Kennedy Books

The last two books I read were pretty good. Very different ends of the spectrum but I enjoyed them both.

The first was about the White House Intern who had an affair with John F. Kennedy. I found her story similar to Monica Lewinsky in that both women were caught in the middle of presidential power and the charisma of the men at the head of the free world.

The second was about The Secret Service Agent assigned to Mrs. Kennedy. You may remember him from the Zapruder film. He climbed on the back of the presidential limousine after President Kennedy was shot. I really enjoyed the transformation Mr. Hill made from the beginning of his assignment to the end. He speaks very highly of Mrs. Kennedy and there are no secrets he revealed about her which was refreshing. Today there seems to be extreme focus on those who wish to give a juicy tidbit  away for everyone to read.

NASA & Roger Waters The Wall

NASA & Roger Waters The Wall. They have nothing in common, but I enjoyed both. I needed a vacation. It was getting to the point where I would wait until the last possible minute to get out of bed, get on the road, and get out of my truck to go to work. I know when I start doing that it's time for a break.

I started off my vacation with a garage sale at home. I did pretty good. Even got rid of two of my long boxes of comic books that I didn't want. That helped free up some space in my tiny over stuffed bedroom. Ranger and Bella were ready to help. Ranger had his Magnum P.I. outfit on which I later sold. :-) The purple sticker on his forehead says "FREE"

Ranger as Magnum P.I.

Off to Houston we go. We visited NASA and it was surprisingly cool and not too humid. I was excited to see the old Mission Control. Of course it looks much smaller than what you see on TV or in the movies. I think NASA should hire me to work the Comms. I could rock the International Space Station. :-)

That night we went to the Roger Waters concert. I was excited since I missed out on seeing Pink Floyd in concert. This would probably be the closest thing I could hope for. I still wish I could have heard David Gilmour sing Comfortably Numb.

Lunch Date

My Squirrel buddy lunch partner. She's very sweet.

My nails

So, I am still trying to get better at my manicures. My nails are thin and peel when they get too long. I try to keep paint on them to make them a little tougher. Here are some of my latest tries.

This is a green and black swirl that I really loved. It was hard to get good pictures of it. I will try to get better pictures in the future.

This was my "Girl on Fire" I used China Glaze Liquid Leather base coat and then China Glaze Capitol Colors Electrify

This is my "Drum Set" mani with China Glaze Liquid Leather base coat and China Glaze Dorothy Who? It reminds me of Russel's drum set.

This is the China Glaze Liquid Leather base coat. I think black nail polish looks great on me and not "goth" at all. :-)

I've been busy reading

Yep, for the most part, I've been reading and doing my nails. I have been training at work so anything that will take my mind off of that helps. Training really takes a toll on my brain. So here's what I have been reading lately.

This was the first Stephen King book that I have actually read. I liked the story, and the characters but I kept waiting and waiting to get to the actual assassination attempt. I was disappointed with the ending and felt like it ended very abruptly especially after so much was put into the character interactions and development.

I am not sure why I started reading this but I am glad I did. I know stories about dogs, especially working dogs usually makes me cry and I was reading this on my lunch break at work. I cried but it was a great story.

It didn't take me long to read this trilogy and I found it very entertaining. Although it was a quick read I thought the characters were great and I am always a sucker for a strong female lead. She kicked butt.

New Hair!

First of all, let me say I LOVE IT! I don't know why I feel the need to color my hair crazy colors. Maybe it's my mid-life crisis. Anyway, I love it. It took ALL day long but I love it. Did I mention I love it? 

I did try to make it wearable for work so if you are wondering why in the heck only parts of it are done that's why. I bleached portions of it using Manic Panic Flash Lightning. 

Then used Manic Panic Emily the Strange U Blu It. 

Manic Panic Green Envy and Manic Panic Electric Mint.

 I realized, it's only hair and if I hate it, it will grow out. It turned out better than I expected. Express yourself!

