Follow Up

Good News: I found my change purse! Complete with both checks, safe and sound. The grocery store had it after all. *whew* No need to clost out my account.

Bad News: My mind is still irreparably lost.

And as a related side note to the security issue: beware of e-mails from "PayPal" claiming to be a receipt for a purchase you didn't make, complete with a handy dandy li'l button to dispute the charge. *snort* Fockers. They're gettin better... they actually used my paypal disposable address, whereas I've been able to spot them a mile away before cuz they used one of my other addys. Still makes me a tad worried, though, as they've obviously gotten themselves a hold of PayPal's address list.

Plus, I was stupid enough to activate my HTML to see the message. Now they know it's a valid addy and will continue to phish/spam it. Oh well... the beauty of disposable addys are that they're... well, disposable. :)

Doh!

The Change Purse Saga

So this has been a really "blonde" week for me. Started this weekend when the folks and I went out for lunch and to run errands. All this togetherness is not a normal occurence, but Pop is a vitamin nut and has been insistent that he come with me vitamin shopping so he knows I have something better than the generic Wal Mart brand. Honestly, he does get horribly picky.

Amway, we had Chinese for lunch, and my fortune cookie was too good to ignore. Something about something wonderful was about to happen to me. *snort* So of COURSE I had to play the numbers on the back of the fortune, right? So we head to the grocery store next and I proceed to play those numbers on a Lotto and a Powerball ticket. (Neither even remotely won, by the way.

This is the last time I can recall seeing my change purse. I only just discovered it missing yesterday. Fortunately, the only money I had in it was some small change... literally. I'd just spent my last bills on the lottery tickets. UNfortunately, I also keep a couple of checks folded up in the pocket of the change purse just in case I happen to find myself somewhere that doesn't take plastic. And I'm fairly positive I also keep one convenience check from one of my credit cards (I THINK I know which one) in there, too, for a similar but larger scale emergency.

I called up the grocery store yesterday, but they informed me they had no wallet in their lost and found. I'm gonna run by after work anyway, just to make sure, cuz my report of a lost "wallet" might have been misleading and they may have looked right over a change purse.

Still to be on the safe side, I called up the bank (thankfully it's my smaller local bank account, not my primary national bank that has all my real money) and had those checks cancelled. Plus, they strongly suggested I come in to close out my old account and open a new one, since my name, account number and routing number are all readily available on those lost checks. So I'll be leaving work a little early tonight to take care of that. *sigh*

Thankfully, I discovered when I contacted the credit card company that nobody can really do anything with the routing numbers of the convenience checks, and all they (the cc co.) needed to do was cancel all open checks they've issued. This is a relief, as this is one of my oldest credit card accounts, and longevity counts on your credit report. I'd have lost quite a bit of credit power if I'd had to open a new account.

Honestly, I'm surprised I haven't experienced more inconveniences such as this. I am SO absent-minded. I'm constantly paranoid that I've forgotten something somewhere... except when I actually do so, and then I completely forget to check. *rolling eyes*

Fortunately, this little fiasco didn't cause any major hardships. I double checked and I still have all of my cards and my ID in the purse, so that saves me a WHOLE bunch of work and worries.

Hey... Where's My Keys?!

My second blonde moment is far more embarassing. I mean, forgetting an article somewhere is far more prevalent than trying to walk away from your car with the engine still running. *smacking forehead* I honestly didn't hear the thing still on. I'd driven Mom to lunch since she's torn a ligament in her foot, and dropped her off at the door while I went to park. And true to absent-minded form, whenever something shakes up a mindless routine (such as parking a stupid car), my brain evidently ceases to notice the obvious.

Thank goodness my car is smarter than I am. It wouldn't let me lock the door, and when I went to grab my keys to hit the remote lock, I discovered they were not only still in the ignition, but also still powering the car. *sigh*

Good news is: My brain is USED to expecting the unexpected at work, so I've managed to stay on top of everything here. At least I think I have. I was just commenting to the Office Whisperer today that I kinda LIKE all the interruptions. I not only like the challenge of the juggle, but it also keeps the job from getting boring.

Just so long as the Alzheimer's doesn't kick in TOO early.

Mentalrobics

Boy am I gettin plenty of it at work... mentalrobics, that is. This much keepin my brain on it's toes will surely be my best defense against Alzheimer's. At least I can hope, anyway. I DO have a family history of it.

Not much to report... stayin ultra busy at work (in case I hadn't mentioned), with a modest amount of office drama goin on. Some very happy news: Mom earned Employee of the Month for May! She really deserves it... poor woman's about to overload with 2 huge endeavors that have been plopped in her lap recently, on top of her regular work. She's been threatening to move to Alaska and become a hermit, more often lately.

