Diary of a Fair Weather Diver

Eyebrow Update

2012-02-17T15:55:00.000-07:00

After several scrubbings this morning, and then again after my workout, I feel like they are looking better. That and the fact that people at work are not pointing and laughing.....

Just because someone wants to dye your eyebrows doesn't mean you should let them

2012-02-16T23:34:00.001-07:00

Hi Guys! I had a great wedding planning and wedding stuff night! I'm getting the chance to write this while I wait to see if I have been able to fix a bad decision.... The night started off so well, we met with Genevieve, a potential wedding planner and she was AWESOME. She felt the wedding mojo we are trying to create and ran with it. She rocks! Following that, I went to an event with my Personal Attendant (is that what we are currently calling you Liz?).

The event was super fun! There were drawings for free stuff and I won a bottle of champagne and a $25 gift certificate to the pole dancing fitness place in town!

There was also a spa group there, Synergy Medical Spa. They had places set up for massages, parafin dips, and..... makeup. I thought to myself, hey, Kev would love it if I came home looking like a girl. I walked over to Lyndsay and she suggested we try tinting my eyebrows. I said OK, figuring it couldn't look too bad...

Taken in between eyebrow applications so we knew the starting point...

We let the dye set in while I did a paraffin hand dip....

Eventually they took it off and decided that we should go darker (the color simply made my white eyebrows look dirty.). This was not the best decision. I came out looking like a cartoon. The only response that I had to the reveal was, "wow, that's different." It was startling, it was disturbing.

The eyebrows made me pick the leopard hat...

I did schedule my first fitting with the seamstress at my favorite place before heading home... Something productive, YAY :)

Since I usually avoid looking in mirrors, I forgot how horrible the eyebrows looked. I helped Kev with his coffee table project, and since it took him a while to notice the eyebrows, I figured they weren't as bad as I thought. WRONG! I went and looked in the mirror. They were crazy. I immediately started to attempt to get the dye off....

Solution 1: Hydrogen Peroxide applied directly to eyebrow.

It seemed to rub a little bit off, but no real obvious effect.

At this point I did a little bit of research on google and combined a few of the common remedies for this issue.

Solution 2: All Free and Clear laundry detergent mixed with anti-dandruff shampoo and applied to the brows and left to sit for 30 minutes.

Shortly after the application of solution 1. Note that my eyebrows usually match my eyelashes...

I wanted to make sure that something was really happening, so I added more possible solutions.

Solution 2.5: Mix clarifying shampoo and baking soda and applied weird textured goo to eyebrows on top of previous solution.

Minute 11: My skin is fairly itchy.

I rinsed and it looked like this:

They seemed like they might be getting a little bit lighter??? or it could be that the skin around them is getting far redder.... Obviously, it's time for solution 3. Solution 3: Clarifying shampoo and baking soda. This mixture immediate starts burning. I will attempt to deal with it for 30 minutes. I rinsed and it looked like this:

Maybe looking a bit better?????

I decided to try something that I knew takes pet stains and smells out of carpet, a product called Sol-u-Mel. It is supposed to be safe enough that you can drink it, so I figure that it can't hurt me too much.

Solution 4: Applying full strength, undiluted Sol-u-Mel to my eyebrows. It immediately burned, not unlike the hydrogen peroxide, but has now settled down into a semi pleasant burn. I figure I'll leave this on for ~30 minutes and see how it goes. It soaked in and doesn't feel like it needs to be rinsed out, but I'll rinse at that point anyway.... I'll update after my next rinse....

Do you think it looks like it's getting any better????

My next step is to put a bunch of lotion on my eyebrows 'cause my skin hurts........ Night!

