Another Week

After a staff meeting, one of my accounting staff came up to me and said "I like to think that a week from now you'll be on the path to getting your life back."

My mind has been so focused on other things this week - my dead (Tony) and sick (poor Sammy is probably not going to make it through the week) fish, quarter end closing stuff, prep for the exec committee meeting today, the horrible pain the crappy weather has been causing me, a new personal - and potential business - venture I'm starting to develop, and the opportunity Brad has to travel abroad through school and determining how to make it financially feasible...those have all been consuming my mind. It hadn't hit me that I'll be meeting my new surgeon a week from today.

There's a part of me that is beyond hopeful that what my co-worker said comes true. However, the realist in me knows the risks and the odds; the risks are great and the odds are against me. I think the thing I have to really come to terms with most is that what happens, happens. This surgery is really the last effort. What results from it is the way it will be, and I must find a way to cope with it no matter what the outcome.

R.I.P. Tony

So after a long day at work and a nice meal out with Brad, I come home to find my goldfish Tony (a.k.a. Fat Tony) at the bottom of the tank, dead. I was completely shocked. Sammy, who we've had since Feb. 07, has not been doing too well lately, but Tony was the healthiest fish in the tank. We got him and his brother Andy on July 12, so this is actually the shortest amount of time any of our fish have lived. (I'm excluding Eddie because there was something wrong with him from the day we got him, so I blame the store for his 2-week span with us.)

I feel bad, because I never did get around to taking pictures of him. For a smaller fish, he had a strength and fight that made tank life interesting. He loved to fight with Sammy, who is more than twice his size, and often won the battles. He was sweet towards Andy, who was his tank mate from the store. He loved to eat, swam around like crazy, and hopefully had a decent life.

I'm really going to miss Fat Tony, and wish he could have stayed around a bit longer.

Randall 10 - Thirteen Years Later

I think it's appropriate to acknowledge that exactly 13 years ago today, myself and about 70 others opened the Randall 10 in Batavia, Illinois. It was not only a turning point in my early career, but it also lead me to develop two great, long term friendships (Chrissy and Moe - you know who you are!) that I cherish immensely. I was only there five months before I was promoted and transferred, but it was still good times. I was usually overworked, stretched to my maximum mental and physical capacity, and dealing with certain people that made my life difficult for what I considered nothing but selfish reasons.

There were a lot of memorable moments from that first official day we were open to the public. Waking up, getting ready and going out to my car to find my tires deflated from nails, thanks to the lovely union projectionists who were picketing our theater for not using them. Getting to work a final shift with an old friend from Willow Knolls 14, who was there to assist in the opening on her last day with the company. Going out to Denny's in Aurora with many of the staff after finishing out the 9 o'clock set. A few of us then piling into cars, driving north of downtown Chicago in an attempt to find an all-night bowling alley; which we found, but a few people (not me!) were scared due to questionable atmosphere, so we instead went straight back to Aurora to spend the rest of the early morning hours.

For the original crew of the Randall 10, everyone should be proud of their accomplishments. While the first month was rough, the gang was able to overcome some challenging obstacles and turn the place into an entertainment destination and a part of the Batavia community. Since 1995 it's grown into a 16-plex, complete with an IMAX theater. While I've heard it's quite a bit run down, it still seems to pull in a crowd the few random times I've driven by.

Just one question now remains - has anyone discovered the time capsule?

Freaky Wednesday

I come in today, open my e-mail, and find an email with the following:

Can you fly to Portland for an evening of no remembrance?

I wish I could say it was a typical junk mail, but it wasn't. It was from some guy (and obvious jackass) who owns an "asset recovery firm" that we (the company) engaged about two months ago. Our conversations were very limited, and mostly by e-mail, and the issue was quickly resolved in early September. So now I open my work e-mail, and as a reply to an e-mail I sent him on Sept 8 stating that the City of Cleveland did not owe us money and that the issue was cleared up...I get THIS reply.

I see the email was sent at 3:35am EDT. Was the guy high? Drunk? Did he accidentally mean to send this to another one of his contacts? Or is he just the biggest loser and freak out there? The answer is likely "all of the above."

So now I'm stuck with this nagging on my brain as to a response. I know sometimes it's best just to let things go, but I'm really tempted to write this guy back and tell him where he can go.

Daily Thoughts and Observations

Between the construction noise and intense winds outside, it sounds like a sick cow giving birth. If I have to listen to this all day it is going to be a very unproductive day.

I haven't been feeling a strong pull to move back to Illinois lately, but this recent article makes me wonder if I should be giving the state another chance. After all, I think my past goldfish - Fish One, Fish Two, Norman, Eddie and Louie would be very responsible voters. My live fish would be, too.

In between the "sick cow" noise breaks I can actually hear the waves on Lake Erie. And if I turn around and look out my window, I can see the waves, too. If this keeps up I'm guessing there will be no sailboats out today.

Carrie Fisher turns 52 today. No real significance...just that we share the same first name, and a few of the engineers call me "Carrie Fisher". And sometimes "Carrie Underwood", but it's not as popular.

The winds still continue. I hope I'm not killed by shattered glass, because I've heard that has happened on many occasions in this building. Not the killings part, but the window glass breaking. Usually people are lucky enough where they are not in their office when it happens, but we're talking about me here. If my window breaks, I can assure you I will likely be right by it when it happens.

Happy October 21, everyone.

Sluggish

This whole week has been a blur. A combination of long hours, not feeling well at all...yeah, I think those two are reason enough. One of my accounting team members is at the hospital awaiting the birth of her grandson, which means for the next week and a half I'll not only be doing my job, but hers as well since she plans on taking the time off. And of course on top of that I am working on quarter end numbers, so I'm on my own there as well.

On the health side, the pain has been immense all week; and even if I eliminate the pain, I'm still not feeling like myself. I would almost call it a drug reaction, but I don't know what that would be as I'm not taking anything new, nor have I gone off anything. I'm just not well. I would see a doctor...but that's out the window since I'm pretty much the entire accounting department right now. (Sorry, but my PT person is just that - a PT person)

I just want to put my head on my desk and sleep.

Here Comes the Sun

I hit the road this morning around 5:50am, surrounded by complete darkness. From my office window you could only see a few office lights on in the surrounding buildings, and a huge black hole where Lake Erie is.

I went straight to work, unaware of the environment around me, when suddenly I see a bright reflection off my wall. That couldn't be the sun, right? Wait - it is!

I don't know what I am more surprised by. The fact it's 8am and time is already going quickly, or the fact that I actually see sun out my window...a first in many long, dreary days.

Reality

I did manage to get an appointment with the surgeon in Baltimore scheduled for November 6. It will mean 13 hours on the road in one day, by myself, but I don't care.

As I usually do when I'm faced with a potential surgery, I initially tried to tell myself that I could put it off. Let's face it, surgery is no fun. With back surgery it has an affect on every part of your body, and the more surgeries you have the more difficult it appears to recover from them in a timely manner. And given my track record with two previous back surgeries that did nothing but make the situation worse, I suppose it is natural to fight against having a third surgery that could also prove pointless.

But after I went through the denial stage, I had a brief period of depression and then skipped right to acceptance. At least the acceptance regarding the reality of my situation; I need surgery sooner than later. It would be great if I could wait a year, but I can't. Realistically, I should try to have it in late November or early December. This period is the slowest time of the year for me work-wise, and would be the best time for me to squeeze this major surgery in.

I know I'm not done with my "denial, anger, bargaining and depression". After reading the recent reports regarding the disc I had put in 3-1/2 years ago and the similar problems it is causing others - including several lawsuits out there that I am wondering if I should try and join - I probably have every right to feel those things. Given the lack of support by the medical community and what I've had to suffer physically and mentally, the anger increases that much more. But in the end it doesn't change the end result - the disc must come out, and bone must go in.

Which, after saying that, put a Simpson's saying in my head. "Knife goes in, guts come out, that's what Osaka Seafood Fish Concern is all about."

12:00pm

I'm feeling very blah today. Maybe it's the 12-hour work days I've been putting in, or the fact that my pain has increased another notch in a matter of weeks. Maybe it's the fact that I'm stuck waiting on surgeon #1 here in Ohio to see if he'll prescribe me the meds I want, or the fact that I'm stuck waiting for Baltimore surgeon's office to officially give me permission to schedule an appointment. I'm working as hard and as fast as I can, but I'm still not getting the stuff done that needs to. I'm overwhelmed with my workload, fed up with pain, tired of waiting, and I miss seeing my husband and having quality time to spend with him. I also miss my family and friends, and just having a life in general.

