I woke up at 4:30 this morning to knocking and when I opened my eyes, Bella was sitting on the corner of my bed staring at the ceiling. There were red and blue lights flashing on the ceiling. The knocking wasn't at my door and when I looked out the window, I saw an ambulance and a fire engine in the parking lot. I tried to roll over for my 45 minutes left of sleep, but the flashing lights were too bright and distracting and Bella was so nervous that she was on top of me.
I took Bella outside before I got into the shower and she took off running because we saw the ambulance gurney outside an apartment door. As we were walking back up the stairs, we saw the EMT's carrying someone down the stairs in some kind of chair. I guess because the stairs have a landing, it makes it hard to get the gurney up.
Bella didn't calm down until the red and blue lights quit flashing about 15 minutes later - apparently it wasn't a life and death emergency because they didn't move very fast...
Thankfully, I haven't been any more tired today than I usually am for the loss of 45 minutes of sleep. However, I think I'll hit the sack a little early tonight.
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Looking Back
A Look Back at 2008...
Where did you begin 2008? Apparently nothing exciting because I don't even remember. I think I spent New Year's Eve day driving back from my parents in Houston. What I did that evening...no clue.
Were you in school this year? Did I take classes myself, no. But since I'm a teacher, I went to school almost every single day.
Where did you go on vacation? I went up to Pennsylvania for a family reunion over the July 4th weekend and took a scenic drive back with my parents. I went tubing in New Braunfels with a group from my singles group and went to Texarkana to see my friend Kim.
Favorite Books from 2008? I reread a couple books from high school and found that I enjoyed them more the second time around, such as: Diary of Anne Frank and Catcher in the Rye. I always read a lot in the summer - something like 40 books this past summer. I don't remember half of them.
Did you know anybody who got married? I knew people that got married, but I didn't go to any weddings this year. I have several coming up in the first few months of 2009.
Did you move anywhere? Thank goodness, no.
What sporting events did you attend? I went to my first Mavericks game in April and my first Stars game on December 29th - I had so much fun!
Describe your birthday: Emily took me shopping at Sam Moon, we went to eat lunch at Red, Hot and Blue and then we drove around taking pictures of me with random letters and number to spell out "Melanie is 29". See the post from April for the pictures. We had fun and get got the 9 at one the of the Irving Fire Stations - they were really cool.
What's something you learned about yourself? I learned and admitted to myself that for the time being, getting out of debt is more important than focusing on meeting someone to spend my life with.
Any new additions to your family? My older brother Chris and his wife Amanda had a baby boy. My nephew Pierce was born in April.
Favorite Night out? It was very recent, when Emily and I went to the West End for dinner at Gators and then to the Stars game is ranking pretty high (that was last Monday - Dec 29th).
What do you want to change in 2009? I spend way too much time at home by myself. I need to get out and be more social.
What would you change about 2008? I don’t think I would change much. Parts of this year were really fantastic…and even the parts that weren’t a lot helped me to grow and mature. Everything that happened helped me learn a more about myself and what I want from life and want I want to do with my life.
What random cool things happened in 2008? I'm sure there were some, I'm just having trouble remembering them...
Other than home, where did you spend most of your time? Probably work...not exciting, but I don't do much other than go to work, go work out and come home and spend time with the dog (what a boring life).
Do you have a New Year's resolution? I haven't decided what my New Year's Resolution will be - other than to be more social.
Do anything embarrassing? I try really hard not to do anything that will cause me embarrassment because I don't like drawing attention to myself. I'm sure I did do something, but I've mentally blocked it out and refuse to remember it. What was your favorite purchase? I PAID OFF MY CAR!!!! And I bought a Dyson vacuum - the purple one for animal hair. It was a floor model so it was scratched up, but I got it at a great discount and it does a great job of sucking up the dog hair out of my carpet.
Did you get sick this year? I get sick a lot - mostly just with sinus infections, but during the spring I battled pneumonia.
Start a new hobby? I started making jewelry and selling it. http://www.melodesigns.etsy.com/
Are you happy to see 2008 go? Absolutely. I'm always ready to see a year go and a new one come - you never know what it will hold.
What are you wishing for in 2009? I turn 30 in April - I'm hoping to take a trip to celebrate. I'm still working on paying off debt. I've come a long way and paying off my car was a big step - I'll keep on plugging away at it until it's gone.
