So how was YOUR weekend?

Me, I spent mine in the hospital. Nothing horrible, nothing major, but it's kind of a long story.  

My big black cat, Gyro, likes to beat the crap out of my smaller cat, Lily. I was working in my craft room when I heard them going at it in the bedroom (no not that kind of "going at it." Sickos.). I went in there to break them up right as Lily tore up into the shelving of the closet to get away, but Gyro must have grabbed her or she slipped or something, because suddenly she was hanging upside down from the wire shelf at the top, with one back leg caught in the wire. I grabbed Gyro & threw him out of the closet, and tried to grab Lily and hold her up with my left hand while untangling her foot with my right. She was (rightfully) REALLY freaked out though, and turned and latched onto my left hand and bit me twice before I was able to get her down. By this time I was (rightfully) freaking out too - blood was pouring out of one of the bites. B heard me screaming at this point, got me to the bathroom & we cleaned out the wound and got the bleeding stopped, just in time for me to almost puke/pass out on the bathroom floor.  

The last time we went to the ER, we went to UTMC, right around the corner from our house, but the wait was ridiculously long. Our landlord had recommended a couple of other places (part of the Mercy system), but we must have looked up the wrong location or something because when we got there, they told us we were at the wrong place. We finally made it to St. V's downtown, but their ER waiting area was overflowing onto the sidewalk outside. The security guard said they'd just had two major traumas come in too, and that the wait would be REALLY long. We were pretty frustrated at this point, so we just said "screw this" and went all the way back to UTMC so we would at least be closer to home. Amazingly, we sat in the waiting room for all of 10 minutes, then only waited maybe 15 for a doctor to see me. The doc ordered xray's and a consult from an orthopedist, and they decided to admit me to make sure that the bite on my knuckle didn't cause an infection in my joint (which would be VERY bad & result in surgery). I sat there waiting for a room to open up in the main hospital for longer than my entire visit put together, and in the meantime B went home to get my stuff (mainly, sweatpants... I was in shorts and a tank top and was freezing my butt off!).  

I spent the night Friday, getting dosed with antibiotics and vicodin - my hand swelled up at least twice the normal size and hurt like hell! Saturday, the orthopedic docs couldn't decide whether to discharge me, or cut my hand open to drain it. By the afternoon, the swelling had gone way down, the redness was gone, and a doc from Infectious Diseases came by & said I should go home with a couple different antibiotics to take. It took a few hours for that to be communicated properly to everyone else though, so I was finally released around 6 or so. Got my pills, one of which makes me horribly nauseous and the other tastes like battery acid, and now have very little swelling but still a bit painful, and can't bend my fingers all the way. I'll probably still go in to work tomorrow though... I'll just have to be careful when I take my pills so I'm not zoned out or camped in the accounting department bathroom all day.

B has been the BEST and only got mad when we were trying to find St. V's - the streets in Toledo are a pain in the ass! So that's the whole story. Aren't you glad you asked? :-)

Here's the notorious (and messy) closet - Lily likes to hide on the top shelf, but Gyro can't get his fat ass up that high. She was dangling from the spot where my hat is hanging in this pic.

More Garden Pics!

I love this salmon rose in the backyard.

One of our scarlet lilies

This was taken earlier this month - we've gotten a lot of rain since, and the veggies are even bigger now!  We have the hugest squash plant I've ever seen!

Bachelor's Buttons get kinda tall...

Arugula gets kind of weedy-looking late in the season, but it has pretty little flowers.

Red Yarrow that started taking over the front beds... I pulled out the biggest clump that was crowding out the Asian Lilies & Coneflowers.

Raindrops!

Personal Sustainability

A Native American proverb says, "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children."

Sustainability is defined in two ways.  "Meeting the needs of today without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs," as determined by the World Commission on Environment and Development in 1987.  More simply, sustainability can be defined as a three-legged stool - environment, economy, and society - or planet, profit, people.

When you apply the principles of sustainability to a business, it makes a lot of sense - your operations should have minimal impact on the environment, or perhaps a positive impact if any; your business should be economically viable and profitable; and your employees' rights to fair treatment, wages, benefits, and a healthy working environment should be met.

But at home, sustainability is defined a little bit differently.  It's clear that you should make sure your life doesn't have a negative impact on the environment, but what about the economical and social sides?  