Or who knows - maybe it's the fact that overnight the weather turned cold, dreary and windy. I usually like Fall, but the weather changes are hard for my body to handle. It also could be the fact that I've basically been up since about 1:30am. Yeah, that's probably more like it. Probably.

I Don't See Any Any Key!

Some 1,400 chief information officers from companies across the United States to come up with the most baffling questions their help desks or technical support teams had ever received. (AFP/Illustration)

Why do I find this funny? Well, if you go back to a blog I wrote in July 2007, you'll see why.

Get Rid of Them All

I believe I have come to the conclusion that in this election I will vote for only non-incumbents at all levels of government, and will encourage everyone else to do the same. We need to start with a clean slate.

And in terms of the President, vote for whoever you want. If there was a third party candidate that I could tolerate I would vote for them...but there is no such thing.

Another Notch

It seems like there is always a time where the pain I'm in steps up a notch. No reason, activity or logic to it, it just happens.

Unfortunately I think it just climbed up yet another notch.

I thought that maybe I was just going through an "inflammatory" phase these last couple of weeks due to the change in weather, but have come to the conclusion that it's not a short-term thing. Unfortunately it's here to stay.

With each "notch" it eats away more at my mental strength, and this most recent increase is no exception. It's a harsh reality, but if the doctors continue to sit around and do nothing I would be shocked if I'm still able to work in a year. And for me, the person whose life once revolved around work and career, it's a tough thing to swallow.

I hope one day I can look back at all of this and know that there was a purpose behind all of the suffering. I feel that after all I've been through that I should be able to do "something" with it. Granted, things are not over yet, but...why was I meant to go through all of this if there was not a greater purpose?

Hello, Ike

While the Texans got to see Ike at full blast, we Ohioans were in for a shock yesterday afternoon when 65-80 mph winds started blowing. Ike was here, but we didn't know it then. Brad and I were both upstairs, in separate rooms, when I heard the large, long crackle of wood breaking, and then a large bang that shook the house. I sat in our office in silence, with the words "Did a tree just fall?" going through my mind. Within seconds Brad's voice boomed down the hall, "We lost a tree. Didn't hit a house, but we're blocked in."

A 40-50 ft tree in a tree lawn on the south side of the property had a big, old tree come tumbling down in the wind. It looks like it was decaying from the inside, and the winds snapped it at the base. We were lucky no one was hurt, and that there was no property damage. Yes, we were blocked in since the tree was over our only road out of the development, and there was some landscaping damage, but after hearing other people's stories we were immensely lucky.

After calling a few tree removal companies and getting turned down due to the volume they had already accumulated, we finally found a guy close by to do the job, and for $900. Not bad, considering the high demand. We now have a path clear in our road to drive through, and within the next few days the company will clean up the rest.

My parents, 10 minutes down the road, also got hit hard. Wires down, trees down...complete mess. Neither of us had power, along with over 300,000 residents in the Cleveland/Akron area. What we always find amusing is that typically when we lose power, the houses on the other side of our southern tree lawn typically have it. So we went to a neighbors, had some screwdrivers (and yes, I mean vodka & orange juice) in the driveway, watching the winds and envying the people in the houses that were in their comfortable homes, with their electricity, air conditioning and television. Considering the circumstances, it was not a bad night.

The one thing most people around here agree on is the lack of a warning before the winds came. We certainly knew nothing about it, and we had been watching the Bears/Panthers game on a Cleveland network. I'm not sure what the weather people were up to, but I think they were slacking just a bit. Probably out at the Browns Stadium tailgating and drinking until they felt no pain (in anticipation of their major loss to the Steelers).

What was to happen Sunday evening was our association board meeting, which was going to probably be one big stressful shouting match. Instead, we gathered together as a community (for the most part - a few people decided to play their typical games) and made the best of a bad situation. You can actually say that the tree brought us together, at least for an evening. I'm sure in a week everyone will be back to their political games. But for now I'm going to enjoy the peace while it lasts.

A Moment of Silence

I certainly hope people can stop talking/commenting about who called who a pig in lipstick, get over themselves, grow up, and refocus on what is really important in life.

It's a sad statement that the 25th anniversary of the VMA's received more press than the 7 year anniversary of 9/11. Pathetic. As a country, where did we go wrong? Where did we lose our way here? Is it too late to change course, or like the mighty Roman empire are we destined to fail?

Results

About a month ago I had blood drawn, which was then sent to Rush in Chicago for testing. The purpose was to see if I had a high level of various metals in my bloodstream, which could be a sign that my body was allergic to, or rejecting, the artificial disc I had put in place back in May 2005. My dad initiated the conversation with my original surgeon at my desperate request (they work together), so the testing was done. I had not heard anything, so I asked my dad to check with the surgeon to see when the results would be available. As it turns out, the surgeon had received them this week.

The results show that there is an "elevated level of nickel reactivity". The surgeon was quick to point out that nickel is not a component of the disc. However, after a few minutes of web research, I was able to confirm that one of the main components, cobalt, is a byproduct of nickel. Basically the two go hand-in-hand. Also several of the other metals used for the disc often contain some nickel in their makeup.

I don't know what all of this will lead to, but it's something. Out of all of the test results I've had, only two things have come back positive - the level of nickel in my bloodstream, and my anti-nuclear antibody level. Both items are signs of an allergic reaction based on what I've read.

I'm trying not to get ahead of myself, but it's tough not to feel consumed with emotion right now. It's good news - great news, actually - but there is also a part of me that is furious for the hell I've gone through and the complete lack of support from the medical community. I've asked every doctor I've seen these past 3 years (over 11 of them) if I could be allergic to the implant, and I was blown off. In fact, most of the docs gave a laugh and told me "If you can wear a watch, you don't have a metal allergy." Right...because wearing a watch on my wrist is completely the same as having a large metal implant inside your body reacting with various tissues and such. Because my watch is made out of the exact metals - and plastics - as an implant. Completely the same.

Idiots.

If I actually get a diagnosis for whatever it is I have and it's related to the disc, I will certainly make it my mission to share my story as much as I can so others who may be suffering from the same thing can get treated. In the meantime these results have given me a much needed boost of fighting power. It gives me something to work with, which is all I've been wanting for a few years now. Something to let me know that I'm not crazy, that it's not all in my imagination and that what I'm suffering from is real. It may not have been real to the medical community up until this point because it's not one of the main "top 50" diseases they are aware of, but it's definitely real to me. And I think this most recent test reinforces the fact that there is something there.

Mission Accomplished

After months of planning and several weeks of work, my mom's 60th birthday weekend went well. Only one small hiccup - I had to tell my mom over the phone on Friday that Grandma was in the car, and I was driving her to Ohio as a surprise.

What can I say. Mom started panicking when she called Grandma three times on Friday morning and got no answer, so she assumed the worst; that she was injured, dead, or possibly kidnapped. Ok, I made up the kidnapping part.

So I received the dreaded call from Mom at 2pm, just as I crossed into Indiana. She started out asking me where I was, how was traffic, and whether I had a headache. Considering she did not know where I was, I had to make up stuff. I could tell something was bothering her, so I asked her straight out and then I got the panic about Grandma. She was about to call Grandma again for a fourth time...so there was nothing I could do. I admitted I had her mom in the car, and after stating three or four times that I wasn't joking, I finally handed the phone to Grandma so she could prove that what I was saying was true.

I was pretty devastated for about two minutes. All the effort, all the stress with keeping it a secret, and the fact there would be no joyful moment with the whole family once Grandma arrived...it was a severe kick to the stomach. But then I realized that I had accomplished the mission - giving my mom time with her mom, and making it a surprise - so all was good. I got over myself and the situation.

Thursday through Monday was a hectic, time-consuming, exhausting, physically painful blur. Actually, that really describes the last few weeks. But in the end, I think everyone had a lot of fun, and I managed to get everything done that I had planned. I got about 4 hours of sleep a night at most, but I made it through.

