Where did the year go? Much of it just seemed to zip on by. But then again, "Time flies when you're having fun." It was a most interesting, and most fun year indeed. Sure there was the occasional psychotic-induced legal issue, but on the whole, I would take nothing of the past year back. Heck, if I had my way, I'd just intensify the things that occurred. Can't say yet what next year holds. It's definitely not looking the same as this year, but since nobody can truly predict the future, I will still welcome it with open arms.
The vacation is concluded. Although I don't know what awaits me at work yet, I already received an email yesterday from my manager asking me to give him a call if I read it yesterday morning. Fortunately for me, I didn't get to my mail yesterday until after 8pm. So far, everything is unpacked, two loads of laundry are done, and I'm caught up on most of my bills from the week. On the not-so-fun side, I'm having a new roof put on. They started last week while I was away. Although the finished parts look real nice, there were some problems. Something about a rain storm and tarps that didn't quite cover what they should have. Let's just say that I now need to re-paint (at a minimum) or patch (at the most) three ceilings and a couple of walls. My roommate worked out a quote on the repair, and that will be worked out with the roofing contractor. Funny thing is, they're also replacing my main gutters too. I try to "proactively" replace my roof before it develops any major leaks, and I what do I get for my trouble? Leaks!
While it's true that i've logged in and checked a few things out...and heck, even ran some remote maintenance routines yesterday, I'm doing pretty good at staying "away" from work. On a side note... things have been interesting this week. My vacation has brought several new things... Chick-Fil-A is everything I have been told. Sonic is, indeed, America's Drive-In. The Honda Pilot is a rather nice ride. And my right leg is all tingly... almost as if someone had been holding a needle to it yesterday for, oh, about an hour or so...
Shashawna came down with a tough viral-chest-thingie after she got home from the hospital. (You always seem to come home with more problems than you went in with, don't you?) so now she's on a couple of different inhalers to try and relieve the symptoms. Even with a slightly diminished lung capacity, she still managed to run around a bit in this season's last soccer game. Her team won 4-3, giving them a record of 7 wins and 1 loss. She had a wonderful time playing this year. Speaking of time...I'm actually taking a week off from work starting..... now. I'll be checking email and blogs here and there though, so don't despair.
The doctors "released" Shashawna yesterday, much to my relief. She's on a strong oral antibiotic for the next ten days, and will follow that up with a different low-level dose for a couple of weeks. With the state of medical knowledge these days, I really wasn't too stressed out by her being in the hospital... but spending two and a half days with her mother however... *shudders*... somebody put me down please!
Well, after three rounds of antibiotics, she's doing much better today. She's much more comfortable, and her fever is very minor, if at all. She kept last night's dinner down, so that's opened the gates for her appetite to return. The only thing that came back from all tests is a major UTI, one that went as far as to infiltrate her kidneys. Her primary physician thinks that they should be able to switch to an oral antibiotic after a few more doses of the IV-based one, and that she might be able to go home tomorrow. Of course, they're still going to get a consult with a urologist from her doctor's group to ensure that there's nothing intrinsicly wrong that added to the infection taking such a strong hold in such a short amount of time.
The phone rang at 2:36am. Caller ID showed that it was the ex... not good. My daughter was burning up with fever, vomiting, and complaining of intense, all-over pain. Seeing as I only live three blocks away, I quickly made my way over there, where I picked her up, and placed her in her mother's car. Eight blocks and five minutes later, we arrived at the ER. Long story short, they ended up giving her an I.V. to supply some fluids, and sedated her so that she could sleep. The next 17 hours were filled with failed bouts at eating, plenty of pokey-stabby-picture-taking tests, and more sleep on her part. One of the tests showed a large bacterial infection, so they started her on a strong all-around antibiotic. By the end of the day, she was much more comfortable, and was able to hold down a mild supper. Hopefully, the cultures will come back tomorrow with more specific information as to the main cause, and a more specifically-targeted therapy can begin. Boy, where's Hugh Laurie when you need him?
I know, I know. It's been over two weeks since my last post. Time for some updates. The concert was totally awesome. (For those not in the know, I went to see Evanescence at Avalon in Boston on Oct. 7th, hence the blue hair.) Amy Lee has an incredible voice, and it certainly filled the joint. The rest of the band was top-notch as well. They're one of the few groups I've seen that sound just as good, if not better, than their studio work. If you like the music, and have the chance to catch them live, I highly recommend it. I went "old school" (Which Ken has lovingly informed me contributes to one of the biggest mid-life crisises he's ever seen.) Come on folks, is it really that bad? I had on a pair of jet black bondage pants (two combination strap-chains, pockets, and drawstrings everywhere,) a black "highlander" shirt with lace-tie cuffs, and black boots. A small, silver-pyramid studded bracelet, some eyeliner, and blue spiked hair, and my look was complete. For the record, my hair will continue to be blue for a bit longer. I just re-did it this weekend to even it out, and I still have one and a third jars of dye left over. I don't know what will come after the blue... I guess it all depends upon the next big court date!