Where did you begin 2008? Apparently nothing exciting because I don't even remember. I think I spent New Year's Eve day driving back from my parents in Houston. What I did that evening...no clue.
Were you in school this year? Did I take classes myself, no. But since I'm a teacher, I went to school almost every single day.
Where did you go on vacation? I went up to Pennsylvania for a family reunion over the July 4th weekend and took a scenic drive back with my parents. I went tubing in New Braunfels with a group from my singles group and went to Texarkana to see my friend Kim.
Favorite Books from 2008? I reread a couple books from high school and found that I enjoyed them more the second time around, such as: Diary of Anne Frank and Catcher in the Rye. I always read a lot in the summer - something like 40 books this past summer. I don't remember half of them.
Did you know anybody who got married? I knew people that got married, but I didn't go to any weddings this year. I have several coming up in the first few months of 2009.
Did you move anywhere? Thank goodness, no.
What sporting events did you attend? I went to my first Mavericks game in April and my first Stars game on December 29th - I had so much fun!
Describe your birthday: Emily took me shopping at Sam Moon, we went to eat lunch at Red, Hot and Blue and then we drove around taking pictures of me with random letters and number to spell out "Melanie is 29". See the post from April for the pictures. We had fun and get got the 9 at one the of the Irving Fire Stations - they were really cool.
What's something you learned about yourself? I learned and admitted to myself that for the time being, getting out of debt is more important than focusing on meeting someone to spend my life with.
Any new additions to your family? My older brother Chris and his wife Amanda had a baby boy. My nephew Pierce was born in April.
Favorite Night out? It was very recent, when Emily and I went to the West End for dinner at Gators and then to the Stars game is ranking pretty high (that was last Monday - Dec 29th).
What do you want to change in 2009? I spend way too much time at home by myself. I need to get out and be more social.
What would you change about 2008? I don’t think I would change much. Parts of this year were really fantastic…and even the parts that weren’t a lot helped me to grow and mature. Everything that happened helped me learn a more about myself and what I want from life and want I want to do with my life.
What random cool things happened in 2008? I'm sure there were some, I'm just having trouble remembering them...
Other than home, where did you spend most of your time? Probably work...not exciting, but I don't do much other than go to work, go work out and come home and spend time with the dog (what a boring life).
Do you have a New Year's resolution? I haven't decided what my New Year's Resolution will be - other than to be more social.
Do anything embarrassing? I try really hard not to do anything that will cause me embarrassment because I don't like drawing attention to myself. I'm sure I did do something, but I've mentally blocked it out and refuse to remember it. What was your favorite purchase? I PAID OFF MY CAR!!!! And I bought a Dyson vacuum - the purple one for animal hair. It was a floor model so it was scratched up, but I got it at a great discount and it does a great job of sucking up the dog hair out of my carpet.
Did you get sick this year? I get sick a lot - mostly just with sinus infections, but during the spring I battled pneumonia.
Start a new hobby? I started making jewelry and selling it. http://www.melodesigns.etsy.com/
Are you happy to see 2008 go? Absolutely. I'm always ready to see a year go and a new one come - you never know what it will hold.
What are you wishing for in 2009? I turn 30 in April - I'm hoping to take a trip to celebrate. I'm still working on paying off debt. I've come a long way and paying off my car was a big step - I'll keep on plugging away at it until it's gone.
Reviewing this, I've determined that my life is pretty BORING. I definitely need to take steps to make it more exciting. If you have any suggestions that won't cost me a lot of money, send them my way!
Now, my blogging friends, it’s your turn. Tell me about your year in review… I can’t wait to read it!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Yes I have a job, No I don't...
It's kind of like he loves me, he loves me not, but on a much more serious note. Dallas ISD is facing an 84 million dollar budget shortfall and it's teachers are taking a BIG hit. Unfortunately, this hasn't been a quick process. It has been a long, drawn-out, painful, stressful process. The "higher ups" keep pushing back the decisions deadline. First, it was the deadline about what they were actually going to do. On October 2, they decided they were going to have to let 550 teachers go. In effort to avoid firing that many teachers, they opened up a time for voluntary resignations. Finally, this past Monday, we were told that Wednesday, tomorrow, was the day that teachers would be getting pink slips.