The Fun and Not So Fun

2012-02-04T16:26:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to get into the swing of things with wedding planning now.... kinda. Some of it is fun, and some of it is not so fun....
Fun - Taking an overnight trip to order the last of the bridesmaid dresses
Not so fun - Finding out that my wedding dress has still not shipped
Not so fun - Seeing a version of my dress for the first time in 7 months and trying it on two sizes too small, then panicking
Fun - Drinking champagne in the hot tub at our hotel
Fun - Looking for first dance songs that aren't super lame. Here are some of the ones that I might consider.

Oldies but Goodies — along the same lines of "At Last"

The Beach Boys "God Only Knows" (hear it)
Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get it On" (hear it) (because it's funny...)

Sexy Romantic

Ben Folds' "The Luckiest" (hear it)
Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" (hear it)
Mazzy Star's "Fade Into You" (hear it)

Wonky 'n Fun

Adam Sandler's "I Wanna Grow Old With You" (hear it)
The Velvet Underground's "I'm Sticking with You" (hear it)
Sam Hart's "Mario Kart Love Song" (hear it)

Indie

Jon Brion's "Here We Go" (hear it)
The Cure's "Friday I'm in Love" (hear it)
Bright Eyes' "First Day of my Life" (hear it)
Nick Drake's "Northern Sky" (hear it)

Jazzin' —

Sara Gazarek's "Makes Me Feel This Way" (hear it) or her version of "You Are My Sunshine" (hear it)
Kurt Elling's "I Feel So Smoochie" (hear it)
Jamie Cullum's "I Think, I Love" (hear it)
Renee Olstead's " A Love That Will Last" (hear it)

Other Stuff

Barry Louis Polisar's "All I Want Is You" (hear it)
"The Way I Am." (hear it)
"Hallelujah" cover by Jeff Buckley (hear it)
Accidentally in Love by the Counting Crows. Its fun and up beat. (hear it)
Adele's cover of Dylan's Make You Feel My Love (hear it).
Queen's "You're My Best Friend" (hear it)
"I Will Follow You Into The Dark" by Death Cab For Cutie(hear it)
"I'm Yours" from Jason Mraz (hear it)
Lucky–Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat (hear it) - cheesy
Sean Hayes 'When We Fall In' (hear it)
"Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica (hear it)

What first dance suggestions do you have for me??
Special thanks to my new favorite site for the list of songs that don't suck too much! Off Beat Bride

This Week in Blurry Doodles

2012-01-28T13:32:00.000-07:00

Days 3-6 - Get Fit Challenge

2012-01-27T13:40:00.000-07:00

I'm posting this a bit late.... but it's been a crazy few days! I started writing this on Tuesday, and since I just did this workout again this morning, I thought that I might actually post it.

I survived day three! YAY
Today was another rockin' day of glove juicing... which always makes it easy to not eat between meals (not that snacking at work is a big issue for me). My big accomplishment was not giving in to my desire for a latte before the afternoon group.
Below is the interval workout that my trainer gave me. I really like it, and you might too.

*Note: I start with a 30 minute warm up doing light intervals on the elliptical. And, I am a very slow runner, adjust your speeds accordingly!

Minute	Speed	Incline	Notes
0	3.3	0	Comfortable Walk
1	3.3	0
2	5	0	Fast Run
3	3.3	0
4	5.2	0	Faster Run
5	3.3	0
6	5.4	0	Fastest Run
7	3.3	0
8	3.3	8
9	3.3	0
10	3.3	9
11	3.3	0
12	3.3	10
13	3.3	0
14	5	6	Run+Incline
15	3.3	6
16	5	6
17	3.3	0
18	3.3	0
19	2	0	Side Hops R
20	2	0	Side Hops L
21	2	0	Walk Backwards
22	2	0	Walk Backwards
23	2	0	Cooldown
24	2	0
25	2	0

Following this, I then go do some crazy plans with arm and leg extensions.

Don't forget to stretch!