I have some good pictures and good stories, but that will probably have to wait another week or two. Technically, the birthday gift/work is not officially over. I still have Grandma to take back to Iowa this weekend, and then next weekend I have several things to take back to various stores that I did not end up using for the cake. Since I have a few days of "down time" (excluding my work-related hours of 5am to 6:30pm this week), the goal is to try and get as much sleep as possible these next few days. To say I'm exhausted from the past few weeks is an understatement.

Paid Sick Leave Issue Pulled From Ohio Ballot

Great news today from the State of Ohio - the Ohio Healthy Families Act has been pulled from the ballot this November. It appears the group who started this is going to focus their efforts on a similar Federal bill.

It is wonderful news, as now I don't have to spend weeks of my work life coming up with a new sick/vacation/holiday policy and tracking system. I can now spend my "down time" in between end-of-quarter work to do things that I want to do, such as create an all-encompassing database to track employee information, benefits, and EEO information.

And in the end, the best part about this news is that we can keep the generous package we currently have for our employees.

St. Paul, Minnesota

St. Paul - especially downtown St. Paul - was where I called home for three years, and where I worked for five years. As I was plugging away on my computer tonight, I saw on the news more video of protesters vandalizing storefronts and taking over the streets. I just couldn't take it anymore.

I know where these people are, and what they are destroying in their path. Where the dumpster fire broke out Monday and the first confrontation between police and protesters occurred, I (and Brad at one point) worked next door. I see the familiar sights of stores, banks, restaurants and streets that were my home, being torn to shreds. I worry for my former co-workers who are still downtown (though luckily they moved a few years ago to a place a little further from the convention center), and for everyone who calls St. Paul home. We obviously left Minnesota for a reason, but we did enjoy our time in St. Paul. It was a clean, safe city, with beautiful sights and culture, and friendly people. To see what these protesters are doing is horribly wrong, immoral, and disgusting. The people and businesses of St. Paul do not deserve this.

I'm all for peaceful protests, but these people completely infuriate me and disgust me right now. These people, who obviously have high opinions of themselves and what they are allowed to do to others without any explanation or care, deserve to be taken down off their little pedestals and put through hell. Kudos to the Twin Cities cops who have had to put up with their childish, pathetic behavior, and a "hang in there" to those St. Paul folks who will hopefully be able to reclaim their city once this mess is over. May the protesters rightfully get what is coming to them. Pathetic...disgusting and pathetic.

Made It - One Day Down, Four More to Go

Made it to Moline, IL tonight. I always love the drive through Illinois, as I pass signs for cities that I've lived in or spent memorable moments in. Chicago, Rockford, Sterling, Peoria...DeKalb, Princeton, Dixon. Good times. The Quad Cities is a place especially close to me, since my Grandpa S. lived here since I can remember, so there is not a place in this city that doesn't remind me of him and the time we spent together.

I took a few pics from the road, but am too tired to load them. I'm starting day 2 at 7am tomorrow, so I should try to get some sleep.

And...I don't want to jinx it...but I think the Bears are going to beat the Browns. Yeah!!!

Luck is with me. So far.

This morning I awoke at 4am and couldn't get back to sleep. This afternoon I head to Iowa to pick up my mom's surprise. I got up, finished packing, did a little house cleaning and left a little bit later than my normal time. Made it about 13 miles north on the interstate where I was, at most, six cars behind a set of cars that would be involved in a pretty bad collision. I was lucky enough not to see it, and even luckier not to be in it. And also lucky that the guy behind me who was following me exceptionally close didn't run into the back of me when we had to go from 60 mph to 0 in a matter of seconds. (Squealing tires and seeing the car behind you pull to the shoulder to avoid you is never a good thing.)

It turns out one of my accounting department employees was almost in the crash. She saw some of what happened but didn't stop. Don't agree with it, but I'm glad she's ok. Too many close calls before 7:30am; with those out of the way hopefully the rest of the day will be smooth sailing. If I'm awake enough, I'll drop a line when I'm in Iowa.

Wallace and Gromit...Fashion Models???

As a big W&G fan, I was surprised to find this news article this morning here.

Even more exciting is that I didn't know they were making another W&G movie. If you have not seen "The Incredible Adventures of Wallace and Gromit" (1996), it is a must-see. Good stuff.

"Cheese, Gromit! Cheeeeeeese!"

Thoughts From a Cat

I can't believe I just did this, but I came up with a poem for the card I'm making for the cat to "give" to my mom. Yikes.

Today is an appropriate time to say,
I appreciate all you do for me each day.

Feeding me, brushing me, giving me pills,
In an effort to cure me of all of my ills.

Letting me lay in comfortable baskets,
While I look out the windows at stray cats making a racket.

Petting me, soothing me, calling me yours,
As a cat I could never feel more adored.

Holding me in your arms, rubbing my head,
Putting up with my loud cries when I want to be fed.

As my mom, you're at the top of the list,
No one else in this world would have treated me like this.

So on this Monday, first day in September,
I want to wish you a Happy 60th Birthday to remember.

Operation Hot Mother

Since Brad convinced me that this is the new, hot thing to do, I created a Facebook account on Friday. I'm not sure why, especially since I have no time to devote to it these days. But, it's there. I'm doubtful I'll stick with it for long, as I'm a big fan of Blogger, but you never know. At minimum I'll use it to provide me with quotes from shows like "Arrested Development" and "The Office" so I can start my day with a smile.

This weekend was entirely consumed with birthday planning for my mom. I keep referring to it in my head as "Operation Hot Mother", which is an "Arrested Development" thing. In this case, the word "Hot" refers to my mother possibly being really steamed at me bringing my Grandma here as a surprise. Yes, it's weird, but by doing something nice I could possibly get myself a wall of silence from my mom for an undefined amount of time.

So what have I accomplished? Well, I made test cake #2 and test frosting #3, and actually decided to use it for the real thing. The recipe is from the Magnolia Bakery in New York, and I had recently seen them highlighted on a Food Network show. I'm using their "Vanilla Vanilla" recipe, except I'm having to adjust it a bit since the cake will be 11" x 15". It is, by far, the best cake I've made from scratch.

I managed to get most of the cake decorations put together, which consist of scrapbook decor, mini photos, Scrabble letters and a few calculator keys. It seems like it would be an easy thing, but it took me hours to put together. You'll see why when I post pictures of the final cake. I made restaurant arrangements, planned meals and grocery lists, finalized travel, and got some stuff to make a unique birthday sign/banner. Bought a gift for the cat to give my mom, which is a nice frame with a cute picture of him before he got cancer. (He's still alive, which is why she can't bring herself to leave him and visit family in Iowa). I tried different decorating tips for the frosting, deciding which ones I was going to use when I had the real, final cake in front of me, and also made a few store stops for odds and ends.

When I type this out it doesn't seem like much, yet it took me all weekend to accomplish it. Tonight I'm going to go to the Party Station and pick up some containers for food transportation, since we'll be having a picnic at Blossom (an outdoor music venue) Sunday evening before hearing the Cleveland Orchestra's "Night at the Movies". I need to make the banners and birthday signage, and go through the fridge and cupboards to see if there is anything I can toss before buying the huge load of groceries tomorrow night for the weekend. I have to do laundry, pack, hand-make two birthday cards (one from Brad and I, another one from the cat), wrap gifts, and make a list of stuff I need to get during my short time in Iowa, like the good C&H sugar that you can't find in Ohio (yes, the sugar we have here is really that bad). Oh, and I need to clean my car, since right now it looks like a car I spend 65+ miles a day in. Is it possible that I can accomplish all of this in three evenings, between the hours of 6:30pm and 10:30pm? Hmmm...probably not, but I'll die trying.

I'm hoping that through my hard work and long hours now, that Friday evening will come and I'll be able to just sit back and enjoy the family. Well, at least enjoy them in between the cooking of meals and of course baking and decorating the cake. And if my mom is ticked at me for all I've done...well, then hopefully at least everyone else will enjoy themselves. There's no stopping Operation Hot Mother now.

Mission: Take Down the Ohio Healthy Families Act

I know my mission is impossible to accomplish on my own, but I have one key goal from now until the November election - do everything in my own power to get people educated and informed on the Ohio Healthy Families Act that is likely to be on the ballot so it's voted DOWN.

First of all, I'm not against people being "healthy." In fact, I'm all for it, especially since I have a huge lack of health myself. I do, however, have a problem with this new potential mandate that could take effect in Ohio this December.

