noticed I had not written much in March, so I will try to post more often in April. Blogging is a very good way to keep in touch with family but also is a good way to keep track of events in one's life.

I am looking forward to meeting Mia, and then having Sandy and Tristan and Lizzie visit over Spring Break. Also I think Marvin's family will come over one day when everybody's here. On Tuesday, Marvin and I will go to Kaiser to get the peritoneal catheter surgery. After that we'll probably have some training and start the dialysis. The surgeon is very personable and explained everything really well. Another thing happening this month, is our school Open House, my last one. Sort of bittersweet, I have come to terms with retiring especially with the class I have this year, and with all the education budget problems (less pay, bigger classes etc.), plus the home situation and my age, it is the right time to retire.

And now, a list of the books I read in March :)

Jen Lancaster - My Fair Lazy

Jennifer Ross - The Icing on the Cupcake

Sarah Strohmeyer - The Sleeping Beauty Proposal

Caren Lissner & others - Scenes from a holiday

Steve Martin – An Object of Beauty (half)

Nancy Thayer – Everlasting

Judith Rossner – Olivia