4.30.2008

that rascally duck...

I’ve had it with those damn ducks! They are going down.

Ever since we got this pool 2 years ago, two ducks have tried to make it their home. In fact, these two ducks have made my neighborhood their neighborhood. One is a huge green duck (male) and the other is a gray smaller duck (female). I swear they've gotten bigger. Somebody must be feeding them around our neighborhood and that's why they keep hanging out here. They peruse our front yard. Fly into our backyard and swim in our pool. In years past, I could just go outside, throw some ice at the ducks, they leave and never come back (at least for a couple of days).

Well, imagine my surprise yesterday when they came back for the second day in a row. This time the two weren’t in the water. Instead they were sitting next to our pool pooping! I was livid. When I chased them off yesterday afternoon, the male came back 20 minutes later. (He checks out the backyard first, then goes back to get his wifey once its clear.) So for an hour yesterday afternoon, I was chasing the ducks out of the water because they kept coming back.

I’ve had it now! I’m going to Academy this afternoon to get a pellet gun. I’m taking them down and they are going to go back and tell all of their friends not to ever come back to my house. Or at the least pick someone else’s yard to go back too. There are several other pools in the area they can go wade in. They just choose ours because we don’t have a dog. But I know of a pool two streets down and they have no animals either.This is it. Since I don’t have school anymore, I can duck hunt all afternoon.

4.29.2008

do you believe in miracles...

So dad goes to the doctor and we were told they’d probably have to put him in the hospital immediately to do one more surgery before he starts dialysis. But for some odd reason his creatinine levels hadn’t gotten higher. (The higher the levels the more his kidney is failing him.) The doctor had no idea why. So we’ve been warned once again, when he goes back to the doctor in June if his creatinine levels are any higher he has to go into the hospital immediately.

Anyways, several people have asked me how did my dad get in this situation. Was it from bad dieting or what? The answer is no.

Years back, dad had kidney stones. He had to have surgery to get them out. The doctor didn’t get them all out. Therefore it damaged one of his kidneys. That left him with one kidney and he’s a diabetic. So that’s the story folks.

Meanwhile, we have plenty to celebrate. Instead of walking, I decided to just have a party for my graduation. It’s kind of funny, because my list started with 25 people, but it has slowly grown to about 35.

I think my parents are excited about having a party, since dad’s surgery has been delayed. That way all of the family can come up and see him before everything starts. This all means I get everything I want for the party. Well mostly… dad only cut half of my food list (usually he cuts it down to ¼.). I think he was pleased I put barbecue on the list. For those of you who know me, I’m not that crazy about barbecue. But my people will expect barbecue on Memorial day weekend. So I just added a bunch more stuff that I actually like to eat.I have to get a bubble blowing machine, a cake, ice cream maker.

Ooo and I ordered two new swim suits today! Since I lost 20 pounds my old ones don’t fit. Should be interesting…

4.25.2008

just like a piece of cake...

So I called the nurse a couple of days ago because I had a more questions about the foot surgery I’m supposed to have. My questions were fairly easy: are you for sure it will be 6 weeks before I’m able to drive? Are you sure you can’t do both feet at once? How long will it be until I can get in a dress shoe? (All of this is a.k.a. when exactly will I have my social life back.)

I tried to explain to her my situation. It is after all, unlike no other. See the entire month of May I have very important things to do. I’m pretty much booked solid. Then I have a bridal shower to go to in July at Schlitterbahn. Then I have a vacation in October. I also have a wedding I’m in in February. I also have this thing I like to call restlessness, so I can’t stay at home for long periods of time. It makes me sick. No, I mean it…really, really sick. I start having driving and shopping withdraws and then I’ll get a horrible migraine.

After explaining all of this to the nurse, she tried to use a scare tactic. I quote her, “You need to take this seriously. This is a major surgery. He will be cutting and taking out some bones. You are going to have to give your foot time to heal. You need to make time for it.”

Whatever.

I guess I have hard time with this because I don’t consider this “major” surgery. When I hear major surgery, I think heart bypass, leaky valve (or is that a car?). Not cutting some bones in your foot. It’s just a foot! After all, it’s only day surgery.

I don’t mean to downplay it. I get that it’s important and all, but it always could be worse. Maybe all of this comes from watching my parents go in and out of the hospital since I was a kid. They’ve had organs taken out, veins tied and a lot more other major parts of the body cut into. So compare that to foot surgery and it should be a piece of cake right?

As I took my dad to the hospital today, I was thinking this is really all normal to me – register at the desk, go back to the room, change into the hospital gown, get the IV put into you, have the anesthesiologist come in, he/she makes you count back from 10 as he gives you the sleepy medicine, family leaves as they roll you out. (Believe it or not, there are some nurses that know my family and I by first name.) The only difference is I’m the one who will be in the bed.

4.24.2008

no more school...

I’m done! I’m officially done with school! I finally have my life back. It feels so good to do nothing. Well not nothing…I always have something to do. It’s just I don’t have to do school stuff. No more group projects. I think that’s the most exciting thing.