Day 2 - Get Fit Challenge

2012-01-23T19:49:00.001-07:00

Well, I went to our first get fit meeting last night. I got my team (go team Blewpers) and did our first group training session. I personally thought that our workout was pretty easy, though I do admit that doing 2 minutes of jumping jacks just plain sucks.
Starting fitness level:
Sit-ups in one minute: 57
Push-ups in one minute: 38
Wall sit: ~1 minute
Plank: >2 minutes

I did a great job of not eating the donuts that were left on my counter, though I was having a difficult time figuring what to eat for dinner...

Enter today. I did an okay job with breakfast and lunch, and was set to go to a yoga class after work. Then came the stress....

9 AM

11 AM

2 PM

5 PM

So... I ate some Pizza Hut, and I ate half a donut that was taunting me. Now I want a glass of wine (or 6). I'm assuming that a diet will work better if I ease into it, but I'm still pretty irritated with myself.. grrrrrrr!
Hopefully tomorrow will be better! I am glove juicing in the lab again (see my earlier post about that piece of heaven) and then have a one on one with the trainer for my group.....

** Side note, the fiance's interview went fairly well. Unfortunately they told him they will let him know in the next two weeks. That's a really long time...

How was your Monday? I'm going to run and do some quick guilt crunches....

Also, here's a shout out to Meg!

(I'm sorry but I still have yet to decorate my house, so I have no suggestions....)

Day One of my Get Fit Challange

2012-01-22T14:56:00.000-07:00

Hi Guys!!
Today is day one of the Get Fit Challenge at my work! YAY!
I started out my day with a berry/spinach/banana smoothie and 2 scrambled eggs.
(I might be trying to make up for eating 3 donuts, going to a cake tasting, and drinking a ton of wine last night.)
Tonight will be our first get together/training. I'm a bit worried as I'm pretty sure that they are going to weigh and measure me, something that is bound to make me feel insecure and bothered. You gotta do what you gotta do though, and I do intend on looking better for the wedding!

5 months to go!

Yesterday I went to a bridal expo here in town. It was pretty fun. One of my favorite parts was that I got a free 10 minute chair massage almost immediately after walking in the door. The little girl that massaged me had hands of steel and did an amazing job of getting her elbows into the knots by my shoulder blades. I swear that heaven on earth is a massage...

It was fun to wade through the crowds to get stamps on my show map (there is no way I would miss entering for a free honeymoon even if I had to feign interest in ugly flowers and photos...) and sign up for random drawings of all kinds. I did have several several goals in mind, looking for photographers, caterers, and random decorations. I was successful with the photographers, and have two that I really like. They have great style, and they are actually nice and personable people. It's really interesting how many people you run into in the wedding business that are just not friendly, or are rude. I keep trying to find a day of wedding coordinator, but can't seem find anyone who is actually nice to me.

The catering selection was very disappointing, and all the cake selections that they had were very yucky. The one very exciting point of the day was that I found some flowers that I really liked.

Orchids in gel beads

Beautiful Orchid Bouquet

What and Kale Bouquet

Aisle decorations/ centerpieces

Fun, succulent centerpiece

Another interesting bouquet

Sticks!

Rosemary and lavender boutineer

Mother's corsage on a bracelet

Bacon, Kevin Bacon... and some glove juice!

2012-01-20T19:10:00.002-07:00

Well, it's Friday, YAY!
I spent a very good portion of this week down in the labs at work "glove juicing." If, for some reason, you wonder what that is, here is a lovely movie.

Can you handle the excitement??

During one of today's groups, I threw out the question, "Can you think of a Kevin Bacon movie that isn't epic-ly terrible?"
(Side note, apparently spell checker does not like the word "epically." It may not be a real word, but I use it anyway.)

This spawned a really interesting discussion, it turns out that the room was split about the terribleness of "Footloose" but everyone agreed that "Flatliners" was good and "Hollow Man" was awful. Now that I actually looked at Mr. Bacon's IMDB page, I realized that he has been in a ton of movies!
(I guess that kind of make sense with the whole "6 degrees to Kevin Bacon" thingy)

So what do you think? What's your favorite Kevin Bacon movie? What's his worse??