Home life is pretty much the same. Home life never changes, really. I get home, eat dinner, curl up with a book (I'm goin through em like mad again these days... it's great). Cat pukes, I mutter grumble for a bit, then clean it up. Watch my shows on Friday night. Weekends have dinner at the folks' place, chores, errands, and more reading. Sometimes a movie thrown in... we finally watched Batman Begins (or, as Mom calls it: Baby Batman) on Easter, which I bought a while back (based on rave reviews) to help fulfill my obligation to Columbia House DVD Club but never got around to watching. Not too bad. We liked it... Mom and Pop had never seen the other Batman movies, and Mom said she now HAS to see em. I warned her to expect mucho camp... but fun.

Still working on getting up a little bit earlier each morning in order to implement that exercise program. I'm having mixed results, but positive overall, I think. I'm still doing very well with my so-called "diet"... still keeping my portions small and the crap out, and losing just a pound or two more each time I check the scale. :) And I've had my second official "You're losing weight!"... this one from Pop on Easter. I was extremely gratified.

Easter was very nice. We had a nice dinner official holiday style: in the middle of the day. Then munched on leftovers for dinner. I'm not sure if I've explained before, but Easter is a very vague holiday for me. Mom being Greek Orthodox, we always celebrated the Orthodox Easter while I was growing up... but all the kids at school would celebrate the regular one. I ended up not really subscribing to either. But for Gram's sake, we now usually end up celebrating both. Normal Easter was last Sunday... this year, the Orthodox Easter falls just a week away: next Sunday. So we get another great dinner. Two for the price of one... can't beat that. :) Though, with the way Mom's been feeling this week, I may be cookin our second Easter dinner.

Okay, that's about it for now. I DID want to mention one interesting side effect of all the windy storms blowin through these parts... TONS of dandelions EVERYwhere. Hell, some lawns are practically pure blankets of white. Interesting effect. lol

Welp... back to the grind. No time for pretty colors... just wanted to check in. :)

Just Not Normal

So at least 4 or 5 more tornadic storm systems have swept through the central portion of the country, north south and middle, since that first one I mentioned several weeks ago. The latest one, last night, hit Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana. I think I heard news this morning of three tornados converged in one place... possible Iowa City, it was pretty heavily hit and sustained quite a bit of damage. *shaking head* This is simply not normal. Perhaps this is part of a longer weather cycle, like they're trying to say about the increased activity and severity of the hurricanes. Or mebbe Mother Nature is raisin the stakes in fighting back. Who knows.

Welp... we're supposed to get more storms this weekend. I sincerely dislike the fact that I've stopped happily anticipating the prospect of a thunderstorm. *sigh*

Death Psychic

So I came across this thanks to an odd friend of mine... who most probably picked it up from even odder friends of his...

Check it out... find out how YOU'RE gonna die: The Death Psychic

Evidently, my rather inopportune demise is as follows:

As the unfortunate target of a serial killer, your head is put into a vice and crushed.

Ew.

It's almost pertinent, though... my head DOES frequently feel like it's in a vice.

Rollin Right Along

So I'm just rollin right along on the positive train. Yesterday, when I picked Gram up for her eye appointment (3 1/2 hours total time to accomplish a 5 minute laser procedure... *shaking head*), she looked at me and asked "Are you on a diet? Are you losing weight?" I was tickled pink. :)

I haven't told anybody about my weight loss goals... primarily cuz half the time (okay, more than half the time) it's a passing inspiration that never seems to last long enough to actually start sacrificing something. But since my migraine cleared up last week, I've been pretty successful at keeping my intake down. And I'm not even eating anything special... just my usual meals, only smaller portions. And I've cut out the crap... amazingly, I've not felt inclined to touch my jar of peanut m&m's I keep eternally refilled at my desk at work. Of course, such disinclination will probably not last long (especially around hormone munchie time)... and then I'll face my true challenge. But I'm seeing results (pants are definately gettin looser)... so hopefully that will be enough to keep up my motivation. I've done it once... I can do it again.

And I'm feeling really good. I think both kinds of my preventative medication were suppressing me... either physically or emotionally. I was totally unmotivated to do anything other than survive the next day. But I'm feeling incredibly positive... motivated, energized, clear-headed. Of course, it could be for any number of factors... not just the discontinuation of the meds. The onset of Spring, the increase in workload at work, my upcoming trip to San Diego in the Fall, my healthier diet. But I don't discount the absence of those meds, either.