Mind you, we have been going about our daily lifes, teaching and just plain living, with bated breathe for more than a month now. We have been expected to act like nothing is happening; like we aren't in danger of losing our jobs at the next turn. Every single teacher is worried about whether or not he or she will have a job tomorrow. "They" say every delay is to make sure they are making the best decisions for everyone involved, but I have a hard time believing that letting us hang for weeks, going on months on end is good for us. We are expected to continue teaching our kids when at any moment our principal could walk in with that dreaded piece of paper that says "Sorry, you are no longer employed by Dallas ISD. Please pack your belongings and vacate the premises."
Well, it's stressful enough thinking that tomorrow is the dreaded day, but then I get an email saying that because of a meeting that HE had with the principal's, they are pushing it back one more day, JUST TO MAKE SURE. So it won't be until Thursday. I read that email and I just wanted to scream. I don't want to lose my job, and until Sunday/Monday I had done a really good job keeping my focus elsewhere and not worrying about it.
At this point, the decisions have already been made. The principals know who is going to go, so they just need to get on with telling people - so that everyone can breathe a little easier. Even if it is me, I just want to know...I don't want it hanging over my head any more.
Mind you, we have been going about our daily lifes, teaching and just plain living, with bated breathe for more than a month now. We have been expected to act like nothing is happening; like we aren't in danger of losing our jobs at the next turn. Every single teacher is worried about whether or not he or she will have a job tomorrow. "They" say every delay is to make sure they are making the best decisions for everyone involved, but I have a hard time believing that letting us hang for weeks, going on months on end is good for us. We are expected to continue teaching our kids when at any moment our principal could walk in with that dreaded piece of paper that says "Sorry, you are no longer employed by Dallas ISD. Please pack your belongings and vacate the premises."
Well, it's stressful enough thinking that tomorrow is the dreaded day, but then I get an email saying that because of a meeting that HE had with the principal's, they are pushing it back one more day, JUST TO MAKE SURE. So it won't be until Thursday. I read that email and I just wanted to scream. I don't want to lose my job, and until Sunday/Monday I had done a really good job keeping my focus elsewhere and not worrying about it.
At this point, the decisions have already been made. The principals know who is going to go, so they just need to get on with telling people - so that everyone can breathe a little easier. Even if it is me, I just want to know...I don't want it hanging over my head any more.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
$55 million
The other day I was listening to the radio and I heard that Johnny Depp had agreed to do a fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie for a mere $55 million dollars and I thought..."Wow, why does he get $55 million for a few months of filming a movie (yeah I know its a lot of stunts and stuff) and I only gross in the mid $40K's per year for teaching those who hold the future in their hands?" How is that fair...I know...life's not fair, but I don't have to like it. And now, on top of everything else, Dallas ISD is in the midst of an $84+ million budget shortfall and on Thursday they decided that 550 teachers will be fired. So every teacher has to go to school and continue doing their job while sitting on the edge of their chair wondering if the next time their classroom door opens it will be the principal telling them to pack up their desk and go home...
The Dallas budget crisis somewhat mirrors the national crisis, which I can't pretend to understand because I still sit at home counting pennies hoping against hope that I can stretch until the end of the month, until the next paycheck, until I finally have all my debt paid off and can breathe again. I'm down to about 20 months if all goes well, I get to keep my job and I don't breathe too deeply...
The Dallas budget crisis somewhat mirrors the national crisis, which I can't pretend to understand because I still sit at home counting pennies hoping against hope that I can stretch until the end of the month, until the next paycheck, until I finally have all my debt paid off and can breathe again. I'm down to about 20 months if all goes well, I get to keep my job and I don't breathe too deeply...
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Melanie and the horrible, terrible, no good, very bad week...
It has been a horrible, terrible, no good, very bad week since I woke up on Monday morning. It started when I woke up late, not much, but even a little throws me off. I had a migraine and am out of medicine, so I had to suffer through it. Thankfully it subsided on it's own sometime during the super stressful, very frustrating day.
We started a new free breakfast program at school and they were supposed to start serving at 7:30 so that by 7:45 kids were ready to take their sack breakfasts to class to eat. They didn't start serving until almost 7:50 and my kids didn't walk into class until 8:05 - 20 minutes late - so I was then behind 20 minutes. This is bad when you only have the kids for 2 1/2 hours before they go to the next teacher. Half the students in each of my two classes did not bring their homework which was to read and write about the story. They were talking constantly so we didn't get done half of what we needed to do. Tuesday, 9 in my morning class came without reading journals and/or no spelling homework - the same was true for 6 in the afternoon class. I am at a loss for how to make them do their homework and bring it back to school. I've yelled, threatened, the principal has yelled, I've sent notes home and made phone calls. Nothing has helped. I've never had so much trouble getting homework from so many students.