...been a while

I was reminded yesterday that I haven't updated my blog in a while. Yeah, I could use the excuse that I have been busy because I really have but more likely that the days I have time, I just end up cleaning something else or worse, sitting like a vegetable in front of a TV screen.

First of all, I have to say a huge congratulations to Russel for passing his last Red Hat exam. It was a huge relief for me because I know how hard these exams are and how long he studied. You have no idea how hard it was to quit bugging him during his study time! I am so proud of him and I am glad he can finally get back to doing some of the things he was missing like flying, playing his drums, watching movies and doing fun stuff. Of course, there will be more certifications and testing down the line but a few weeks or months off will be great.

In other news, Russel and I went to Houston for his cousin, Jason's wedding. It was very beautiful. On our way there (and back) we stopped at Buc-ees so I could get a shirt. The one on the way to Houston didn't have shirts so we stocked up on road trip food. I picked up some Beaver Nuggets to try because I heard they were awesome. The were better than awesome! OMG These things are incredibly addictive and not very convenient since you can only get them at the Buc-ees store. I have tried to get everyone else addicted to them too including Dinah. I am telling you....go to Buc-ees and get yourself at least 3 bags...bare minimum! On our way back from Houston we stopped at another Buc-ees and they had shirts! So I finally have an official Buc-ees shirt. When Russel went to Houston to take his exam he was nice enough to stop on the way back and get my Beaver Nugget fix. I love him so much!

Bella news: Bella had her last appointment with the specialty vet. She has been cleared to be free from her box and return to normal activity. We still try to keep her from jumping, hopping, and going down stairs. She is very happy to have her legs back. It seems like she wants to run everywhere she goes now. I am so glad she is better and almost back to normal. Her left rear leg is still weaker than the right, but the doctor said it will get stronger. She is even trying to play fight with Ranger and put him in his place. She never lost her Alpha status. :-)

Juan news: Juan has been even busier than I have lately. He went to Solo & Ensemble and received a 1 (highest score) for his flute solo. I never even heard him practice. He has also been practicing for the One Act Play at school. The play is based on Edith Stein who was a Jewish woman who lived during WWII and converted to Catholicism and became a nun. The play was great and Juan did a wonderful job. I was very proud. Juan was also asked to serve on the Pastoral Council at church. He meets with the council and the priest to discuss issues within the church. Juan is loved by everyone in the church. He's a popular young man. At his one act play, I had to fight the church ladies to get to him and give him a hug. LOL. I am very proud of the young man he has become and I wish he didn't grow up so fast.




Juan as Dr. Weisman



Karl-Heinz and Edith Stein






















That's pretty much an update of what's been going on. More updates to come as time permits!

Bella Update

Bella before surgery

So, it's been 20 days since Bella's back surgery. I had some doubts that she would walk again because her left leg just wasn't working. We are doing Physical Therapy at home, moving her little doggie legs to get them back in shape. Now she is pulling away with both legs and gets pretty pissy that you are messing with her. Not in a bad way, of course. She's such a sweetheart she doesn't complain much. 

We were helping her walk with a sling around her tummy so she could go potty and stretch the legs and then one day we didn't have to anymore. She is still a little wobbly but she is walking unassisted for short periods of time. When we put her down on the floor she thinks she can run like the wind. Then she shakes her ears out and her legs give out from under her. She just gets right back up again and keeps moving.


She comes with me when I go see Russel and has learned to enjoy the ride in the truck again instead of instantly thinking we are going back to the Vet. She and Princess Dinah are buddies. Dinah came over to sniff her and got a nice doggie lick on the nose. I was shocked that Dinah didn't seem to mind at all. I think Dinah gets excited when she comes over because she likes to poke her head in Bella's suitcase and find the doggie food. 

