Life in the Slow Lane

Josh Groban - Brave [Official Behind The Scenes Video]

2012-12-18T17:59:00.001-08:00

La Tua Semplicità - Placido Domingo & Josh Groban

2012-12-12T06:34:00.001-08:00

Sunday, Sunday, not a sleep-in day by any means

2012-12-09T10:25:00.000-08:00

As usual, I was up and out of bed by 6:30 this morning. Sunday is not a lazy day around here. No. Sunday is chore day. But the chores are now are done. I even made my lunch for tomorrow! *\o/*

No, wait, chores are almost done. On Sundays we wash all of the towels and right now I can hear the washer churning away. So once it's done working it's magic, we'll pop them into the dryer (a worthless model that takes two or three drying cycles to finish even the smallest loads), fold them, and THEN chores will be officially done.

YAY!

Now, I don't consider dishes to be a chore because they have to be done immediately after we finish eating. No kidding.

My husband is a bit of an OCD neat-freak and the idea of just rinsing a coffee cup and spoon after some afternoon tea is just unthinkable. No dishes are left on the counter, in the sink, in the drainer EVER. He keeps a very clean kitchen, my Zach. And here I was worried that getting married would mean having to pick up my man's dirty socks and underwear, etc. Nope. Not the case at all. I guess it's a good thing he's so particular.

Going to the dentist to get a temporary crown

2012-12-08T15:43:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I had made appointments for me and my husband to go see the dentist. Being a terrible coward, I fretted and whined the entire time because it had been more than twenty years since I had been to the dentist and I was afraid that I would need extensive (and expensive) dental work.

As it turned out, this was not the case. My teeth and I are doing fine. And, while I still don't like going to the dentist, It is not something that I am afraid of any longer.

My husband had lost a hunk of tooth from one of his back molars, and, as expected, he needed a crown. Poor guy. It must have been painful having a hunk of tooth missing, but he never whined or complained. I admire that, even though I don't emulate his behavior.

Our new dentist explained what to expect when you need a crown and made the first appointment for Monday, December 3rd.

The appointment day came and I went with my husband for moral support. It was my day off and I didn't have anything better to do, anyway. The weather was cool and I was wearing my new, but slightly uncomfortable tennis shoes. (Note to self, never buy shoes if they aren't 100% comfortable right out of the box!) I thought about going for a walk, but decided against it because I'm a puss when it comes to cold weather, my feet hurt, and, most importantly, I wasn't sure how long the procedure would last. I ended up sitting in the waiting room flipping through a variety of glossy magazines and wondering how many germs were lying in wait and exactly how many people had leafed through those same magazines and if they had washed their hands after they had gone to the restroom.

Time went by fairly quickly and in less than eighty minutes my husband was returned to me as good as ever, maybe even a little improved seeing as the gaping hole in his tooth was (temporarily) fixed. He even showed it to me when we got back to the car and the temporary crown they had put in blended well with the rest of his teeth.

Impressive!

Now, he still has to go back on the seventeenth of December to get the permanent crown installed. And that will hopefully be the last I have to see of the dentist until my six month check-up in May. *knock on wood*

Chu-ko's Mouse Bites - Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Poem

2012-12-07T18:20:00.000-08:00

I've been doing puppetry for a long time now, since I was four or five years old. Of course, I didn't use puppets when I was a kid because I didn't have any. So I just used my hands, just like you would if you were using a sock puppet, just... without the sock.

A lot of people - especially adults - think I'm a bit odd, but I don't care. It's something I love to do and enjoy. But if it is odd - and I'm not saying it is - blame my aunt Barb. She started it all. She would tell us stories with her hands again, sans socks. And I've been doing it ever since.

Video taping myself while I'm doing puppets, well, now THAT is something new. I've made a few videos before using my sister's camera and it was interesting. And my nephew really liked them. I just wish I wasn't so tense. I guess it doesn't matter if I'm doing a puppet or not, I get stage fright. I'm hoping that will improve with time because it only seems to effect me when I'm in front of a camera. Go figure.

Going to the dentist... eek

2012-11-01T09:44:00.003-07:00

I found a dentist that is in-network with my insurance. They are less than a mile from the house, in fact, we pass them every day to and from work. After some prompting from my husband, I called and made an appointment for both of us on the fifteenth of November. *eek*

It's been a very long time since I've been to a dentist. I'm kind of embarrassed to admit that, but former job didn't offer dental insurance and neither did any of my other minimum wage jobs. I've spent my entire adult life up until now barely making ends meet so I didn't make seeing the dentist much of a priority. If your teeth weren't bothering you, why worry about it? I know that isn't a good attitude, but it was how I thought.

Still... the dentist. Even when I was a kid I hated going to the dentist. And now that I'm an adult, I STILL don't like going. But I will. For my husband if for nothing else. He can't ignore a gaping hole in his back molar. He's going to need a crown, at the very least. So if he can man up and do what's right for his teeth, well, so can I.

But I still don't like going. What can I say? I'm a coward.

Why the fascination with Muppets?

2011-12-09T20:42:00.001-08:00

I love puppets! Hand puppets, glove puppets, finger puppets! All puppets! And some of you may be scratching your head and wondering why a grown woman would be interested in something like that.