Tomorrow I'm off to the biggest bridal show that Bozeman has to offer. It should be a fun day, and what could be bad about a day that starts out with doughnuts??? Hopefully I'll have some fun stuff to tell you about after that. :)

I don't understand!

2012-01-17T22:08:00.000-07:00

Due to the fact that I believe meterology is actually an art and not a science, I refuse to actually read the words in the weather reports and base my life around the pictures. This has generally worked well for me. If the happy sunshine is out, I know that it will probably be a pretty nice day. If there are happy snowflakes, then it's a good day for a latte and celebrating. Unfortunately, I just don't know what to do with the weather that is going to happen this Thursday...

What does this mean?? Is that a sad tree? Are we all going to freeze to death somehow at 34 degrees? What kind of coat does one wear when there is ice hanging off trees? Is it a down coat kind of day? Or a light jacket? There's no sky in the picture, will the sun come up on Thursday?? I'm really concerned!

My other question is this. It is crazy ass windy outside, why is there no wind picture??? Those fluffy clouds look way too peaceful considering that snow is blowing across the road so badly that it looks like you are driving in a whiteout....

I learned me something new today

2012-01-16T21:25:00.001-07:00

Hi Guys!
(Long time no post... I know.... but I've been busy doing important things, like writing my wedding ceremony... You guys are important to me, but the fiance kinda beats you out...)

So..... I learned how to actually sync this blog with Facebook today, something I've wanted to be able to do since I started this whole thing! YAY!

(If you scroll to the bottom of the page, you'll notice a giant "Follow me" box that has a lonely following of one right now. If you want to you could promote me.... I may pay you back by actually posting!! ... Or maybe you don't want me to post so I don't flood your page with updates??? I DON'T KNOW HOW TO PLEASE YOU PEOPLE!!!)

I'm sorry, this picture is truly awful! The fiance stole my mouse so I'm stuck with a touchpad. :(

Is anyone else watching the Bachelor tonight? I don't know if I'm just not paying enough attention, but I seem to be confused and having a hard time following the plot?!? tonight.. Bizzaro.

Also, have you noticed that Ben seems to be fairly orange?

The radiance of his skin is not quite coming through in this pic, but I feel like his (unexplainable to me) sex appeal to the ladies on the show is apparent.

For those of you who don't watch the show, maybe you should. Then you could explain this:

Are they trying to tell us that snow pants and parkas aren't sexy??

Sometimes I forget that a glass of wine is more than enough...

2011-12-29T23:25:00.000-07:00

And that leaves you with super lame posts like theses.
I wrote the section about a week ago, I just never posted it....
I was put on some antibiotics for the next five days, and right as I was turning to go the pharmacist dropped the following on me:
"Oh yeah, there is a reaction with alcohol with this medication. It can cause severe vomiting."
ok..... maybe that shouldn't have been mentioned as an afterthought... it seems like something that you might want a girl to know. I'll admit, I don't have any benders in the plans, but it is the holidays and I do like silly drinks.
Oh well. Good thing that's over now as I am obviously not in my normal state of mind.
Beyond that, everything seems to be going pretty well here. Just ignore my permastate of anxiety...

I sent out most of my save the date cards this week. Well, most of them anyway
I am thinking about giving myself a middle name when I change my name after the wedding. Surprisingly, government agencies do not like it when you don't have a middle initial. Neither do web forms... Fuck Yeah! I may go with either Mei or Cat. They both rock...
My fiance gave his notice at his job. (YAY) We aren't entirely sure what his next step will be, but it won't be 60 hours a week in a retail job.... Tomorrow is his last day. I sure hope that it won't be too long before he finds a super awesome job.... It would have been super awesome if his "for sure" job hadn't fallen through the Friday before Christmas....

I would type more, but honestly the laptop keeps trying to move away from me, and that is never a good sign of coherent posts. So, to save you the trouble of wondering, YES I will feel like crap in the morning....