Princess Dinah in glorious black & white

Ranger still gets upset when Bella leaves with me. He has started tearing up his own bed, blankets, trash cans and doing a courtesy pee on the floor just for your amusement. He is 100% Dachshund. The funny thing about Ranger is that he has been in the lap of luxuary his whole life. Sleeping in a cushy human bed at night, his own room during the day (bathroom), meals on a schedule, fresh water, a clean yard to poop in and lots of love. Bella on the other had didn't have such a great life before she came to me. I can see in her eyes that she is appreciative of what she has. And a little pushy when it comes to making sure she has her place in the bed. 

It's a smile not a growl

I found out that my nephew Juan promised to say some rosaries if Bella got better and walked again. He followed through with his promise and I have to say, he's a good kid. 

I am happy that Bella is doing much better. Bella is happy to have her legs back. Step by Step, Paw by Paw she will overcome this and have a smile on her face.

Wink Wink

My Sweet Bella

This past week I got a phone call telling me I needed to go home because my doggie Bella wasn't walking. I rushed home and wisked her away to the local veterinarian. When I called to get her an appointment I was told that they didn't have one available until 3:00pm that day. I was very worried that Bella was in pain as she was shaking which was out of character. I asked the receptionist if I brought her in, could they give her some pain medication until the doctor could see her. She said yes. When I arrived they took her to the back and said they would keep her comfortable until the doctor was available. I left her, walked out to the truck and completely lost it. I was fine until I had to leave her behind. 

When I got home the Vet called me back and said that it looked like a disc herniation but to be sure she would need a CT scan and that would have to be done by the specialist. I asked her if she had deep pain sensation in her rear legs and received a few varying answers. I asked her if it was possible to do crate rest and steroids as an option. She said it was an option but there was no way of telling if she would recover after that time period. I asked her if this was a time-critical situation and she said it was. Perhaps she wasn't skilled in advising owners of options for treatment in this situation?


I spoke with my sister and told her everything the Vet explained to me. She felt that this was more time-critical than the Vet expressed. My sister is a wiz a medical stuff. I was more confident in her knowledge than that I was with the Vet I had just paid $45.00 to diagnose and keep her comfortable. My sister's explanation was much more reasonable. The longer the compression the disc has on the spinal cord the more degeneration occurs. So, she told me to get the referal to the specialist. 

My sister and I picked up Bella from the local vet a few minutes later. She was still in pain and scared. I asked them if she had been given any pain medication at all. They said she had not. I didn't have time to be furious about that until later. 

We met with the specialty vet in Round Rock at the Heart of Texas Specialty Vet Clinic. I found out later that this practice bought out the old Animal Emergency Clinic that I use to work for. After meeting with the doctor, we authorized a CT scan to ensure that it was in fact a herniated disc. I had to leave her there again and my stress level was through the roof. After we got home, the doctor called and confirmed it was a herniated disc and they would be going into surgery with her which would last about 2 hours. He called back about 2 1/2 hours later and said that she was doing fine and the surgery went well. If she didn't have any complications I could pick her up Saturday. 

After work I went to pick her up and she was completely out of it. She was still really groggy from the anesthesia. I think she was happy to be home again. I still felt terrible for having to leave her somewhere strange. That night when it was time for bed I put her in the kennel and put the kennel on top of the bed next to me in her usual sleeping spot. She stood in protest for about 30 minutes. So, I put her next to me with the kennel on the other side to keep her from moving. She slept very comfortably through the night. 

It's Monday and everyone at work is back from the weekend. I sent an e-mail through the chain of command requesting special permission to bring Bella to work. Keep in mind, other employees have brought their dog to work without asking permission and no one has said anything to them. I thought I would, "do the right thing" and ask permission. 

I was sorely disappointed when my request was denied. I have worked for this department for 15 years and taken on extra duties without extra pay, helped out, busted my ass and tried to do the best job possible. While other employees seem to have the power to reorganize the entire department based on their romantic relationships within the department on more than one occasion. 