Then today...I had a meeting after work in Fair Park at the Women's Museum. The meeting was for school coordinators for Arts Partners, a program that funds field trips for Dallas ISD students. I am the coordinator for my school and my teachers have been waiting to find out how much money they have to spend. At the meeting I was supposed to find out how much money our school gets and the process for scheduling. However, I probably only spent a total of 30 minutes in this 2 hour meeting because on my way, my car broke.
I was driving along I-30 in the mix master when I heard a pop. I didn't know if I had run over something or if something broke. A low hum started a few minutes later and I knew something was wrong. Luckily, my exit was just up ahead and I was experiencing no real trouble. As I exited and slowed down, the low hum turned to a grinding and as I approached the light at Parry Ave and Grand by Fair Park, the grinding was so loud it sounded like I was dragging something metal along the pavement. I was having trouble steering, but I managed to get into the turn lane and stop but even when I stopped, the grinding kept going and I had lots of people staring at me. I called my mom sobbing and hyperventilating - "I don't know what's wrong and I can't afford to fix it..." She could hardly understand anything I was saying.
I turned on my flashers and jumped out and look under the car but there was nothing dragging. I got back in and slowly turned into the parking lot in front of the Science Museum. I kept driving around to try to find where I was going so I could make it to my meeting while watching all my gauges to see if anything more was going to happen. Once I reached about 10 mph, the grinding stopped, but it took every ounce of strength I had to turn the steering wheel to get around corners. I finally got to the right place and was starting to calm down after talking to my stepdad and then my mom again who started making phone calls to my insurance for a tow truck, an automotive shop so they would know it was coming and so forth. When I finally parked, I popped the hood and saw that I was missing a belt - shoot! And when I looked under the car again, I saw what remained of the belt hanging down.
I left the meeting at least 10 times to take phone calls from my mom, insurance company and the tow company updating me on when the tow truck would be there. However, it's Dallas, at rush hour, in the rain, and the guy was coming from Grand Prairie - the closest truck according to the tow company.
I sat in the parking lot for 45 minutes after the meeting was over. Thankfully, a sweet lady sat and talked with me while I waited so I didn't have to sit alone. Once the tow truck got there and loaded my car, the lady told me to pay it forward - which I intend to because she certainly didn't have to sit there.
I told the tow guy about what happened and he was puzzled at how the belts could break with no overheating and full functioning except for the power steering...We got to the shop around 7:30 and popped the hood again. Only one of the belts was broken - the one that controls power steering - the other two were fine. Thank goodness.
So I'm without a car, depending on others for a ride to and from work tomorrow and back to the shop to get mine (hopefully it will be done tomorrow).
I sure do hope the next two days are better than the first three of this week...I need them to be better.
Now, I'm going to bed early...
We started a new free breakfast program at school and they were supposed to start serving at 7:30 so that by 7:45 kids were ready to take their sack breakfasts to class to eat. They didn't start serving until almost 7:50 and my kids didn't walk into class until 8:05 - 20 minutes late - so I was then behind 20 minutes. This is bad when you only have the kids for 2 1/2 hours before they go to the next teacher. Half the students in each of my two classes did not bring their homework which was to read and write about the story. They were talking constantly so we didn't get done half of what we needed to do. Tuesday, 9 in my morning class came without reading journals and/or no spelling homework - the same was true for 6 in the afternoon class. I am at a loss for how to make them do their homework and bring it back to school. I've yelled, threatened, the principal has yelled, I've sent notes home and made phone calls. Nothing has helped. I've never had so much trouble getting homework from so many students.
Then today...I had a meeting after work in Fair Park at the Women's Museum. The meeting was for school coordinators for Arts Partners, a program that funds field trips for Dallas ISD students. I am the coordinator for my school and my teachers have been waiting to find out how much money they have to spend. At the meeting I was supposed to find out how much money our school gets and the process for scheduling. However, I probably only spent a total of 30 minutes in this 2 hour meeting because on my way, my car broke.