This Act would mandate that all employers with 25 employees or more provide a minimum of 7 paid sick days per year. Here's what else it requires:

• The new policy must take effect within 30 days after it is approved by the voters
  
• Employees must be allowed to take off sick time in hour increments or smaller, whatever their payroll system allows
  
• Employees may not be asked to provide proof of being sick unless they are out three full consecutive days
• Employers are not allowed to reduce vacation, personal or holiday time once the bill is enacted, which would probably be in an effort to make up for the increased amount of sick days and the additional financial burden it could put on the company
  
• A minimum of up to 7 days of sick time must be allowed to carry over into the next business year
• Part-time employees must receive prorated sick time based on the average hours worked per week
• Employers are not allowed to factor in any sick time taken in their attendance policy, nor can employers include it as a factor on any type of "employee review"
• Employees can take sick time not only for themselves, but to care for any type of family member.
  

The proposed Act is so poorly written that it does not address PTO time, whether sick time has to be "paid out" if an employee quits or is terminated, etc. It gives the employer no ground to stand on when it comes to employee "sick" time; the employee is in complete control.

Here is my issue. Ohio is already considered a horrible state to have a business in. Businesses are failing left and right, the unemployment rate is high (especially in Cleveland), and pretty much everyone is suffering in some way. The state is a mess. Companies are leaving the state, and people have few employment opportunities. So, this group - Ohioans for Healthy Families - decides that the best way to become an "employer friendly" state is to force 7 days of paid sick leave, giving the employee all of the power and the employer absolutely none. Seriously, they think this is going to entice companies to come here, or so they say. The main backers, from what I can tell, are unions and the Democrat party, though the Governor is saying he is against the Act.

This group's argument is that dozens and dozens of Ohioans have lost or almost lost their jobs because they had to take time off to care for themselves or a loved one. Yes - dozens, according to their spokesperson. They quote statistics such as "Only 52% of Ohioans have paid sick leave." Um...are they counting PTO time? No, just sick leave. It's all about wording. Every statistic they quote is craftily worded, and more than half of them are regarding other states or regions/cities. They talk about how people are finding it difficult to take off work. Sure, I relate to that. It's tough to take time off with my responsibilities, but it in no way has to do with a lack of paid sick time. That's what happens when you are a working adult - you have responsibilities and choices.

I'm going to use my own company as an example. We offer employees up to 30 days of sick leave. Yes, 30 paid days. If someone is sick less than 4 hours, we don't count it as sick time. When we do employee reviews we mark someone down in the attendance category if they are out more than the company sick day average (4 days), unless there were special circumstances. It rarely impacts the employee's increase. When we think people are abusing the system, such as constantly taking 2-3 hours off several days a week for claimed doctor's visits, we ask for a doctor's note. After all, we are a service business, and if someone is unreliable and constantly taking off and calling in late due to sick-related excuses, it hurts the department and the company.

If this new Act passes, we are forced to change our whole system. Why? Because now we offer up to thirty days, but with this new Act it MANDATES that employees have seven full sick days to use however they wish. Sure, the seven days are to be used for sick time, but when an employer can't do anything to control the usage, those seven days become additional vacation time for those who typically have minimal sick time. Remember, our average employee takes only 4 days of paid sick time per year, not seven.

And it is not just our company who is looking at having to reduce their sick leave policies. I've spoken with a lot of companies who are very generous and flexible on their sick time, who are also looking at having to reduce their vacation and holiday time off prior to the Act passing/being enacted so the financial hit is minimized. Remember, 30 days after the Act is voted for the company is stuck with whatever policy they have for all time off at that point. Days off could be increased, but not decreased.

I hate to say this, but most Ohioans do not actively follow what is going on in their city, region, county or state. It is completely different from living in Minnesota, when the media outlets did a great job of educating people, and it was easy to gain additional information. I always felt like I knew what was going on. In Ohio, I feel like most issues are worked out behind closed doors. No one knows what is going on, and there is a huge lack of places to find this information out. It is a very shady system, and the people allow it to happen.

What will likely happen in November is that people will go to the polls and see this Act on the ballot. Most people will have no clue about the details Ohio Healthy Families Act, but when they have the option to vote whether employees should get seven paid sick days a year, the majority will vote yes. Unfortunately those individuals will have no clue what other stipulations come with that "Yes" vote. They won't think about the financial implications it will have on companies and job opportunities. They will vote it in, and Ohio will just sink further. It's another reason B and I are looking to leave here as soon as it's feasible.

So, from now until election day, I will do my best to inform people of the initiative, contact government representatives, do what I can to protect my company and the employees, and hope that in the end the people of Ohio will vote this thing down. If you are reading this and live in Ohio, I encourage you to do your research on this issue before you vote. Nothing in this world is free - everything comes with a price.

Only nine days???

Exactly nine days from now I will be finishing the quarterly financial review with the Board members. Always a big task, but this time the meeting will be held in the morning, at a country club on the east side. While everyone will be making their way to the golf course afterwards, I'll be getting in the car and driving eight-plus hours to Moline, Illinois.

I remember when I started planning my Iowa trip several months ago. At that point I had plenty of time ahead of me to get things done for my mom's 60th. Now, however, I'm left with nine days. Nine very, very short days, and most of them workdays as well.

This is the point where I start beating myself up mentally about not getting things taken care of sooner. Granted, a large part of my procrastination was due to my health. I was hoping by the time Summer came that I'd have some sort of diagnosis and subsequent medication. Well, for me there was no miracle, so I'm now worse off than I was at the start of this, and I have nine days to get everything done. Yes, I've been slowly working on things over the last few weeks, but I feel I've made little progress. A slip on the stairs Friday caused a hurt right knee and sharp pains to the left of my spine (different than what I typically have), so this past weekend was worthless.

There are reservations to make, meals to plan, supplies and groceries to buy, a house to clean, a bathroom to finish painting, gifts to wrap, a car to clean and many, many other "to do" items. Oh, and then there is the cake I need to make and design. Yikes, it's even worse when I type it all out! It's comical, yet...not.

Well, nine days are better than one, so I better start crossing some stuff off the list. I have exactly two minutes left of my lunch...maybe I can get one reservation made.

One of Many Reasons I Hate The Cleveland Clinic

So today at lunch I had to do what I most hate - try to get a hold of my doctor's office and request a prescription refill. It sounds so simple, doesn't it? In the old days, you'd pick up the phone, call the office, talk with a secretary or nurse. They would then call you back, refill the prescription and you're done. If it took you more than 5 minutes it was a rarity.

But now the trend is automation, voice mail, hold buttons and transfers. I now have to call the main Clinic line; waiting on hold until the one operator is available to take my call. I then say the doctor's name, and that I need a prescription refilled. They transfer me; I'm put on hold again. After a few minutes someone answers. I indicate my name, that I need a refill, and I'm transferred again. And once again I'm on hold.

Then, something new happened today. While I was waiting on hold for the third time, I find myself in an automated prescription refill "center". I'm told my a pre-recorded voice that I will be asked 11 questions, which I am to answer. After I'm done with each answer I am to press the # key.

So I answer the first five questions. Fine, no big deal. Then I get to a prompt that says if I need the prescription mailed, to leave my mailing address. I don't need it mailed, so I don't say anything and hit the # key. I'm then told that there was nothing recorded...and then I'm booted from the system with a "goodbye."

I then start the process all over again, except this time the fourth person I talk to is willing to take down my information on the refill. The total conversation time that took - less than 1 minute. The total time it took me to refill one prescription - 24 minutes.

And this doesn't include the hassle I go through to get the prescription. Usually they write it a day or two later, typically after the point where I'm completely out. It then shows up on my electronic medical record that it's been sent to the pharmacy. Except when I check my pharmacy account online, it's no where to be seen. That's because it takes them an extra day or two to call it in once it's been written.

I've said it once, and I'll say it again - "The" Cleveland Clinic is a joke. Unless you're a celebrity who will get them press, you're just another cow in the pasture.

An Opportunity

Just when I think I have no luck at all, I get this sent to me this morning. The tides are turning! Since I'm the type of person who likes to share the wealth, if anyone wants to join me on this life-changing venture just let me know.

Hi,

Permit me to inform you of our desire to go into business relationship with you. And let me start by para-phrasing the content of this message to your understanding, I work with Blackwater U.S.A, a US Security Contractor in Iraq that provides security protection for
American diplomats.