4.17.2008

seriously, why do doctors get paid so much?

I keep asking myself that question after I went to the doctor on Monday. It’s Thursday and I’m still sick. I knew I was in trouble when she started asking me if my allergist had given me any medicine.

“No. I’ve tried everything on the market and it doesn’t work.”

Then she gave me a sample of some other medicine to take. And told me if that didn’t work to continue taking Sudafed. Nevermind the fact that I took that all day Sunday and progressively got worse.

I don’t have time to be sick. I have a huge project due a week from today, an interview tomorrow and a birthday party to go to Saturday.
So why do doctors get paid so much?

4.16.2008

are you a gambler?

I’ve never been much of a gambler. I don’t like to gamble because I don’t like losing. You see with gambling you have no control over it. It’s much like that game show Deal or No Deal. It’s all about luck.

I like to have control. It doesn’t matter to me whether it a little or a lot I just have to have control. So even if I am gambling, if I have at least a little bit of control, I’m okay with it.

With that being said, have you ever done something knowing that you were walking into fire, but just couldn’t help yourself? You know nothing good will come of it, yet you do it anyway. I tend to do that a lot in my life. The funny thing is I never end up regretting it. Maybe its because I am very fully aware of what I’m getting myself into or it’s the fact that I have control over it.

4.13.2008

what's life without some risk?

Do you ever fear that you’ll wake up one day when you are 60 and realize you’ve been living most your life for everyone else? Or that you haven't really lived at all?

I do. I can seriously say I have lived most of my life trying to please everyone else. (That’s one of my faults.) I think it comes from me always wanting to please my parents when I was kid. Then from there it started spreading. There have been certain people in my life that I want to approve of things that I do. I’m tired. I’m tired of trying to please everybody and make everyone happy.

What about how I feel? So what if I am “ruining” my life. There’s nothing that can’t be fixed. Truthfully, unless, it has to do with my career, I don’t think I will truly be devastated.
If there is anything I take away from the EMBA program there is one thing - you have to take risks. In order for the payoff to be big, you have to be willing to take the risks. And I think that can apply to almost everything: work, school and even your personal life.

I’m tired of playing it safe. It’s time to take some risks. I may crash and burn a few times (which might be a little fun), but what’s life without some risk? Isn't that what living is all about?

4.08.2008

to weddings, health and school...

I can’t believe its already April. Time flies! I feel like I’ve been going a million miles an hour for the past two months, but truth be told, I wouldn’t want it any other way. So here’s the run down:

Weddings… Who isn’t getting married? Me (and thank goodness!). I think 2008 is the year of weddings – four to be exact. There’s always something wedding related going on. While I am so happy for all of my friends and family making that huge commitment, could they have not spread these things out? You would think all of this wedding stuff would make me want to get married someday, but oddly enough its kind of doing the opposite. It makes me want to get married even less. I guess I just see marriage a bit differently than most. I think of it as nothing but a contract. Afterall, don’t you make your undying commitment to that loved one before you get married to him/her? Let’s hope, lol. I guess the thing I’d be excited about is the party…and what a party it is! I think I’ll just have a party and skip the whole vows thing. It makes things so much easier – you don’t have to worry about merging anything.

Health… But then again who needs a husband when you have a wonderful best friend who’s willing to take care of you even when you are one less foot. I have to have foot surgery on both of my feet (but I can only do one at a time.) Long story short, this has been a problem all my life, its just progressed to the point where I’m in pain. So doctor has to cut some bones, take some out and anything else to make my feet the best in the world (after all, if I have to have surgery, I better go all the way and have the perfect toes ever). Bad news: I won’t be able to drive for 5 weeks (for the right foot, which has to be done first)! And I’ll have to wear that ugly boot. All of this totally means death to my social life! I am so not having my dad be my chauffer and take me to the club. Eww! Meanwhile, my best friend offers to put me in a wheel chair and hook me up to the back of his car, lol. I think I’ll just hire my brother to chauffer me around. After all, he’ll be 21 in two weeks – slightly cooler than taking dad to the club.

School… 16 days to go and it can’t come fast enough. This group project is killing me. I’ve always known that I work better alone, but this whole project just confirms it. My group decided to do everything together. So we have met everyday this week and have plans to meet for the rest of this week after work. (eeek!) I get so much more done by myself. It’s not just the fact that there are five people doing this. I guess I’m just realizing I run 3 times faster than the rest of society. Seriously, I’m 26, clock is ticking…I’ve got so much more left to do.

4.06.2008

between italy and now...

I just realized, but sometime in between the time I left for Italy and now I actually feel normal again. Well, not exactly “normal,” but a better normal. I know that might sound weird, but for almost two years I hadn’t felt right. I didn’t feel like myself at all. I wasn’t having fun when I went out. It’s hard to explain, but it’s almost like I was trapped in this bubble. I felt like I wasn’t me. And somehow in between Italy and now that went away.

I know all of this probably makes no sense, but I guess what I’m trying to say is I’m happy. Not to say I wasn’t happy before. It’s a different kind of happy. I feel like I’m in control again.