Tuesday, December 21, 2010

The tree...

By request from Froggy...

Monday, December 20, 2010

Forgetful. Truly forgetful.

I've not taken notes this week!

On Tuesday, I had to stand in for C and attend a meeting. I know the people I had to meet with, but I've not attended a meeting with them before. Zman came along to do his part as well. We've decided to go for coffee. It was a very informal meeting. Obviously.

While sitting there and talking, I was watching some of the other people dining. An ibis prowled around the diners. Suddenly it jumped on the table and took something from a woman's plate. Gods, but I hate those birds. Later it repeated the performance, this time stealing a whole roll from an unsuspecting diner.

Wednesday bought some bad news. The plans the Teen had for her lodging have changed drastically and now she has been left with no home again. The current residents of the house are moving and she was under the impression that she was moving with them. It seems not. The new adult male has decided that she will not be coming with them, and she will be left to fend for herself. With approximately 4 days notice. She is supposed to be moved out this weekend. She is welcome to stay in the house but she would have to pay the rent. The Teen thinks the rent is something like $300 a week.

It never rains but it pours. I was so sure she was finally getting settled.

It's been a stressful week.

I was off sick again on Thursday. A week's worth of sinus headache gets wearing after a while.

That evening the Teen's current housemate arrived. She's a lovely lass with blue hair. Very mature for her age.

Friday is my last day at work for a while. I'm on holidays! Yay for me. A well deserved break.

Saturday morning I went out and did some Christmas present shopping. I couldn't decide what to get for a couple of people and having a very limited budget isn't much fun either. Hmmmm. I left MOTH in the food court and ventured off on my own. I thought the shopping centre would be really, really crowded but not so. There was room to move. I suspect this might have something to do with the expansion of a competing centre in a neighbouring suburb.

I get them home but delay the wrapping of them.

Sunday I get game and set up the tree. I wasn't going to bother this year because we won't be home. But then I thought that maybe it might be nice for when the niece and nephew arrive for their holiday. The tree is black and gold foil and the decorations are silver. I think it looks good.

Monday I go to wrap the presents. Uh oh. I have no sticky tape. And the stickers are no longer ... sticky. Looks like it's out to get some. A quick trip up the road. I check the newsagent but can't find any of the stickers. I try for the cheap shop. No stickers there. What? But I buy the tape. I walk back to MOTH, and spy the stickers in the newsagent as I go past. How the heck did I miss those?? I didn't get to Kmart to get Fluffy's gift, *sorry froggy* so I'll have to post them after I return from North.

I wrap the presents, with a lot of help from the Ginger Destroyer of Worlds. He chewed on the paper. Sat on the stickers. Tried to run away with the ribbon.

They're finished now, and under the tree. OH! And I've just realised I've wrapped my present with the game still inside ... Yes. I wrapped my own present.

Monday, December 13, 2010

Whoops.....

I think I accidentally shut Sheldon in the rumpus room last night. Um ahhh! I could have sworn he was under the table.

It seemed like a short week this week. I'm on holidays next week *can't wait!* so I think this week will be looooong enough to feel like 3!

Tuesday morning I found out that I needed to catch the bus home. This means an early finish. Sigh. A late start and early finish means I have to make up time. I tell Zman that I will catch the bus to work tomorrow to make up the time.

Wednesday morning I'm first in the office. Whoo! Work is having their Christmas party this afternoon and I'm looking forward to it. An all staff meeting this morning means not much work will be done.

I'm minding my own business and the work photographer lines me up for a photo. What for? It's ok, she says, I just want your eyes. For a competition. She pins down three others for the same thing.

The party starts at 4pm. I wander upstairs to the tearoom sometime after that. There are plenty of people there. I look at the pictures on the noticeboard for the competition. Wow. Just seeing eyes is different! It takes me a little while to pick out mine. There they are! Whew. Today they don't look bloodshot or wrinkly. *is pleased*

Zman has been picking me up from the house this week. MOTH has instructions not to drive for a week. This makes my actual pick up time a bit later than normal. I opt to catch the bus to work on Thursday as I have a meeting at 9.30am and Zman can't guarantee we'll be at work by then. I catch the 7.45 bus so MOTH and I leave the same time.

I plan to catch the 7.45am, arrive in the city at 8.30am then catch the 8.40am to work. I get into the city just after 8.30 and head for the next bus. Uh oh. There IS NO 8.40 SERVICE! Silly me. The service is 8.30 or 8.50. I have to catch that one and miss the start of my meeting after all! Oh, sweet irony!

I make it to work and the meeting just in time.

Friday arrives and I don't feel like doing much. It's our SECTION Christmas lunch. When I mentioned work before, I meant the whole division. Today it's just my immediate workmates going to lunch.

We've booked the venue and pre-ordered our meals. All is good with the world. Most of us catch the bus to the nearest stop and walk to The Morrison from there. They do great steak I've been told. I don't know - I'm one of these strange people who goes to a steak house and orders something other than steak. I've asked the chef to change the sauce on the prawn linguini from tomato to creamy garlic. When it arrives, they've done it but oh! They've left the chilli in. Never mind, it adds an interesting touch to the dish. The sauce is creamy, the pasta al dente and the prawns are tender and juicy.