Two months ago my team carried out a raid in a Shiite militia stronghold south of Baghdad,Iranian-made weapons were among a large cache of arms and ammunition found during the operations and amount totaling US$35 Million in cash believed intended for use to purchase more arms or to finance the militia activities to frustrate US rebuilding of Iraq goals.

3 of the Senior officers in my team which includes me, have agreed and decided to keep this amount to ourself, reason why i have contacted you to assist us transfer this amount out of Iraq, and after our time in Iraq in some months time, we shall come for the sharing of the
money.

We are willing to offer you the sum of US$3.5M (10% of the total sum) if you could assist us, we hope to hear from you soon in this regard.

Laurie Zaleski
Blackwater USA LLC
Baghdad-Iraq.

08/08/08

I always find it amusing when people make a big deal when the month, day and last two digits of the year are the same. Maybe it's just me, but I don't understand the infatuation of some people with symmetrical dates. And what's funnier is that while some view it as good luck, others think the world will end. I'm sorry, but to me it's just another date, and just another Friday.

Then again, maybe if the Bears had played the Chiefs today, they would have won. Did the "08/07/08" throw them off their game? On the other hand, B is I'm sure thrilled with that result, because the Chiefs are his team. So confusing.

Poor Cleveland

So this morning I'm driving up to the office building, and the cars are backed up to the street corner. As I neared the entrance, I saw that the cause of the backup was a car search going on for the parking garage next door - which is the Cleveland Federal building.

Security had two lines of cars, and they were going through trunks and the main part of the cars. I saw one security guy digging through someone's bag. Interesting.

While nationally it's received no attention, Cuyahoga County (where Cleveland is located) and several cities have been under investigation by the FBI in recent weeks. Offices have been raided, and they continue to expand the search. Is this extra security related to the investigation? Is it a random act they are required to do once in a great while? Or is there a perceived threat?

Exciting times in Cleveland. Oh, and did you hear the city also was #4 on the "Top Ten List of Dying Cities?" Hence why no one questions us from here when B and I talk openly about getting out of here in the next year or two.

Things I owe people

First of all, I want to thank my great friends out there for your supportive comments and e-mails. When it comes to family and friends, I have the best out there. I am grateful for each and every one of you.

Second, I owe you pictures. I don't have any yet, but I will. Pictures of my office, lake view, and of course of the fish. The fish - Sammy, Andy and Tony - are quite a hoot these days. While initial they ignored each other, there is definitely some competition in that tank now. Sammy is becoming a big bully, but surprisingly Tony, who is about one-sixth the size, is holding his own. Tony may be small, but he's the fastest and boldest; he takes no guff from anyone. Then there is Andy...who is happy in his own little world, swimming around joyfully, satisfied with his daily ritual and staying out of the never-ending competition between the other two fish. Good times.

This week I have the final accounting reports to finish, a strategic planning session to prep for, and an all-important Homeowners Association meeting. My days in August are filling up fast with meetings and deadlines on a professional level, and because I'm crazy I decided to add one big personal "to-do" in August - planning my mom's 60th birthday party. I threw her a big one for her 50th, and because I took the lead in my dad's I have to take the lead on this one, too. My brilliant idea - at least I think it is - is that I am going to drive over to Iowa, pick up my Grandma G. and bring her back to stay in Ohio for a week or so around Labor Day weekend. My mom hasn't seen her mom since December, and misses her greatly. I think my mom will be completely shocked. I'm expecting a lot of tears, hopefully happy ones. It sounds like a simple surprise, but it's actually a lot to orchestrate. Not only am I spending 17 hours on the road (one way), but then it's timing everything for the big reveal. I'm also in charge of planning some fun events over the weekend, picking a restaurant and making and designing the cake. And since I refuse to make birthday cakes from a box mix, everything is from scratch. I'm trying out a new recipe ahead of time to see if it's better than the one I used for my dad, but it's definitely a lot of work. Lots of time on my feet...which will be unbelievably hard, but completely worth it for my mom. We don't always get along, as we're quite different in many aspects, but she would do anything for any of us and often has.

So that is my life these days. I promise, I'll post some good pics soon.

S. S. Lives

Yesterday was moving day for the accounting department. While that is a story on its own, what I just saw made me stop in my tracks.

My arch rival, Speedy Smalls...is apparently alive and living in my new office. Or at least one of his relatives is. When I moved out of my office I thoroughly searched for him and found nothing. And now, peering out of the vent area in my new space, I saw him. This time he was in reach, but when I went to crush him he darted out of view and back into the vent system. Same size, same speed, and the exact same area he lived in on the other side of the office. Coincidence?

I had the drive to kill him before, but the longer he escapes me the more eager I am to see him dead. I hate killing anything, but S. S. is so devilishly cleaver that I fear he will continue to torment me if I don't take him out. I may need something more powerful than the human hand here. I'm thinking a spray. Yes, the $5 bucks spent and lingering smell would certainly be worth the end result.

Construction

I'm writing today from the center of a construction zone. Everything in my office is covered with a fine, thickly layered dust. Outside my office door - oh, wait, they took the door out so it's really just an entryway now - I'm looking at the shell of what once was the accounting department. The used offices have been cleared, walls knocked down, ceiling tiles taken out and the flooring pulled.

This is what I walked into this morning, to my complete surprise. Last Friday was a "Friday-off", but when I last left these offices everything was as it has been for 10 years. It's quite a startling sight to see everything transformed in mere hours.

I walked to my new corner office on the opposite side of the building, and it's a completely different world. New carpet, new walls, everything empty, clean, vacuumed and ready for its new occupant, which happens to be me!

Unfortunately I'm stuck in the old, torn down area until they get the data connections in place on the new side. Yes, one would think that would have been one of the first things accomplished, but it was unintentionally forgotten. So now I'm stuck back here; lungs, eyes and throat burning, and feeling very dizzy and ill from all of the allergy and headache medicine I'm taking beyond the current medications I'm on for my pain issues. Last week it was bothering me just having all of this down the hallway, but to be surrounded by it is a bit much. To top it off, this is the second quarter close period, which means long work hours.

I'm going to try and not complain though, because I'm sure our move is just around the corner. Then the hell really begins.

Reflection

This year I've found myself withdrawn and ignoring my blog. I'm still writing, just not posting. It's been a difficult year, going from doctor to doctor, having test after test, trying to figure out why I'm in so much pain and why it continues to increase in intensity. I have found myself frustrated, angry, depressed, overwhelmed and beaten down. I hit rock bottom a few weeks ago when I was told point blank by a neurologist that I was a "sweet girl", but that my fate was sealed when I got the artificial disc...there was no hope for improvement or change, and would likely continue to get worse and further erode my chances of a "normal" existence.

When you hit the bottom you have three choices - take yourself out, stay at the bottom or crawl your way back up. It took me a few weeks, but I've picked myself up off the ground. Mentally I've been "rebuilding" and getting myself back into fighting form. It's tough, physically my body is not cooperating, but I'm getting there. I've exhausted almost all options with the Cleveland Clinic, which is a frustrating system to try to navigate through when you're a single patient trying to find answers to something not easily diagnosed. I'm exploring a few new avenues, and have reopened communication with my original spine surgeon. He works with my father, and appears willing to help me in getting information from the artificial disc manufacturer and also the surgeons who have had the most experience in this area. A chief medical officer who works with my dad has also offered to help by showing my records, tests, history, etc. to a few of his physician colleagues for input and suggestions.

The road still has no end in sight, but I'm not giving up. I've come too far to give up, and quite frankly it would be very selfish of me to stop. I have a wonderful husband, family and friends that make me want to keep fighting another day. Despite the setbacks I've had these last three years, I've still managed to have a life. It's not what I envisioned for myself at age 32, but there are still a lot of things to be grateful for, and that includes the few of you out there that are reading this blog.

If there are new developments on the health front I'll post it, but otherwise this is the last health-related blog for awhile. I have enough other good stuff going on to blog about. But for now I'm calling it a night.

Introducing...

Tonight we added two new redcap goldfish to the tank. After Louie's death last week, I promised Sammy that if he made it through the week, I'd get him a new tank-mate. He was pretty down the first couple of days, but was back to normal by Friday. It was time to keep my end of the bargain.

We've always had two fish, and then when one dies the other is left alone. I've entertained the idea of having three fish so when one passes, the other two still have each other. I was planning on getting just one, came up with a name, and just needed to find the perfect fish to fit.