I was driving along I-30 in the mix master when I heard a pop. I didn't know if I had run over something or if something broke. A low hum started a few minutes later and I knew something was wrong. Luckily, my exit was just up ahead and I was experiencing no real trouble. As I exited and slowed down, the low hum turned to a grinding and as I approached the light at Parry Ave and Grand by Fair Park, the grinding was so loud it sounded like I was dragging something metal along the pavement. I was having trouble steering, but I managed to get into the turn lane and stop but even when I stopped, the grinding kept going and I had lots of people staring at me. I called my mom sobbing and hyperventilating - "I don't know what's wrong and I can't afford to fix it..." She could hardly understand anything I was saying.
I turned on my flashers and jumped out and look under the car but there was nothing dragging. I got back in and slowly turned into the parking lot in front of the Science Museum. I kept driving around to try to find where I was going so I could make it to my meeting while watching all my gauges to see if anything more was going to happen. Once I reached about 10 mph, the grinding stopped, but it took every ounce of strength I had to turn the steering wheel to get around corners. I finally got to the right place and was starting to calm down after talking to my stepdad and then my mom again who started making phone calls to my insurance for a tow truck, an automotive shop so they would know it was coming and so forth. When I finally parked, I popped the hood and saw that I was missing a belt - shoot! And when I looked under the car again, I saw what remained of the belt hanging down.
I left the meeting at least 10 times to take phone calls from my mom, insurance company and the tow company updating me on when the tow truck would be there. However, it's Dallas, at rush hour, in the rain, and the guy was coming from Grand Prairie - the closest truck according to the tow company.
I sat in the parking lot for 45 minutes after the meeting was over. Thankfully, a sweet lady sat and talked with me while I waited so I didn't have to sit alone. Once the tow truck got there and loaded my car, the lady told me to pay it forward - which I intend to because she certainly didn't have to sit there.
I told the tow guy about what happened and he was puzzled at how the belts could break with no overheating and full functioning except for the power steering...We got to the shop around 7:30 and popped the hood again. Only one of the belts was broken - the one that controls power steering - the other two were fine. Thank goodness.
So I'm without a car, depending on others for a ride to and from work tomorrow and back to the shop to get mine (hopefully it will be done tomorrow).
I sure do hope the next two days are better than the first three of this week...I need them to be better.
Now, I'm going to bed early...
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Maintenance
Car maintenance that is. I've become fairly adept at maintaining my car on my own. I can change the air filter, the battery, the headlights, taillights and windshield wiper blades by myself. I could even change a flat tire if I needed to, but on the side of the road I would probably still use USAA. I would like to learn to change my own oil, but until I can find someone to teach me, I'll stick with paying professionals to do that.
Two years ago, my stepdad and I replaced the belts in my car. A year and a half ago, I learned how to change my own brakes and shocks when they needed to be replaced and I didn't want to spend the money to pay a professional to do it. My stepdad patiently stood over my shoulder and told me what to do while I did the work and then checked just to make sure all the bolts were tight enough before I drove off. Six months after that, I replaced my own O2 sensor so that my car would pass inspection. It almost killed me last February when I needed a transmission overhaul, my clutch replaced and my a/c fixed because those were things I couldn't do myself and it ended up costing me over $3000 - OUCH!
Well, now, those same belts that were replaced 2 years ago are squealing again at fairly regular intervals, but only when the a/c is turned on. I checked them myself this morning and they look ok to me - no cracks visible to my eye and they didn't look loose - but still they squeal. Problem is, I don't really have the money to replace them right now. Not that they are terribly expensive, but to a dried up pocketbook, just about anything is expensive. I'm wondering if there is anything I could do, possibly lube them, that would help with the squealing. Does anyone out there have any ideas or suggestions? It would be a great help...
By the way, the first week of school went really well - only 35 more to go!
Two years ago, my stepdad and I replaced the belts in my car. A year and a half ago, I learned how to change my own brakes and shocks when they needed to be replaced and I didn't want to spend the money to pay a professional to do it. My stepdad patiently stood over my shoulder and told me what to do while I did the work and then checked just to make sure all the bolts were tight enough before I drove off. Six months after that, I replaced my own O2 sensor so that my car would pass inspection. It almost killed me last February when I needed a transmission overhaul, my clutch replaced and my a/c fixed because those were things I couldn't do myself and it ended up costing me over $3000 - OUCH!