After most of us have gone, C *my supervisor* has asked her partner to pick us up. He arrives just as we are about to leave C on her own. *we're cool like that* We sit and chat for a while longer. He's had a very busy and difficult morning - judging entries in the ward Christmas decorating. They all seem to have really dived into the spirit of the thing and the photos he shows us are amazing.

He gives us a lift back to work.

Saturday, energy was at a very low ebb and I didn't do much more than watch a movie and sleep a lot. Oh wait. I spent money I didn't have on dessert. Lion's Christmas cake. It's our tradition to buy on every year. We serve it sliced with vanilla icecream and Paul's brandy custard. DELICIOUS!

Sunday I look at what needs to be done and just can't bring myself to do it. I've laid out the trundle bed in the room I use for ironing, and put the ironing board in the cupboard. I've yet to make it up, shift the other single proper and put away the drying rack. The house needs cleaning top to bottom - it's so much messier than it should be!

The lawn also needs mowing. The rain has encouraged it to grow but not allowed the ground to dry out enough to avoid getting bogged. The garden is beginning to get to the point where I can't tell the weeds from the plants. Stupid rain.

Oh, MOTH's appointment was a follow up with his GP after his hospital stay. They requested a chest examination because of the oxygen levels. His GP shrugged. He didn't have the equipment to monitor blood oxygen levels anyway, but pronounced MOTH's chest clear. He looked at the wound and decided he liked the progress.

It's now 9 days post op and the wound is still weeping. The incision site looks clean but the belly button area still weeps copious amounts by the end of the day. Shouldn't that be drying out by now?

Tuesday, December 07, 2010

Monday. Can't trust that day

Although today IS actually Tuesday. See, told you it couldn't be trusted...

It was a hectic week. Apparently! I'm glad I've got my notes or I wouldn't have remembered much of the exciting stuff that happened to me.

It's Monday and Zman is off to a late start. MOTH gets impatient and decides to head for the rendezvous point regardless. Eventually I get the text to say the lift is on his way and he has just slept in, not forgotten me at all.

Dad arrives today for his appointment and I'm looking forward to catching up with him.

I have to catch a bus on Tuesday. An older lady is getting on the bus but she takes a nasty slip. I hope she's alright! She picks herself up and totters to a seat. She seems to be alright. Or just extremely embarrassed and tomorrow she'll be sporting the bruises.

I spot a lass some seats in front of me. Her hair decoration has me intrigued. I can't quite determine what it is. It's rectangular in shape and seems to have some narrow stripe pattern.

I keep looking. Well! I've come to the conclusion that she is wearing a rectangle of velcro in her hair. The more I look, the more certain I become that I can even see the tiny hooks....

On the trip home at the end of the day, I'm daydreaming out the window and I spot what could be a tourist standing near the bus stops. She appears to be of Asian extraction. She catches my eye as she is wearing a white t-shirt with a slogan that asks, Do You Speak English. It's written in French.

I'm making notes in the iPad after dinner. Dad looks over my shoulder and I show him a little bit of some of the applications. He discovers Google Earth. Two hours later he decides to put it aside and go to bed. It's half ten, way past his bedtime.

On Wednesday it starts raining. I'm hoping that it doesn't rain too much and cause MOTH's surgery to be delayed again. Dad also goes home today. It's been great catching up with him, chatting about family.

My supervisor pops by my desk and tells me that she has been talking to her partner. He works in surgery at the hospital where MOTH is scheduled. She had discussed MOTH's surgery and my concerns. Apparently he has checked the list, MOTH is still there and is now marked as a preferential patient. Please do not cancel surgery unless absolutely necessary. This is wonderful and puts my mind a little at ease.

It's still raining though.

Thursday it's still raining a little but we are up at the hospital early. You need to arrive before 06.45. We arrive around 6am. Fill out the same paperwork we did last time and off to the peri-op area. We wait for a couple of hours before MOTH is called. He's gowned and popped on a gurney. We chat for a couple of minutes, the Assistant Anaesthetist asks some questions then he's wheeled through the doors and out of sight. Good luck!

I wander down to the Recovery waiting area and settle in for the long haul.

My supervisors partner comes by and introduces himself. He explains what will happen with the recovery area, asks if MOTH is scheduled for an overnight stay and advises that he had booked a bed for him just in case. He goes into Recovery to check if MOTH is there. He drops by again later, and checks again. He reports back that MOTH is there and they had chatted. We say goodbye and I'm very pleased and happy that he has done this.

Two hours later they call me in. MOTH is woozy but drinking and eating a little. He's not quite ready to come home yet - there is a small concern about oxygen saturation levels. We wait and chat to an old couple in the area next to us. They send MOTH for a chest xray.

The nurses chat to the chappie next door. He tells them he has an enlarged prostitute and I'm hard pressed not to burst out giggling. I don't know how the nurses do it.

MOTH is eventually discharged. We drive home and tumble into the house at 4pm. It's been a long day.

Friday I stay home from work to keep an eye on MOTH. Well, someone has to. And he's supposed to have a responsible adult to supervise. *i do my best to fulfill that role*

The Elder has Foxtel put on. On Saturday I decide I'm going to check it out. I scroll through the channels and see what is on. I watch a couple of movies and some episodes of favourite programs. Before I know it, I've spent the day there in the recliner and it's now 3pm.

A wonderful way to relax. I wonder if I can repeat for next weekend?