Then this morning B notified me that Tony Snow had died. I was a bit bummed...first Russert, now Snow. I didn't always agree with Tony, but he didn't let people sweet talk their way out of a question, and had the perfect tv/radio voice and radiated calmness.

So we went to the store tonight and choose two fish. I want to officially welcome Andy and Tony to the family. Tony is slightly larger and exceptionally calm and likes to explore. Andy is just crazy, wacky and all over the place. He's also scares easily. Andy is named after the character from "The Office"; he's not my favorite character, but he is my favorite character added to a hit show during the mid-course of it's run.

I don't want to freak out the newbies with the bright camera flash yet; maybe tomorrow I'll try to get some pictures for a proper introduction.

The Amazing Silverstone

I've been losing my love for Formula 1 over the last couple of years, but gained a little of it back after an great Silverstone Race today. Though I've only watched the live timing/commentary on the web (it won't be played here in the U.S. until 1pm today), it was awesome. Hamilton blew everyone away, and the best part...Barrichello placed third!!! Rubens always does amazing at Silverstone, which is a reason I chose him for the Formula 1 pool we have going (and the one I'm currently losing). I haven't watched a race from start to finish in awhile, but I'm definitely watching today.

I would love to say that maybe the Formula 1 powers that be will re-think their decision to get rid of Silverstone after 2010, but I doubt it. It appears their goal is to get rid of every decent track/race from the schedule. First Indy...now Silverstone. No wonder I've started watching NASCAR (and J.P. Montoya) more and more. Less politics, more racing, and more consideration given to fans.

Remembering Louie

Louie, a.k.a. "Big Lou"
September 1, 2006 to July 5, 2008

This morning our oldest fish, Louie, passed away. He had struggled with dropsy over the past couple of weeks, likely due to cancer.

We "adopted" Louie on September 1, 2006, which was also my mother's birthday. At the time we had another redcap goldfish, Fish One, who was our first fish and also 3-1/2 years old at the time. Fish One's tank mate (Norman) had passed that June, and seemed to be missing the company another fish provided. So we got Louie. He was always recognizable in the tank due to his unusual orange markings on his belly.

Even though Fish One was often a bully to other fish, he seemed to get along with Louie ok. Louie's laid back attitude made life in the tank very tranquil. When Fish One passed of old age two months later, Louie always seemed to remember his place. He was never one to enjoy the spotlight. When we got him a brother, Sammy "The Knee" in February 2007, Louie showed him the ropes and was always willing to let Sammy get the attention. When Sammy grew bigger and started throwing more of his weight around the tank, Louie let him have his way without any fuss. They were family, and Louie and Sammy grew close. During Louie's last weeks, Sammy would often sit at the bottom of the tank with Louie, fin to fin, in loving support.

Louie would never have the distinction of being our first fish or most loved fish, but his kindness and willingness to quietly fight in his final weeks will always be remembered. He was typically more of a loner, but truly had a good soul. He brought much happiness and entertainment to our lives. Louie, you will be missed. May your fish tank in the sky be filled with food, lots of plants, and plenty of rocks for you to suck up.

4th of July

On July 4, 1776, the people in the colonies of the future United States claimed their independence from Britain and Democracy was born. That was 232 years ago, and though this country definitely has a lot of serious problems, I still believe it's the best one in the world.

Though I've usually been more of a Lincoln buff, these past several months I've been more focused on history of the Revolution and the formation of our government. I must thank HBO's brilliant "John Adams" for re-introducing me to characters that I loved reading about as a child. Those were times when men, women and children sacrificed everything they had to be free of oppression and to have a voice. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness - this is what they sought.

Today is truly a celebration, and I hope everyone has a great time in whatever manner they see fit to acknowledge the occasion.

Nemesis

I have a new nemesis. I call him "Speedy Smalls" (a mob name..but in no way related to our fish "Sammy the Knee" ). He has lurked around my office for the last week, sneaking in and out of the tiniest of places. He avoids capture by cleverly staying out of reach, always taunting me with his dead-behind-the-eyes stares. I have mumbled and cursed threats; on several occasions, tried to find something that would allow me to reach him and guarantee his death at the same time. My attempts have been unsuccessful. He has speed and smallness on his side.

Today Speedy Smalls took things to a new level. He started on the day on my window blinds, gazing at bugs that have attached themselves to my outside window. While consumed in work, I suddenly see a flurry of black come down upon me, almost on my right hand. Like Spiderman himself, Speedy Smalls propelled himself downward from the ceiling, towards me. I freaked. I frantically moved my stuff, waiting for him to land on solid surface so I could kill the bastard. He stayed suspended in mid-air for what seemed like an eternity, mocking me. As quickly as he appeared, Speedy Smalls landed on the desk and took off towards the window ledge. I tried to catch him, but missed. My strength was no match for his speed.

Since that time he managed to peek his head up once out of my heating/air conditioning unit, but then darted away as soon as I stood up. What will Speedy Smalls do next? Climb into my Diet Mt. Dew can? Do a sky-diving land in my hair? Crawl into my laptop bag and follow me home so he can terrorize me there?

I'm not sure what S.S. has in mind, but I vow that I will kill him before I move into my new space on the other side of the building, which is in the next two weeks.

I will crush him, smile, and know that the world is safer without him. "Goodbye, Speedy Smalls."

The Center of Iowa

Blogging today from the center and capital of Iowa - Des Moines. Speed TV is on in the background, as we're watching the F1 Monaco race. A few of my favorites are in the points, but unfortunately my picks for the week did poorly. B, a co-worker of his and myself have a friendly bet going on (mostly for bragging rights) where we picked two drivers for each race based on skill level and teams. Too complex to describe...but I'm now in 3rd. Yikes, hopefully the next few drives will bring me better luck! I hate to lose, even if it is "fantasy racing." As the only girl I need to hold my own here.

Just arrived in Iowa late yesterday. The plan was to originally leave Friday, but I had a bone scan at CCF that took five hours. They give you an injection of this dye, take a few motion scans, then you have to kill time for four hours while it goes through your system. Then you go back for the series of 10 minute scans. Now the purpose of the scan is to look for fractures, healing, deterioration or cancerous bone. If there are issues with the bone, the dye they injection sticks to the bone and makes it look florescent on the scans. They did scans of my low back and legs - and the low back looked quite "green." They showed scans to the head doctor in the department, who also wanted to do a CAT/CT scan of my entire mid section so they could lay those on top of the bone scan results. Which was a little odd, since I had a CT scan two weeks ago. So, they either found something, or the glob of metal in my back skewed things. Unless my doc calls me sooner I have to wait until June 11th to find out, so no use worrying about things.

So B and I got on the road at 6:15am Saturday, and it was a good trip. We used our EZ Pass in Indiana and Illinois, and that was real slick - and a time saver. Checked into our Des Moines hotel, then drove another 45 minutes to have dinner with B's mom. She looks great, and we had a good time. We'll be here today and Monday, then head to Iowa City Monday night. Tuesday morning we're stopping by the farm to see Grandma G., then we make the long drive home.

I know most people think Iowa is flat and boring, but it's really quite beautiful. If we had the money, I'd buy property here. The trees, rolling hills, creeks and ponds....it's so serene. I see the land for the beauty it holds, and I'm reminded of my Grandpa G., who worked his small part of this land for 80 years of his life. Though he traveled often to see his kids (and often my family as we were the big "movers"), he was happiest here, working on and living off the land. Though I'm a city girl, I will always have a great appreciation for the beauty this land holds; it's my second home.

I digress. Off I go, as we should be heading off for our visit. Wishing everyone a great and safe Memorial Day weekend.

In Hiding

My blogs have been few and far between lately, but with my current workload it's been difficult to find the time. The new job is going well, and I'm finally feeling comfortable with my responsibilities and tasks. I've already been able to make some very visible changes in our department, and the feedback I'm getting from management and staff is positive. There are still many challenges to face, so it will continue to be a very busy year. At least I'm having fun and the days do fly by when I'm there. Work life is good.