In the past couple of years I think it's become pretty obvious that living above your means, relying on credit cards and financing options, and basically spending money you don't have are not sustainable choices.  Being financially sustainable at home means you don't pass your debts along to your children or other family members, you have the cash available for emergencies, and you're not a strain on the economy.  Imagine where we might be if people hadn't bought more house than they could afford, or if credit cards simply didn't exist - wishful thinking for society, true, but why not in your own life?

Social sustainability at home is simple as well.  Both physical and psychological health have a role.  Managing your stress, weight, emotions, and other health concerns are all part of being socially sustainable at home.  Establishing healthy habits, a happy home environment, and strong educational opportunities are social benefits that will pass along to future generations.

I think it's easy to see where the three branches of sustainability intersect and overlap.  Many "green" products and practices can have a positive impact on your finances and your health - for example, using vinegar as a household cleaner not only avoids putting harmful chemicals into the waterways, but also saves you money and prevents the negative health impacts of using those harsh chemicals.  

Taking a look at everything we do - viewing life through not just green, but sustainable sunglasses - is important not just for our lives today, but for generations to come.

***

Here are a couple of great resources:

Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover - his website is full of great information, and I highly recommend his books.

The Necessary Revolution by Peter Senge - a detailed account of why sustainability is so important for businesses and individuals.

The Natural Step's Sustainability at Home Toolkit - a great guidebook for making sustainable choices at home.  (Written for Canadians, but the principles can be applied to anyone!)

To Whom It May Concern:

Captain Dumbass is my source for all things button-y. He got this from Kat at 3 Bedroom Bungalow, whom I promptly added to my Reader list. She's a kick in the pants.

***

Dear Dog,

You're lucky that you're so damn cute. Because you're a pansy-ass. Yes, it was raining a little hard this morning, but that does not entitle you to NOT peeing. I might have condoned you peeing on the patio - it'll wash off after all - but NOT peeing at all is a recipe for an ass-whoopin'. And just because the living room rug is technically an outdoor rug does not mean you can use it as a substitute for the lawn. So get over yourself - you're not going to melt.

***

Dear Gyno,

Next time I visit, I would appreciate not having to wait in a freezing cold exam room for 30 minutes with nothing but a flimsy paper sheet to cover all my girly bits with. Also, you may want to re-arrange your rooms so my buttcrack isn't visible by the people in the hallway when you open the door. Just a thought.

***

Dear Michigan Department of Transportation,

You need to learn some basic principles of storm water management. I'm glad I drive a Subaru with decent ground-clearance and the ability to plow through a lake without flooding the engine, but still - I think the lady in the little Chevy Cobalt behind me might appreciate a little more drainage.

***

Dear People Who Owned Our House Previously,

Ya'll are not quite the handymen that you think you are. Whoever had the bright idea to install the tub themselves had the common sense of a friggin gnat, apparently. Why, oh why, did you get a right-facing tub when the drain pipe is on the left wall? Five 90-degree bends in the drain line is not conducive to proper water flow. Also, you might want to invest in a level before you install tile again.

***

Are you going to GLUE my life back together or something?

I finally grew a pair and went to a therapist today.  It's been a long time coming, and really I should have done it a long time ago!  But I'm stubborn and a bit of a control freak (shut up!) and have always been one to manage my issues myself.  I ask for help when it comes to moving something heavy or using power tools, but when it comes to my personal life... well, that's why it's personal.  But I've realized that I'm changing... and I don't necessarily like who I'm changing into.  So I'm hoping to nip that in the bud and get back to who I really am.  

But right now I'm not going to go into any detail about all of that - my point in this post is that I'm not too sure about this particular therapist, and I'm hoping to get a little feedback.  She's nice, and I felt okay talking to her, but I also felt mildly uncomfortable.  Not really with her, or her technique, or her personality, but with her office.  It was such a huge mess!  It appears that she works with children, or mothers, as there were toys all over.  I couldn't see the top of her desk at all - papers, books, mugs, drink bottles, dying plants, and just stuff (a random bottle of Elmer's Glue?) covered every horizontal surface.  Her chairs were horribly uncomfortable, and the clock was right above my head with a really loud ticker, and I couldn't find anything to focus my attention on except that stupid bottle of glue, so I kind of felt like I wasn't welcome or something.  In the back of my mind I was thinking, and she's going to help me get my shit together?  Looks like she could use some help herself!  Which is kind of mean I guess, but seriously, the state of her office kind of made me wonder about her professional abilities.