Well, now, those same belts that were replaced 2 years ago are squealing again at fairly regular intervals, but only when the a/c is turned on. I checked them myself this morning and they look ok to me - no cracks visible to my eye and they didn't look loose - but still they squeal. Problem is, I don't really have the money to replace them right now. Not that they are terribly expensive, but to a dried up pocketbook, just about anything is expensive. I'm wondering if there is anything I could do, possibly lube them, that would help with the squealing. Does anyone out there have any ideas or suggestions? It would be a great help...
By the way, the first week of school went really well - only 35 more to go!
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Out for the summer
Well, summer is officially here - weather-wise and job wise. I said goodbye to my 6th group of 2nd graders last Wednesday and bid adieu to my coworkers on Thursday after a luncheon at Texas Land & Cattle. I will see them all again in about 10 weeks but the next time I see my students, they will be 3rd graders (well, all but one - he will join me for one more year in 2nd grade). My very first year of 2nd graders will be 8th graders next year - I saw one of them back in April and I barely recognized her.
So, what would you do if you had 10 weeks of vacation in a row but no extra money for traveling? Well, the first thing I did was stop at the library and pick up a stack of books (7). That was Thursday afternoon and I've already finished two. On Friday, I hit the road - nothing exciting - just headed to my parents. I can't afford to travel anywhere exciting, but going home means free food and a break on electricity at home because I turned it up real high. I'm not sure how long I'll be here but most likely at least a week. I managed to secure a part-time job for the summer and the week of the 23rd, I will begin working as a nanny for a 4 year old girl. It looks to be the perfect position - just hang out with one kid (some days maybe 2) for 3 weeks. The pay isn't too bad either. I have some fun ideas of things we can do to pass the time like the Science Place at the Museum of Nature and Science and the Dallas World Aquarium. I expect I'll have fun.
My family reunion is in mid July and I'm looking forward to that - we didn't have one last year and with such a large family it's hard to keep up with everyone sometimes.
Other than that, I am looking at 10 weeks of teaching-free whatever. I'll let you know if anything exciting happens.
So, what would you do if you had 10 weeks of vacation in a row but no extra money for traveling? Well, the first thing I did was stop at the library and pick up a stack of books (7). That was Thursday afternoon and I've already finished two. On Friday, I hit the road - nothing exciting - just headed to my parents. I can't afford to travel anywhere exciting, but going home means free food and a break on electricity at home because I turned it up real high. I'm not sure how long I'll be here but most likely at least a week. I managed to secure a part-time job for the summer and the week of the 23rd, I will begin working as a nanny for a 4 year old girl. It looks to be the perfect position - just hang out with one kid (some days maybe 2) for 3 weeks. The pay isn't too bad either. I have some fun ideas of things we can do to pass the time like the Science Place at the Museum of Nature and Science and the Dallas World Aquarium. I expect I'll have fun.
My family reunion is in mid July and I'm looking forward to that - we didn't have one last year and with such a large family it's hard to keep up with everyone sometimes.
Other than that, I am looking at 10 weeks of teaching-free whatever. I'll let you know if anything exciting happens.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Down for the Count
Last Thursday, the 17th, I went to the doctor because I had a dry hacking cough, my throat was on fire and my chest hurt. He said I had bronchitis (I had to ask for the diagnosis after he started writing prescriptions) and gave me a zpak and some prednisone. I took the medicine home and like a good patient, I took them exactly as the instructions said and I finished them all. Throughout the next week, I kept expecting to start feeling better, only I didn't. I went to work even though I didn't feel good because if I missed work every time I felt a twinge of something, then I would never go. But by Thursday, a week after the initial doctor visit, I was so much worse that I couldn't sleep for the coughing an nasal congestion. So, I headed back to the doctor, but not to the same one. I went to CareNow hoping they could tell me what was really wrong and give me something to fix it. Two and a half hours after checking in, I was walking back out the door after receiving a breathing test, chest xrays, two shots in the butt - one on each side so they would hurt equally - and 3 new prescriptions. The diagnosis...pneumonia...this second doctor thinks the first misdiagnosed me and the pneumonia has been sitting in my lungs for the last week. GREAT! I won't be going back to the first doctor again. Anyway, I was suppsed to take my students on a field trip today to the Texas Discovery Gardens and The Science Place in Fair Park. When I asked if I could go to work, the doctor laughed at me and said if I was tempted she could put me in the hospital. I told her no thanks, that I would cooperate and stay home.