Personally, B and I are keeping busy. B finished his spring semester with two A's, so that was awesome. He's doing well in the MBA program and I'm obviously proud of him. Graduation date will be Dec. 2009, so that will be here in no time. We went to Pittsburgh a couple of weeks ago for a change of scenery, and to try out our new EZ-Pass device. We decided to get an "EZ" after our trip to D.C., since it is a pain to have to pay tolls all of the time. We rarely carry cash, so it's even more of an inconvenience. We can use the pass in 12-something states, including Indiana and Illinois, so it's worth it. We're going to Iowa for Memorial Day, so that will definitely be a time and money saver for us. The device did work, and we did find a few good buys in Pittsburgh. We also decided to never use I-376 again, since the last two times we have they closed off whole sections of the interstate, leaving us to sit in the car for over two hours trying to get through the detour.

Not too much else going on. I did have my appointment with a neurologist, who has an interest in my case. That was a great thing, to not have yet another doc turn me away. The best part was he is to-the-point, honest/blunt, and made me feel very understood and cared about. He was disgusted about the lack of tests and response from previous docs, so he put together an action plan. Had a CT and EMG on Friday; a bone scan was scheduled for the 23rd. He also gave me Lidoderm patches for pain, and another medication which I only took once before it made me so ill I had to miss a day of work. I feel like I'm on the right track with this guy, and am looking forward to what the results show.

That's about it. Will be heading to Iowa at the end of the month, and probably heading to Athens, OH at some point soon to visit my brother. And though I keep forgetting about it, I do turn 32 this week, so this will probably be my last "31" post. I still feel young, and like I have time to accomplish things, so I'm not to worried about it. Now when I turn 35...then some panic might kick in.

Mother's Day '08

Happy Mother's Day to my wonderful Mom, grandma's (the great one and the not-so-great one) and all of the special mom's I know out there.

What does today hold? Pretty low key stuff - a late lunch at Mallorca with the family, minus my brother since he's stuck down at college. A few cards/gifts, then who knows? With rain in the forecast, it limits the options. Both of my parents have 60th birthday's this year AND their 40th anniversary, so I'm really focusing my bigger efforts on those. Dad's birthday was in January, but Mom's is in September so I'm still in planning mode. My best stuff will be then.

Have a great day, everyone!

Cleveland in the News

1. The sink hole in the middle of downtown has still not been repaired. Which means I get at least another week of horrendous traffic trying to get out of the city while the typical/most used main route remains unusable.

2. This week it was announced that three candidates running for Cleveland city council positions have criminal records. One is a murderer. One pleaded guilty to attempted forgery and stealing from a federal agency. The third was busted on a drug charge. No wonder the city is such a mess!

Moving On

Ok, so Thursday evening I wrote a long blog, getting my frustrations out of my system. It was more of a venting exercise, and it did help. I'm not going to post it; I'm moving on.

The doctor appointment Thursday led to another dead end. I do not have a connective tissue disease, though I was told it is a possibility I will have it at some point. Luckily with those type of diseases it's pretty obvious, so if it does kick in at least it should be easy to diagnose for a change.

Almost everything has been ruled out at this point. The rheumatologist and my PCP think I have fibromyalgia, which is really a made-up "catch all" disease for people doctors can't diagnose. I've actually had the "treatment" already - a nerve medication and anti-inflammatory medication, and it did nothing except make my brain complete mush. The last opportunity, at least on this particular path, is the neurologist on April 30. So until then I'm moving on...just continuing to work, live life, and try not to get too frustrated or depressed with the situation.

Yesterday was my Friday-off, and B had it off too. I was still upset about the whole doctor thing and wanted to get away. Supporting my need to just get away and clear my head, we hopped in the car and went to Wheeling, WV to a casino there. We maybe go to a casino once every 2-3 years, and we always go with a limited budget. We also always never come away ahead, and yesterday was no exception. However, we had a blast. Sure, we smelled like cigarette smoke all the way home, but it was really enjoyable and the getaway I needed. I'm lucky to have such a great husband who is willing to do those types of things on a whim.

On another note, the Formula 1 season has officially begun. I'm thinking that Hamilton or a BMW driver will win the first race in Australia. And though he has no chance at all of winning or being in the top three, go Barrichello!

Is it the end of the work week yet?

Even though I only work four days this week (I get every other Friday off), I feel like it should be Saturday by now. I'm not sure why my perception is so messed up. I blame the stupid time change.

To make my work week slightly shorter, I am actually leaving at 3:30pm today for my rheumatologist appointment. A part of me is anxious and horribly nervous, but the other half is calm and quite certain nothing of interest will happen today. My logical side says that the only thing that will happen is she will interpret my blood tests, go through my history and then probably run more blood work. Very little chance of any answers today.

Today I did, for the first time, have a Slyman's corned beef sandwich. Someone in the office, for St. Patrick's Day (pre-celebration), offered to pick up lunch from there today. Since we moved here B and I hear about how great and wonderful they are. Well, the sandwiches look just like the main picture on their web site, and while they are good, it's not the best sandwich I've had. It is huge though, so I ate about 1/4 of it (using a fork and knife) and will take the rest home to B so he can try it out. I know it's a lot of food, but I feel a little disappointed I spent $9 on it. Let's see, for $9 I could have bought:

• 8 i-Tunes songs
  
• A meal for two at Don Tequila's (a great local mexican place)
• A yummy slice of cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory (I only eat there once a year at most)
  
• One of my current prescriptions (though I'll still do that anyway)
• 9 lottery tickets (though I don't play)
• 2 gallons of gas for my Corolla, which would last me maybe two days to/from work
  

Alas, I should get back to work. Lunch/play time is over, now it's time to get things done. I'll be back later today.

Sunday Afternoon

This was a weird week. Clinton won Ohio in the primary, keeping her hopes alive (unfortunately). We had a horrible ice storm, followed by a blizzard a couple of days later. My average trip time into/from work this week was about 90 minutes; usually around the 2 hour mark. And to top it off, a water main broke in downtown Cleveland a few blocks from where I work, causing not only a watery mess but a huge sink hole in the middle of a key main street that is a main route for most people who work in the city.

It's no wonder with all this excitement that it seemed like a long week, despite the fact we were in D.C. for the first two days of it. Hopefully this week will be a bit more calm. Not much is planned; Brad doesn't have class this week due to Spring break, plus he gets Friday off - and I do as well. I have my rheumatologist appointment late Thursday afternoon. Have an acupuncture appointment on Friday, but I'm thinking I'll cancel. I don't see a lot of benefit for the $110 I shell out, plus with everything else going on health-wise I'd like to hold off for a bit.

May everyone have a calm and uneventful week. And let's hope that Spring is just around the corner, because I'm ready for winter to be over!

D.C. Recap

Since we're trapped in the house due to the blizzard, I came to the conclusion it was a good time to update my blog regarding the D.C. trip. After all, the snow is crawling up the ground windows now and there's no way we could get our low-to-the-ground Corolla's out of the driveway and down our short street. They've also shut down almost all businesses and even nearby Summit County has a driving ban for all non-emergency vehicles. Yes, we are truly trapped here.

The Trip
The road trip there and back wasn't too bad. For Christmas my parents had given me a new audio book called "Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer", a seven-CD set that really helped the time go by. It was a fascinating account of the events leading up to the events on April 14, 1865, the events themselves (not just Lincoln, but the Seward assassination attempt), and the 12-day manhunt for John Wilkes Booth. It seemed fitting material for our D.C. trip, and anything that helps the trip through Pennsylvania seem "fun" must be good. Though we had a heavy snow in Ohio and Pennsylvania, by the time we hit Maryland the ground was brown yet dry, and the temps were 20 degrees higher. Though the weather forecast had originally called for rain all weekend, we only ran into a light drizzle our first evening there. At times the winds were cold and piercing, but it was still warmer than Ohio. On our last two days there the temps were in the 60's, which made it difficult to leave.

The Food
In the past, we always leave our food options to chance. Since we've never had great luck in the D.C. area with food, this time I did a little research first. A few places we knew we'd hit, and the others we chose were by chance, but great!

Hollywood East Cafe - 25 minutes north of D.C., but easy to reach by Metro. The restaurant was rated #1 by Zagat, so when we found the location in an unassuming, slightly run-down part of town we wondered if we had the right place. We decided to take a chance, and it was worth it. The hot and sour soup met B's approval (which is impossible to do when it comes to that soup), and the egg drop soup was perfect. The main courses of sesame chicken and orange chicken were delicious, and Mai-tai's really packed a strong punch. Worth the trip, and very affordable! The best Chinese food we've had since we left Minnesota.