So, my initial reaction was a feeling of hurt and betrayal from the "family" at work. That is what I hear from the top of the chain of command. We are a work family and we take care of each other. Ok sure. My second reaction was ok, I am completely done doing anything above and beyond my job duties for this department. No more extra projects, no more coming in early or staying late to help out. I will do what I am assigned fairly across the board and not one tiddly bit more. They wonder why people hate working here? These are just a few words that come to mind at this moment: selective rule applying, hypocritical, and unstable. So, yes you can pay me to be a part of your "family" for 8 hours, after that I am on my way out of this mental hell to my real life.

I will not apologize for my feelings and my thoughts. 

A small addiction

I have a new addiction. Nail polish. I have been searching all of my local stores for nail polish on sale and discounted. I have a small but awesome stash going. I have watched some tutorials on YouTube and looked through several nail polish blogs.

I still have to master water-marbleing and stamping, but I have found some colors that I really like. 

Water marbleing

I have done galaxy nails a couple of times and if I stare at them long enough, they do resemble galaxies or nebulas. 

Galaxy nails

I suppose you could say, "She has a lot of time on her hands if she can paint her nails all different colors." but, it has been a fun, de-stressing activity for me. So here are some pictures from the internets. I hope to start taking photos of my own work soon. :-)

Sally Hansen Wet Cement

Sally Hansen Ivy League

China Glaze For Audrey

Applehead

I am officially an Apple head. Russel surprised me with an iPad for Christmas with a pretty green cover. I still haven't given him enough kisses to thank him. I also got 2 Keurig coffee makers. One from my dad and Lupe and one from Russel's sister Lisa. Now I don't have to pack it when I go to Russel's I can have one in each location. I can't wait to get more k-cups. I am definitely not happy with the blogger interface on the iPad and the blogger app is even worse because it is more for an iPod or iPhone. I can't make the text any bigger or use a different font. Christmas was pretty good this year. I am completely spoiled with the gifts from everyone. I appreciate them all very much. Sometimes it is so overwhelming I have to fight back the tears. As always, I missed my mom horribly like I do every year. I was thinking about what she would think about the iPads. She was a gadget girl before there was such a thing. She bought one of the first VCRs when they first came out and were very expensive. She bought one of the first laptop computers before I even knew what it was. I have no doubt she would have owned an iPad. I wish I could have shared this awesome gift with her. Thank you everyone for working with my crazy schedule and my grinch personality. I love y'all very much. I am blessed. My cup runneth over.

My Point Exactly

LOL Sorry for the harsh words...but I am going to wear this as a sign around my neck!

The long month of December

I have said how difficult it is for me to work long stretches at work or more than my usual 8 hour shift. I have to complain a little because my December is going to be the l-o-n-g-e-s-t month ever.

I am on a 10 day stretch now. Later this month I have an 8 day stretch. I am housesitting in Elgin which seems a bazillion miles away from Lago, Leander, and Georgetown. These are the places I want to be over Christmas. I somehow managed to say yes for two different times in December.

My dad is having knee surgery this month. I love my dad but he is a man. Men act like they feel pain magnified 100 times worse than it really is. I want him to feel better and skip the pain.

I volunteered to work all of the holidays this year to build up my vacation time. I did this because I would automatically be off on New Year's Eve and New Year's day because those would be my regular days off. We lost another dispatcher at work. Well, we didn't lose them, we know exactly where they aren't. So the rotation goes back to the old way. Work 2 months of weekends and you get rewarded by having 1 month of weekends off.

I shouldn't have gotten myself into half of this mess. Housesitting helps with the cost of Christmas. I need more vacation in case I get some money put away to go somewhere. Or, here is an idea take off for absolutely no reason other than to seclude myself in my house and watch the entire 4th season of Heroes.

There are days my job is extremely stressful. There are days when it's more stressful than that. There are days when you can literally stare into space for an hour or two before anything happens. Actually I haven't seen one of those days in a long time.

So here is how December would go down if I was rich and didn't have to work.