I don't know what the fascination is, exactly, but I have always enjoyed puppets and everything to do with them. From Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop to Sesame Street, the Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, and even the ever funny comedian/ventriloquist/puppet master, Jeff Dunham, I have watched and loved them for as long as I can remember.

I guess you could blame my Aunt Barb. When I was very little, like four or five years old, she used to use her hands to tell us stories. Since we didn't have any puppets, either socks were used or, as I said, just the bare hands. It's a habit I kept for many years and even though I now own several puppets, to this day I'll occasionally talk with my hands puppet-style, if I don't happen to have a puppet or stuffed animal, well, 'on hand' if you'll excuse the pun.

I'm not even joking. Though sometimes I think my family wishes I were.

Another reason I enjoy the Muppets is pure nostalgia.

I remember going to see the Muppet Movie in a drive-thru theater when I was little. And we also had both the eight track (for the car) and record versions of the soundtrack and my sisters and I would listen to it over and over and OVER again. Though, of course, the only way you could keep listening to the eight track was to convince your parents to keep on driving.

The Muppets remind me of a time of joy and innocence, imagination and pure fun. They were creative, they were funny and they are embedded in the childhood memories of hundreds if not thousands of children.

And now a whole new generation of kids can go watch their newest movie in the theater... or while sitting in the living room of their own home.

Isn't life grand?

Donating Plasma for Extra Money

2011-11-05T22:38:00.000-07:00

Well, it's that time of year again and the holidays are just around the corner. I don't know about you guys, but I am strapped for cash. I work at a hotel and let me tell you, Nebraska isn't exactly the hot tourist attraction during the cold months. Travelers stay away in droves. And who can blame them? Snow, ice and some absolutely BRUTAL windchill factors.

I wouldn't want to visit, either.

Needless to say, hours have been rather skimpy of late at the hotel and even working a part-time job I am still scrambling to make ends meet. I can only work as many hours as I'm scheduled so what's a poor girl to do?

Fortunately, back in April I learned about donating plasma.

I know some of you are shuddering right now because donating plasma means needles. There's no getting around that. But for those individuals who aren't fazed by that fact, donating plasma can be a handy way of earning a bit of extra income. Granted, you won't make a ton of money, but I've been donating since April and the money I have earned from donating (my 'blood money' as I joking refer to it) has kept me in bus tickets and groceries during these lean times.

The company I donate with is called CSL Plasma. And the reason I chose them was because it's within a mile of my house, which is an easy walking distance, and, well, because I have no clue what the other company is called or where it is located. The facilities are clean and I find the staff to be very helpful.

If you are interested in learning more about donating plasma and would like to know the locations of any of the CSL Plasma sites across the country, please visit http://www.cslplasma.com/. They will be able to answer your questions a lot better than I can.

I can offer a few helpful suggestions, though, to make things a little easier.

1. Drink PLENTY of water and other caffeine free liquids on the days before, of and after your plasma donation! It will help counter the post-donation fatigue you may feel. You may feel tempted to drink a caffeinated drink, but don't. It will ultimately make you feel even more fatigued because caffeinated drinks dehydrate you because they are diuretics

2. Make sure you eat a well balanced meal a couple of hours before donating.

3. Don't drink alcohol the day of or after your donation. Again, this can dehydrate you and you'll already be dehydrated enough.

4. Eat a small snack after donating. Yes, I know that I told you to eat before donating, but it is also important to get a little something in your stomach after donating. It doesn't have to be something big. Some nuts or cheese would do. It will help counteract any hotheadedness you may feel.

5. If you feel faint, put a wet washcloth on the back of your neck.

6. Take it easy after donating. It is natural to feel a little tired after donating plasma and it isn't a sign of weakness. Avoid strenuous exercise or heavy lifting for the rest of the day.

I'll tell you a little story before I let you go.

It was a hot day in July and the temperatures were in the high 90's and the humidity was so thick you could almost choke on it. We didn't have any A/C at our house so it was so nice to go donate plasma in a nice, cool building. Since I had eaten a fairly balanced meal before donating and I wasn't hungry, I figured that I would wait until I got home to get a snack. So, I walked the mile home in that sweltering heat, umbrella raised to ward off the worst of the sun.

By the time I got home, I was feeling a little nauseous so I sat down on the couch and a box fan to cool down. A few minutes later the telephone started ringing and I stood up quickly to go answer it. Bad idea. A wave of dizziness washed over me and I had to grab a chair to keep from collapsing.

I don't know if it was the heat or the lack of A/C or the fact that I hadn't bothered eating a snack after donating. It could have been a culmination of all three things for all I know. What I do know is that I have never skipped a snack since and I've never had a repeat of that incident. Now, once I finish donating I go to what they call the 'departure lounge' and sit at one of the tables for a few minutes while I eat my snack. Like I said earlier, it doesn't have to be a lot. Some nuts, cheese, or even some cookies out of the vending machine, it doesn't matter. Just as long as I get a little something in my stomach to counteract any nausea or dizziness I may encounter.

Because it would be really inconvenient, not to mention embarrassing, to faint on my way home.