But since this was my first time ever visiting a counselor or therapist, I'm wondering if this is maybe par for the course?  Are the tidy, comfortable, zen-like therapist's offices only on TV?  Or should I be looking for someone new, with some level of organizational skills?  I know I should keep looking if I truly feel uncomfortable, but do I?  Or am I just being nitpicky and anal?  (Har har.  Shut up.)

Don't get me started!

The below is copied from an email this morning - my reply is at the top.  My co-worker was honestly curious and unsuspecting of my soapbox tendencies, but he told me later he really liked hearing my opinion.  Poor guy.

So just as a disclaimer, this is totally just my personal opinion based on what I've read, and also based on some good ol' common sense too.  Don't hate me.

****

“Global warming” and anything related to carbon dioxide is so incredibly controversial!  I don’t even bring it up in conversations anymore, and honestly, I was kind of annoyed to see it splashed all over our HD booth.  My personal opinion?  Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, that’s a scientific fact.  However I believe (along with countless scientists outside the UN’s reach) that climate change would occur naturally regardless of human prevention methods.  However everything that is proposed to “stop” climate change is something that should happen anyway for other, better reasons (such as renewable energy and alternative fuel vehicles = less dependence on oil/coal and less pollution).  The only way that action by the EPA and the environmental movement will have a negative impact on the economy is if big business keeps stonewalling and refusing to change the dirty, inefficient, ecologically-damaging ways that they operate.  In which case, I kind of think they deserve to collapse in a heap (a la GM).  It sometimes sucks for the everyday man, but we have to change how we live if we want future generations to have a better quality of life than we have.  Stuff like this only cares about financial prosperity, not true quality of life prosperity.

I’ll get off my soapbox now!  :-)


On 6/12/09 11:10 AM, "xxxxxxxxxxxx"  wrote:

Know anything about this? Thoughts?


------ Forwarded Message
From: xxxxxxxx
Date: Fri, 12 Jun 2009 08:57:31 -0400
To: xxxxxxxx
Subject: [Fwd: Take Action: Stop EPA Overreach]

-------- Original Message --------   
 Subject:  Take Action: Stop EPA Overreach  
 Date:  Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:57:47 -0400 (EDT)  
 From:  Americans for Prosperity <info@afphq.org> <mailto:info@afphq.org>   
 Reply-To:  Americans for Prosperity <info@afphq.org> <mailto:info@afphq.org>   
 To:  xxxxxxxx

Take Action: Stop EPA Overreach   
      
 Stop EPA Overreach  Take Action! <http://capwiz.com/americansforprosperity/utr/1/NINQKQTYCI/EIYNKQTYQD/3471029041>    
 Carbon Dioxide is NOT a Pollutant  
    
   AFP is engaged in a pitched battle against environmental extremists and we need your help to stop them.  The Left has mobilized their grassroots to tell the EPA to choke off economic activity in this country.
  
 Last year we battled an EPA proposal to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act, a proposal that would allow bureaucrats to control everything that emits carbon dioxide in our country, including: cars, trains, planes and even your lawnmower.
  
 Since the Obama Administration has taken hold, things have only gotten worse.  The EPA is feeling emboldened and have submitted a proposal that would find carbon dioxide "endangers the public health and welfare."
  
 That's right; the essential gas that has always been a critical component of the planet's natural life cycle will now be officially labeled by the U.S. Government as a pollutant.
  
 Click here to take action <http://capwiz.com/americansforprosperity/utr/1/NINQKQTYCI/OOFAKQTYQE/3471029041> .
  
 Once this "endangerment finding" has been reached, the EPA will be empowered to advance carbon dioxide regulations to their heart's content.  But even if they wanted to take the severe economic impact of this proposal into account, they can't.  Once the endangerment finding is final, they would be compelled to work aggressively to eliminate it across the economy.
  
 One lawsuit by a fringe environmental group could bring our economy to a standstill.
  
 But, before the EPA can pass this ridiculous rule, they are required by law to listen to the people.
  
 Click here to take action <http://capwiz.com/americansforprosperity/utr/1/NINQKQTYCI/FVZCKQTYQF/3471029041>  and tell EPA that you oppose this new regulation.
      
  If you no longer wish to receive e-mail from us, please click here <http://capwiz.com/americansforprosperity/lmx/u/?jobid=126475604&queueid=3471029041> . 