When I discontinued the Propranalol, I thought I'd rather deal with the physical downer of the Amitriptyline rather than the depression. But now I don't think I want either of them. I've been relishing my sense of accomplishment at work... successfully tackling each new set of tasks handed to me at an increasing rate, with efficiency. On the Amitrip., I couldn't even get my brain in gear until about 11:00. I simply can't afford to do that now. Especially since the Office Manager gave her notice on Monday, and we're all going to have to start incorporating her work into our own until we can find a replacement.

Now don't get me wrong... I'm back to the condition I was in before I started trying ANY of the preventative meds: my neck is in constant discomfort... threatening to stiffen up at any time and trigger a migraine. But I think I'd rather take my chances with the pain. At least for now. I'll probly change my mind the next time I'm struck with another doozy.

However, I'm also hoping to experiment with a different tact: exercise (adrenaline does wonders for pain)... which I've been hoping to do anyway for the weight loss. I've been gauging myself in the evenings when I get home from work, and I've just been too exhausted to exercise. So I'm going to try mornings again. Yes, a huge laugh to anybody who knows me well. I'm NOT a morning person. But... without the Amitrip., I may have a chance. I did it once before (morning exercise) for a while... but it didn't last long. I think the effort died a tragic death after I accidentally locked myself out of the apartment for my morning walk, and I had to walk to my folks' place to get the extra key they keep. But I have a treadmill now... so we'll see.

I've been slowly working my way to getting up earlier (and going to bed earlier, too) each morning. I'm having mixed results, but I don't mind taking this effort slowly. I've burned myself out too many times in the past by doing too much at once.

So that's where I'm at for now. We'll see how it goes. :)

Ack!

Who let loose the floodgates?

So my workload is definately picking up... as I knew it would ever since the office meeting a few weeks ago in which we were informed another department would be shifting their workload our way. Which is good inasmuch now we know the work will be done consistently. Not so good inasmuch we're gettin plowed (and not the good kind). All I can say is: it's a damn good thing my head's finally straightening out. Whew.

But overall, I think the change is more good than not... at least so far. We support staff have had a few discussions lately, ourselves, about the possibility of asking for another pair of hands to help out. We'll see.

Good news for the day

IHOP Buddy IM'd this morning... I received it as an offline message cuz I wasn't online yet (gettin plowed), but she offered quite a bit of explanation for why she's been closing in on herself. Which is definately not a good thing for a natural extrovert. But I'm glad she's ready to reach out... a good sign that she's on her way back up. We may actually see a visit to IHOP on the horizon. :)

Random thought for the day

I did, indeed, visit my chiropractor yesterday after work. I hadn't seen him in a while, so we had to catch up and he wanted to know what I'd been doing for fun lately. I took a bit too long to think about that for his liking, and I suppose I had to agree. My idea of fun is having my home all to myself for as long as I can manage. lol Pretty pathetic, eh? Oh well.

Amway, I told him about Boomer's visit, saying that an old Navy buddy came to see me for Christmas. I talked about the visit a little, then he kinda laughed after I fell quiet for a bit. Said it was so strange hearing the term "old Navy buddy" from so young a person. He expected to hear that sort of thing from his clients with WWII stories, but it was a tad disconcerting hearing it from me. I never really thought of it that way, but I guess that COULD sound a little strange. I had to laugh with him. But honestly... I think 12 years is plenty long enough to have had old Navy buddies. :)

On the Positive Train

Positive Thought for the Day:

I don't hurt as much as I did yesterday. In fact, I hurt a whole lot less. I think this thing is finally breaking... yay!

Now I just need a chiropractor appt. to get back into whack after being all tensed up for so long. :)

Positive Thought for the Day

Okay, so I've decided I'm getting too negative lately, and need to start focusing on the positive. I'm not oblivious to the fact that my inner "victim" has never really been entirely vanquished... and it will grasp any opportunity I let slip, to re-assert itself. Which is why I usually endeavor to keep perspective and temper negative with positive as much as possible. Seems I've lost sight of that lately. So...

Positive Thought #1

My loss of appetite lately (stemming from constant pain and/or nausea) has resulted in my landing at the bottom of my typical 10-pound flux. Now, I know this is not a HEALTHY way to lose weight, but... mebbe it can help me outta the habit of bad-for-me munchies, which I may be able to maintain once I'm done with the current battle with my head. Hell... with such encouraging results, I may even be inspired to start up my exercise regime again, and I can get rid of the rest of the 20 pounds keeping me from my ideal weight.