Ella's Wood Fired Pizza - When our Saturday plans were not working out, we headed to the Gallery Place/Chinatown area for lunch. We avoided Chinatown, since we had Chinese the night before and because we've tried our luck there before with no success. We came across a chic restaurant and decided this would be the place. The decor was hip and soothing, and the food was decent. Brad had a pasta special, I tried one of their pizzas. Good stuff, though the wait staff was a bit stiff and lacking personality.

San Antonio Bar & Grill - Saturday evening we headed to Alexandria. We were surprised to find the city quite dead, except for a very small corner of the city with a large movie theater and several chain restaurants. Wanting to avoid food we could otherwise get in Ohio, we tried this place. It was good, solid, Mexican food. I can say that when I lived in Austin, TX for two years, this is what Mexican food was. Very unassuming, but the wait staff was friendly and the food came out quick and fresh. Bueno!

The Capital Grille - We decided to hold our anniversary celebration here, and it was a fantastic choice! The ambiance was amazing, and it was right down the street from the Capital building. Definitely a place that high-powered types likely visit on a regular basis. Everything, from the wine, main course, to dessert was amazing. One of the best meals I've had - and also one of the most expensive! The staff moved like clockwork, seamlessly providing quality service; yet they were talkative and friendly. We will definitely be back.

Not worth mentioning, but will throw it out for a warning - Sunday we had lunch on the Mount Vernon grounds at the food court. Typical cafeteria-style fare. We really should have hit something on the way there. On Monday we at The Coffee Mill in Harper's Ferry, WV. The food was a step below fast food, but what made it almost unbearable was the lack of cleanliness. There was only one indoor table available, and it appeared to not have been cleaned for at least five years. The amount of crumbs, grease, and a whole bunch of questionable stuff made my appetite go away.

The Sites
D.C. is all about the sites and the history. B and I have been there many times before, so this time we attempted to do some things that we had not seen before, or at least not done recently.

By the time we arrived Friday late afternoon, we checked into our hotel in Reston, VA and then made our way to the nearest Metro station. After an hour ride we ended up at Hollywood Cafe. After our meal there we took the Metro to the Smithsonian station, where we took a cold, windy walk to the Washington Monument. We were wanting to go up into the Monument at night, but as it turns out they only do the trips from 9-5 now. Disappointed and without a camera, we still made our way from the Washington Monument to the World War II memorial, where we had a great view of the Lincoln Memorial. We had been to these places before, and it was freezing with the strong wind, so we made our way back to the Metro and called it a night. It was 11:30pm by the time we got back.

The thought was to hit the Smithsonian Museum of American History, Mount Vernon and the Jefferson Memorial during our trip. Those were the three "must dos." We saved Saturday for the History Museum, so you can imagine our complete disappointment when we learned it was closed until Summer for "renovations." What would we do now? We walked to the Washington Monument again, but of course tickets were sold out for the day. We were not about to get there at 7:30am to get them, so that was out. We got some good pictures of the Mall, the Monument and the White House. It had been a long time since I had seen the front of the White House, so we decided to walk that direction. To my surprise there were not many people there. B even got a shot of the whole house with not a single person in the photo.

We were at a loss as to what to do, so we walked to McPherson Square. We passed St. John's Episcopal Church, where Pew 54 is reserved for the sitting President (every President since James Madison, who chose the location). At McPherson Square, we realized where D.C. had moved the homeless - right there, under the roof of the McPherson Square Metro stop. It was a really sad sight to see all of the people crowded under the protective roof. There were easily 40-50 sleeping bags, most of them occupied with people. We hopped on the Metro and went to Gallery Place/Chinatown. After lunch at Ella's, we decided to head to Ford's Theatre. I go there every trip, but I just love that place. We were only two blocks away, and after listening to the audio CD's it would be interested to be back in that place again. On the way there we came across Cowgirl Creamery. It seemed so unique that we stopped in, and came out with a few cheeses. They had a wide variety of rare cheeses; you could sample any one of them. We only had a few, but only because we were still full from lunch. They only have locations in D.C. and San Francisco, but you can purchase their items on their web site as well. We're hooked!

So we continue our way to Ford's Theatre, only to find a "Closed" sign. Yes, it too was also closed for renovation. The theatre and even the museum were closed until Winter of 2009. I was heartbroken. We decided to go across the street to the house where Lincoln was carried to after he was shot, and where he died at 7:22:10am on April 15, 1865. There's not much to see in the house - the parlor, where Mary Lincoln spent most of the evening, and the "death chamber" (that's how historians refer to it), where Lincoln passed away surrounded by doctors and key advisers. We were out within 10 minutes, then it was back to wandering the streets trying to find something to do.

We came across the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, so we decided to go check that out. By this time the pain was really getting to me, and the art and sculptures were not as inspiring as we were hoping for. So we hit the road again, walking to the Capital building grounds, then to Union Station. We sat in a cafe for awhile, planning our next move. Physically I was done for the day, so we decided to take the Metro back to the car and hit Alexandria. As I mentioned earlier, the town was pretty dead, so we just had dinner and called it a day.

Sunday we dedicated our day to Mount Vernon, which was fun. Since it was a Sunday, and since I really wanted to hit the Jefferson Memorial, we drove into D.C. for the evening. After dinner we drove to the Memorial; getting a little lost along the way, but eventually finding the spot. It was a great location - the memorial was beautiful, and the views were amazing of downtown D.C. Since it was dark, it was very difficult to take photos but we managed to get a few good ones to remember our time there.

On Monday we headed home, but took a detour to Harper's Ferry, WV. This is actually an area full of rich history, from Washington/Jefferson times, John Brown's failed raid, and many Civil War battles/pass-throughs. When you were there you felt like you were going back in time, yet it was fairly deserted. Most stores were closed, except for a few shops and "restaurants." We spent a few hours there touring the sites and the land, before we made our way back home to Ohio.

Summary
The trip itself was a great time. I enjoyed every second I had with B, and hated to leave. Luckily it's a fairly quick trip (6 hours) to D.C., so I know we'll be back again. Who knows, maybe we'll end up living there some day?

I did upload some of our better photos to Picasa, my new favorite site. You'll see two slide shows here on my blog page, or you can go here.

Primary Day in Ohio

B and I had a wonderful time in D.C., and I will definitely be blogging later this week about our trip. However, today is Primary day in Ohio. So many states before us have come and gone, and now it's our turn. Though I predicted awhile back that by the time Ohioans got around to voting the nominees for each party would be decided, I was wrong. Instead we find ourselves in the spotlight once again, with the potential to change the course of the political landscape, especially for the Democrats.

Ohio, at least since we've been here, always seems to be a state where the votes, once tallied, change direction or make a final decision on a national level. There's a lot of emphasis here, especially since Ohio has one of the worst economies in the country. Especially northeast Ohio, where I live. Once a thriving industrial town, jobs are gone and the people have left in droves. Huge parts around the city of Cleveland are deserted. There are few opportunities here unless you know the right people. Most of the Cleveland/Akron area is overcome by a strong blue collar mentality. There are a lot of good people here who work hard, but do little to change the situation this part of the state has gotten themselves into. There are a lot of things going for this area - Lake Erie, decent weather (at least for the Midwest), beautiful landscapes and really a good location. It's a shame most people spend their time complaining about the situation but doing nothing to change it. They keep electing the same worthless officials, and take no steps to become active in the community and make a difference.

So when the national politicians come here and talk about what they can do for Ohio, people listen. They still trust politicians here. And remember, they want change but keep looking to the same people for it, even if they are corrupt and worthless. It's a different mentality, so the votes reflect that.

I waited until after work to vote. The polls didn't open soon enough in the morning for me to make it to work on time. I debated in my head all day how I was going to cast my vote. At this point there is a bit of strategy; the November election is where you vote for who you want. In the primary, sometimes you vote for person #2 just so person #1 doesn't get the nomination. It was silly, really, because Ohioans and their mindset greatly outnumber me. So I got in the car around 5:30, spent over 90 minutes getting to the polling place in the rain and ice, and I made my vote. I got in right away, but saw from the lists that the turnout for the day appeared to be pretty strong. I had to make the decision. I made my choice for the candidate. I walked away respecting my decision, and eager to see who the rest of the state chose. My guess is that I was probably not in the majority this evening, but maybe Ohioans will surprise me.