Inspiration

I'm not a mom, but dammit if I don't love reading mommy-blogs.  I think that's pretty obvious if you're familiar with any of the names in my list.  I love reading them because these women are real, and funny, and really, really funny.  Seeing the little blue RSS notification button on my toolbar light up means that Amalah, Sundry, Mr. Lady, Mommy's Martini, Redneck Mommy or any of a growing number of my favorite writers has published a new post, and that just makes me all sorts of happy inside.  Not just because it helps me kill a little time at work, but because they are truly fantastic writers, strong women, and inspiring to me in many, many ways.  

(The daddy bloggers too!  Dad Gone Mad and Laid Off Dad and Pet Cobra and Captain Dumbass, you all rock my boat too!)

What's ironic is I'm afraid of becoming a mom.  Babies scare the living daylights out of me.  Not in an axe-murderer-jumping-out-of-the-closet way, but in a fragile-and-valuable-as-a-damn-Ming-vase-and-I'm-a-klutz-and-sometimes-a-dumb-blonde way.  I'm scared of dropping them, making them sick, forgetting them, or otherwise screwing up their development in some irreversible way.  Once they hit the somewhat-communicative-and-made-of-rubber stage, I think I'd be okay.  But up until that point, yikes and yowza.

(Also yikes and yowza on my over-use of hyphens.)

But when I read the writings of these women (and men), I can see that I'm not the only one who's afraid, klutzy, nervous, and overall not perfect.  I now I see the benefit to that.  Sometimes it's good to be bad - if being a "bad" mother means more relaxed, more confident, more able to put my whole self into loving and teaching and caring for a child - rather than stressing and freaking that I didn't do something right or that I'm not living up to someone else's expectations of what a "good" mother is.

I'm not saying I'm going to run home and throw out the little blue pills in my medicine cabinet, but I'm encouraged, and maybe a little bit less afraid.  Thanks, ladies.

(Oh and B thanks you too!)

Motivation for this post comes from this one by Her Bad Mother, and subsequent writings and comments.)

Early Summer

I remembered today that I was going to post some more garden pictures.  So here's a few newer ones:

The salad greens have taken off!  They really like the conditions on the front porch.  All the rain these past few days has really made them happy too.  (Top level is Iceberg Lettuce, bottom left is Mesclun, and bottom right is Arugula.)  B had some in a salad the other day, with a balsamic vinaigrette.  I might try some tonight with some Thousand Island.

One of the two colors of Iris in the front bed.  I've noticed my garden has a purple-theme this year!

The other Iris.

I've also had to re-plant the corn - apparently what I thought was corn sprouts was actually crabgrass.  :-(  Bummer.  So here's hoping this next attempt takes off!  

I also found the first Nasturtium bloom this weekend in the bed along the fence!  The leaves on them are the size of saucers!

Is it? It IS.

My normally random thoughts have been interrupted these past few weeks by unavoidable sleepiness. Not sure if it's a result of working harder on the weekends - gardening, cleaning, crafting, basically taking advantage of the weather - or the sun coming up earlier and blasting right into my face. Or the fact that work is so effing slow right now that my brain is turning to Jell-o. Sugar-free Jell-o, even. Which we all know, sucks, despite the joyous wiggling.

Speaking of sugar-free, I'm cutting pop out of my diet. I've noticed these past few weeks that the uber-sweetness of it makes me feel gross. It's like I can feel my mouth turning into high fructose corn syrup. And no, the diet version won't cut it either. Artificial sweeteners are wrong, on so many levels. Chlorinated sugar? Really? And the aftertaste, yech.

I can't sew a straight line to save my life. Thankfully I've started my foray into Susie Homemaker-ness with simple stuff... so don't look too closely at the seams on the dog beds at my house.

My wedding ring has been cutting off the circulation in my finger, so I took it to be re-sized this weekend. I've been trying to remember to wear a different ring so I don't feel naked, but the only one that fits my ring finger is a thick silver band that I used to wear on my thumb. And yet, the ladies at the jeweler still made all sorts of comments about how tiny my fingers are. Too bad the fat on my extra chin(s) can't be transferred elsewhere I guess.

Star Trek effing ROCKED. And I now have a crush on Zachary Quinto, despite the crazy eyebrows.

I am also willing to admit that I liked the Twilight movie, which I finally saw a couple of weeks ago. Still don't like the books at all, but when I saw the trailer for New Moon yesterday I nearly wet myself. Hellooooo Jacob. And werewolves? Always cool.

I think it's still too early in the morning for total randomness. Afraid this is all I've got.