My loyal and loving soon to be unemployed fiance is making me go to bed........................ I will post more later................

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Remind me to tell you all about my new bridesmaid ..............................

I wrote a book!

2011-11-29T22:13:00.001-07:00

It may be terrible (though I'm told that all first drafts are) but I did it! I wrote a book! Now I will get to let it sit before tearing it to pieces, but still, I did it! YAAAAAY!

Sweet Holiday Gifts!

2011-11-29T09:32:00.001-07:00

Hello again!
The end of my novel is so close that I can taste it! Going to work or sleep is so difficult, all I want to do is finish the damn thing and have it off of my chest!

Today I wanted to let you guys know about an artist friend of mine that makes beautiful hand painted ornaments. They are amazing and I can't wait to get some for my tree this year!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ECHUTSON

If you'd like to own one of the super coolest ornaments around this season, stop by her Etsy store and give her a shout. She only has a few up, but I know for a fact that she has tons of different ones. Plus, if you ask her really nice, she may be willing to do something custom for you. (She may kill me for this.)

GO SHOP!
Cheers!
Mei

I'm a winner!

2011-11-26T14:55:00.001-07:00

Hi Guys!
It's the 26th of November and I have passed 50,000 words on my book! That makes me a winner!

Unfortunately, (or fortunately) they story isn't finished quite yet... So I've got to get back to it!
I hope you are all having a splendid Thanksgiving weekend and that none of you were injured on Black Friday.
Cheers!

Update

2011-11-11T09:20:00.001-07:00

Hi Guys, I'm 19,000 words into my novel! woot! It's going better than expected.
I have some fun posts to write for you guys, but I don't think that I'll get a chance until December.
See you then!
Mei

To Work or not To Work

2011-10-22T10:21:00.000-06:00

The holiday season is quickly approaching and I am soon to be a retail widow again. I really enjoy the holidays, but retail season is horrible! It makes me very upset that my fiance is a salaried operations manager, yet he has to cover and manage the sales floor 6 days a week with no added compensation. Just stress. :(
Lame.

I need to decide if I want to work a 2nd job over the holiday season. I can most likely get hired back at my old retail job for Saturdays through the holiday season. The good side is that I could bring in some extra money (though not a whole lot) and I do think retail is fun in moderation. The bad side is that I would only get one day off per week, working 6 days a week is a pain, and retail during the holiday season is freaking stressful. Plus I want to write a book in November...

Hmmmm.

I'm going to write a book!

2011-10-19T23:21:00.000-06:00

OK, so I don't actually have a concept, or characters, or even a firm genre. But dammit, I'm gonna do it!

NaNoWriMo
Begins In

12:00:42:01

(days:hours:minutes:seconds)

From the moment I am typing this.

Don't have any idea what I'm talking about? Check it out here: NaNoWriMo
In a few words, it's a challenge to write an entire book in one month. I love challenges, and I love books, so it's a perfect fit for me!

I can't wait!

Are any of you participating?

Trying to start a side income?

2011-10-18T22:17:00.001-06:00

Well, if you ask me, getting a side income can be a simple as switching stores, By switching stores, I can show you products that perform as well, if not better, than the toxic chemicals in your house! If this even remotely sparks your interest, let me know, I'd love to chat with ya!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(drop me a comment or leave me your info here:Happy, Healthy, and Green Products)

Just think, by chatting with me, this could be YOU!

<3 Mei - we really should take my laptop away as soon as I think about a sleeping pill...

Bagel Attempt Two and Bacon!

2011-10-15T21:17:00.000-06:00

It seems that today I got a freaky urge to shop and cook. I initally went out to buy fabric, corn feed, and better flour. I ended up shopping for groceries, etc for over three hours and then baking for another 5...

I made some of this potato soup. It was awesome (though I took the liberty of adding a bunch more veggies like broccoli and mushrooms. Here's a rough idea of what I did, please note that I don't believe in actually measuring things for soup.