This would be helpful for my trip to Santa Maria in October. I'm tellin ya, there's nothing quite like strippin down for my tat artist to survey what work needs to be done, and being at least 40 pounds heavier than when she first started that work (even though I was a bean pole at the time). Almost makes me feel like I've betrayed her for letting her palette and all her hard work go to pot (or at least stretched out a tad). The only good thing about it is: with the extra padding, the new tat work doesn't hurt HALF as much as it used to... lol

Positive Thought #2

I did a pretty good job of earning my keep right at the end of my work day yesterday... even through the blinding pain of a full blown migraine. At the last minute, The Boss needed some dollar figures researched, calculated and compiled in presentable form... and he needed it for first thing in the morning. The other girls were on their way out for the day, so it was up to me. I wasn't thrilled, but the task wasn't really that difficult. I knew how and where to find the information he needed, it didn't take me long to type up the page or so of lists, and I can throw together a spreadsheet (including formatting and calculations) in my sleep. Complete with revisions from the boss, I managed to accomplish all within about a half hour. *patting self on back* Then I got to go home and O.D.

Of course, if I'd been unfamiliar with any part of the process, it would have been a much different matter, since I was having a difficult time thinking clearly. But I guess it's a good sign that I understand the ins and outs of the department fairly well... and gives me small piece of mind that I actually still can be useful when needed, despite any given state of pain. I have hope that my migraines (and thus, myself) may not become a liability to the department anytime TOO soon.

Grrr...

So I'm beginning to get really, really, really, REALLY tired of trying to figure out why I hurt. Every single day. Complete with nausea, rediculously sensitive sense of smell (and light and sound, but every little nauseating smell is the worst), and complete inability to concentrate. Is it the weaning off my preventative meds? Addiction to my pain meds? Hormones? Weather pressure changes with all these storms? Spring induced sinus issues? Too much reading? Not enough exercise? Too much junk food? Not eating enough? (which is more the case these days, since I've lost all appetite) Ergonomics at work (or lack thereof)? Bad posture? All of the above? What?! I'ts friggin driving me buggy, and it's been going on for two weeks. No wonder I've been so damned grumpy.

I'd be willing, at this point, to offer everything I own to anybody willing to chop off my head.

*deep breath* Okay, I'm done with the melodramatics... but this really is getting quite frustrating. And I HAVE noticed that my posts of late have morphed from morose to disgruntled. 'Course, I'll take disgruntled over depressed any day (which may be the price I'm paying for my choice regarding the Propranalol), but I need to start focusing on some positive, here.

Either that, or I just need to get laid... an ever-popular suggested solution from more than one friend of mine. lol *sigh* I need to lay off the romance novels.

One Time Offer

Couldn't resist sharing this e-mail I received today:

---------------------------------------------

This coming Wednesday, at two minutes and three seconds after 1:00 in the morning, the time and date will be:

01:02:03 04/05/06

That won't ever happen again.



Thank you for your undivided attention. You may now return to your (normal ? ) life, whatever that may be...

Tipping the Fulcrum

You know, sometimes it's hard to have faith in the world when you read shit like this:

The Hot Zone: Child Bride

I mean, I've been reading heart-wrenching stories in which people do horrible things for a REASON (like Canada's thousands of seal pups slaughtered for their pelts)... hell, even terrorists have a purpose for which they're fighting. And that's hard enough to swallow... but cruelty for the simple sake of cruelty? Yeah, that's part of human nature, too... and that's downright disheartening. I know that the point of this story is to celebrate the perseverence of good over bad, but still. One can't help but feel horror for the existence of the bad in the first place.

I've always believed that not only the human race as a whole, but each individual person, is equally capable of great good and great bad (and everything in between). Our experiences and our choices determine the extent to which each shade of the spectrum forms our lives. And for the most part, I think it's been a pretty even draw throughout the course of human history. I've had discussions with friends who are convinced the world's goin to hell in a handbasket... that it's much worse now than it's ever been. But just read a little bit of history, and you'll have people insisting we don't know how good we've got it right now.

I honestly dunno. I seriously doubt human nature has changed that much. Only our implements of joy or destruction. And you know... whenever I wonder if that balance will ever be tipped, I never once really believe it'll slide over to the better. Unlike our optimistic president who has such a great vision for the future. I have to give him that much, though I don't agree with his methods. Me? I just wonder when we'll eventually destroy ourselves. Or our habitat. So I guess my best hope is that we'll be able to maintain the balance.

Damn, have I really gotten this friggin cynical?