Well, the meds are working. The cough is abating some, I can breathe and my chest only hurts when I cough. I have to go back tomorrow for a checkup and in two weeks for another chest xray just to make sure the pneumonia is cleared up. Even though I'm tempted not to go tomorrow, I think I'll go anyway because I certainly don't want to get worse.
My sweet friend Emily brought me some things this evening to occupy my time: a piece of cake (it was yummy), some ice cream bars (I look forward to them tomorrow), movies to watch, a puzzle book since I am bored with Sudoku, and a coloring book and crayons. It sure does stink to have to take care of yourself when you are sick, but with my bag of goodies, I think I'm going to make it.
Well, the meds are working. The cough is abating some, I can breathe and my chest only hurts when I cough. I have to go back tomorrow for a checkup and in two weeks for another chest xray just to make sure the pneumonia is cleared up. Even though I'm tempted not to go tomorrow, I think I'll go anyway because I certainly don't want to get worse.
My sweet friend Emily brought me some things this evening to occupy my time: a piece of cake (it was yummy), some ice cream bars (I look forward to them tomorrow), movies to watch, a puzzle book since I am bored with Sudoku, and a coloring book and crayons. It sure does stink to have to take care of yourself when you are sick, but with my bag of goodies, I think I'm going to make it.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Change of Perspective
Last Wednesday, I woke up having a bad day. I'm not sure why, but I woke up royally ticked. As the hours passed, I didn't start to feel better, I got angrier and angrier until I felt like I would bust. Then I got a change of perspective. And not in a way I would have ever expected.
My friend Emily had just closed on her house and was so excited to have bought her first home. We decided to head somewhere for dinner to celebrate. As we were heading toward the restaurant, we came upon some flashing lights and changed lanes to go around whatever had happened. Just as we were pulling up to the scene, a second cop car arrived - no sirens, just flashing lights - to an accident scene so fresh that streets hadn't yet been blocked.
Just moments before, there had been a horrific car wreck - two cars, head on (though you couldn't tell by the scene we saw) one on top of the other, but what ripped my heart from my chest was the closer we got, the more of the scene we could see...I saw shoes...small shoes...and then I saw a girl...just lying in the street, right beneath the passenger door of the bottom car. Then we saw a woman, back behind the wreck, lying on the sidewalk. There was no question in my mind - they were both dead.
My perspective changed...My anger dissipated as we sat next to the scene waiting for the light to change so we could continue on, though no longer hungry. Seconds, minutes can make such a huge difference. Just a few minutes faster and that could have been Emily and I - in that moment I realized my anger was unfounded. I had no reason to be angry and that I have the ability to choose not to be.
By Friday, many of the missing pieces had been filled in through news stories about what happened. My heart broke the moment I saw those shoes and it continues to break for that mom and her daughter and the family and friends that will miss them so much.
http://cbs11tv.com/local/seizure.crash.Irving.2.686458.html
My friend Emily had just closed on her house and was so excited to have bought her first home. We decided to head somewhere for dinner to celebrate. As we were heading toward the restaurant, we came upon some flashing lights and changed lanes to go around whatever had happened. Just as we were pulling up to the scene, a second cop car arrived - no sirens, just flashing lights - to an accident scene so fresh that streets hadn't yet been blocked.
Just moments before, there had been a horrific car wreck - two cars, head on (though you couldn't tell by the scene we saw) one on top of the other, but what ripped my heart from my chest was the closer we got, the more of the scene we could see...I saw shoes...small shoes...and then I saw a girl...just lying in the street, right beneath the passenger door of the bottom car. Then we saw a woman, back behind the wreck, lying on the sidewalk. There was no question in my mind - they were both dead.
My perspective changed...My anger dissipated as we sat next to the scene waiting for the light to change so we could continue on, though no longer hungry. Seconds, minutes can make such a huge difference. Just a few minutes faster and that could have been Emily and I - in that moment I realized my anger was unfounded. I had no reason to be angry and that I have the ability to choose not to be.
By Friday, many of the missing pieces had been filled in through news stories about what happened. My heart broke the moment I saw those shoes and it continues to break for that mom and her daughter and the family and friends that will miss them so much.
http://cbs11tv.com/local/seizure.crash.Irving.2.686458.html
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