Ingredients
1/4 pound smoked sliced bacon, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup butter
1 bunch green onions, trimmed, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled, chopped
1 head broccoli, chopped
10 mushrooms, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup flour
6 cup chicken stock
3 pounds red potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/3 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 cup skim milk

Instructions

In a large saucepan cook bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove with slotted spoon, set aside.
Drain all but 1 tablespoon drippings.
Add butter and melt.
Add onion, carrots and garlic and cook for 5 minutes.
Stir in flour.
Gradually stir in chicken stock.
Add potatoes, broccoli and mushrooms.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat, cook partially covered for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Place cheese in a large mixing bowl. Stir in about a quarter of the hot soup, mixing until smooth.
Return cheese mixture to saucepan.
Gradually stir in milk, salt and ground pepper.
Continue to heat soup until almost boiling.

For the original, non-mei'd recipe, go here.

The leftovers after we fed three people. I like to cook like I need to feed an army.

And.... the bagels. This recipe was better, but still not as good as our local bagel joint. We're getting closer!

Cinnamon sugar and cheddar jalapeno

Ingredients

1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
3 cups bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 quarts boiling water
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 egg white
3 tablespoons poppy seeds

Directions

Place water, salt, sugar, flour and yeast in the bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Dough setting.
When cycle is complete, let dough rest on a lightly floured surface. Meanwhile, in a large pot bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Stir in 3 tablespoons of sugar.
Cut dough into 9 equal pieces, and roll each piece into a small ball. Flatten balls. Poke a hole in the middle of each with your thumb. Twirl the dough on your finger or thumb to enlarge the hole, and to even out the dough around the hole. Cover bagels with a clean cloth, and let rest for 10 minutes.
Sprinkle an ungreased baking sheet with cornmeal. Carefully transfer bagels to boiling water. Boil for 1 minute, turning half way through. Drain briefly on clean towel. Arrange boiled bagels on baking sheet. Glaze tops with egg white, and sprinkle with your choice of toppings.
Bake in a preheated 375 degree F (190 degrees C) oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until well browned.

The recipe can be found here.

I'm off to drink some peppermint tea :) (and maybe some wine)

What did you make this weekend?

Bagel Attempt One

2011-10-15T16:57:00.001-06:00

Sadly, these suckers did not turn out so great...

Cheddar Jalapeno and cinnamon

Yeah, so, they tasted like yucky flour. So, I went out about bought some "bread" flour. I'll be giving the bagels another try tonight, but in the mean time, we are making bread bowls and potato soup... num!

'Cause we are broke...

2011-10-14T23:53:00.001-06:00

I have decided to make some bagels this evening. The dough is currently proofing (and will be proofing for the rest of the evening. I will have to give you guys the skinny on them if the batch turns our to be a positive experience!

Keep your fingers crossed!

Angry Mei says Hi!

2011-10-14T18:09:00.001-06:00

I don't know about you, but I had a rough week. It went a little something like this:

How was your week?

What to do when people are yelling at each other in foreign languages and slamming doors in your hotel

2011-09-30T22:57:00.000-06:00

I can't sleep because the people in the hallway are slamming their doors like it's going out of style.... and fighting in some language that I can't hear well enough to figure out. So, I thought, hey - why don't I post some pictures from our crazy trip???? Besides, how else can you make sitting in a hotel room watching Husky Starcraft play Diablo 3 even geekier?? Blog while you do it and your fiancee passes out on nyquil.

Just in case you want to see the epicness of my geekdom.

Here is our trip to Oregon/Washington in pictures: (or at least some of the highlights from the first few days as it seems I stopped taking pictures after the first few days. I'll have to illustrate the next few days for you when I get home... I do have pictures again at the end of the trip, but mostly of one sunset.)

Days 1-4ish

Multnomah Falls

Awesome mossy trees

View from the top of the falls. Not as exciting as you thought it was going to be, was it??

The other view from the top.

The set up for Grandma's Funeral

Pre-food food table

The lovely fall tables (did I mention that there was no air conditioning and it was 80 degrees and humid??)

Quick (longer than I thought it was going to be) update

2011-09-27T16:52:00.001-06:00

I apologize for the formatting, i'm having phone issues....
We're driving to the Portland airport to drop my parents off for their flight home right now (I hope they make it in time....) So I thought I'd give you a quick update.
We drove up to Portland on Thursday and Friday of last week, staying the night in a Motel 6 in Idaho that I wouldn't recommend. We were running a little early to pick my parents up from the airport, so decided to go a waterfall on the way into town. We went up to the waterfall and saw that it was only a mile to the top of the falls. Of course, we decided that we wanted to go to the top. This turned out to be an interesting idea as it was actually a little over a mile of 600 ft elevation gain, hot, and humid. Bleh. On the way up, in between pants and gasps, Kev and I discussed my request for personal training sessions for my birthday. (I want to get in shape for the wedding...) It seems that he is in full support of me getting in shape (big surprise) but not a fan of working out with me (someday I will expound in my thoughts about guy body images). We made it down the mountain, with Kev luckily still in one piece, and went to grab a snack before hitting the airport. (I'll post pics of the snacks later). We found my parents at the fancy Portland airport and hit the road to head for Salem.
*ok i'm carsick, I'll write more later*

--
Sent from my Android phone with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity and crazy autocorrected words.

What a weird week

2011-09-17T10:29:00.000-06:00

I don't know about you, but I sure had a strange week!
Here are the notable points:
* 2 of 15 people in a department at work were hospitalized (for separate reasons)
* I moved offices at work, I no longer work in the 5000 degree basement!
* A private correspondence at work was somehow forwarded to the ummm, topic person. Resulting in very uncomfortable situations.
* Shep got worms. Ewww. But all is well now.
* I was able to make a fist all by myself! Yay

And finally, the weird curse that seems to hover around my birthday struck again.
My paternal grandmother passed on this Thursday. We weren't close, I don't think that I have seen her in the past 20 years. But the hard part about her passing is that it hurts my dad. I know that it was never easy on him that our families didn't get along, and he had spent a lot of time in the last year taking care of them from afar. Both of his parents had some pretty serious dementia and he had transitioned them to a group home, and then into a full care facility. One positive light is that my Dad got to visit with them last week. My grandmother had actually recognized him and had given him a very long hug. I'm so happy that he has that memory!
Here are the few memories that I have of this grandmother:
* She liked to crochet, and attempted to teach me. She was unsuccessful.
* We gave them a clock for an anniversary once.
* When we went to visit them in Arizona, she boiled a ham in milk and then forced us to eat it. To this day, I can't stand pork (except for bacon)
* She made divinity and fudge.
The part of her passing that makes me really upset though, is what I feel is the lack of support for my Dad. When he told me that she had passed, my first thought was We'll be there to help you through this. Unfortunately, it seems that the rest of my family did not feel the same. I heard the comments "I didn't like her/know her, why would I want to go?" and "I don't need closure." These sentiments just break my heart. The comments have been made that I lack empathy and compassion (I don't agree, as I don't seem to be a sociopath) but I firmly believe that if someone is hurting, you help them and you support them. Funerals aren't for the person who passed on, they are for the people left behind. I mean, how would you feel if your mom died and the response of your loved once was "well, I didn't like her, but I'll go if I have to"?
(One theme that has bothered me for years is the way that my family supports each other. It simply doesn't come across in a manner that soothes me.)

And back to the curse... This is now my 4th family member that has died right around my birthday..... so weird.
Here's remembering, and missing you:
Grandpa
Uncle Ducky
Aunt Ruthy
Grandma

OK, enough of this feeling and sharing. I'm off to the football game we won free tickets to....