1. My nephew would have gotten the iPad he wanted for his birthday.
2. I wouldn't have to work to pay the bills, I would work because I wanted to work. Trust me there is a difference.
3. I would be able to buy gifts for my entire family....cousins and all. Plus all of Russel's family not just the one who's name I drew.
4. I would be celebrating Christmas Eve with my Dad, Lupe and Russel.
5. I would be celebrating Christmas Day with Russel's family
6. I would be celebrating New Year's Eve by staying up past 8pm with Russel and Dinah.
7. I would definately buy Dinah more nip toys. I would take Bella and Ranger to Petsmart for new toys.
8. I would be off on weekends and only have to work 5 days in a row.
9. I would definately volunteer at the animal shelter.
10. I wouldn't be so damn grumpy, moody, pissy, and having a pity party.

I know this IS a pity party for 1. I write to vent, not really to solicit help. It's ok for me to work hard. I know some of you are thinking that I should be thankful for what I do have. I am. I completely am thankful. I thank God every night before I go to sleep. Things could definately be worse. Stress is relative. I could probably find stress in cleaning a toilet if that was the only thing I did all day.

The point of this story...if I am a little edgy, short-fused, or just need quiet time cut me a little slack this month ok? I promise it won't last forever.

What? I can't hear you.

Here is one of my all time worst pet peeves. I am on my lunch break at work. I am walking down the hall with my earbuds in and I am listening to something on my iPod. One of my co-workers who hasn't bothered to say a word to me in about 3 months suddenly feels the need to communicate with me. I see their lips moving but I can't hear them. I am thinking to myself, "This is my private time. Do I really want to explain that I am listening to music and can't hear them or do I pull the earbud out and ask them to repeat what they just said?" I do the nice thing and pull out my earbud and tell them I didn't hear what they said.

If you see me with my iPod and I have my earbuds in please understand, it's not personal. I am having my time and I am in another world. I generally don't want to talk at that very moment. Give me about 30 minutes and I'll be happy to chat.

Hawks and Rain

The rain is a welcome sight. It is also making me very sleepy. Tomorrow the air condition repair guys are coming to install a new air conditioner. Hopefully it will be more energy efficient.

Yesterday my co-worker Bill Pieper spotted my hawk girl on campus. She picked up a live squirrel about 10 yards from him. He saw her later perched with her kill. I love squirrels but this hawk has stolen my heart. I am left in complete awe when I see her hunting. I can't even explain it. I hope she comes back to this side of campus soon as I am not able to leave the building most of the time. I wanted to share the awesome pictures my co-worker took. He is a truly great photographer and I wish I had his skill. Special Thanks to William R. Pieper for sharing his awesome photos with me.



Photo courtesy of William R. Pieper



Photo courtesy of William R. Pieper




Photo courtesy of William R. Pieper




Photo courtesy of William R. Pieper




Photo courtesy of William R. Pieper



Happy Veteran's Day Dad!

USS Lipan

I wanted to do something special for my dad today because it's Veteran's Day. I am not sure that he reads my blog even though I have sent him the link several times.

As some of you know, my dad is a Vietnam Veteran and served in the Navy for 3 years. I can't imagine how my mother must have felt during that time. My sister was born when he was away at war. I still have the message that was sent to my dad's ship announcing her birth and that she and my mom were ok. My mom told me that while she was pregnant my dad mysteriously had morning sickness and he was a million miles away. I am sure she was very happy to have him home safe and sound when he was discharged.

A few years ago I was working night shift and surfing the "internets" and I was curious if there was anything about his ship online. I was very surprised that there was a website just for his ship which was set up by one of his Navy friends Rich Tetrault. I was so excited when I e-mailed my dad to tell him I FOUND YOUR SHIP!!!!!!! I found people who served with you! I found friends you haven't talked to in years! I could barely wait for him to contact them and catch up. I have no idea why this hit me this way. If anything my sister would have more ties to that time period. It must have been because I read all of the letters my dad wrote my mom while he was away. She kept them all neatly tied with ribbon in the cedar chest. Wow, it makes me tear up even now.

1968

Dad is on the right laying in the bunk




 
So, my dad made contact with his Navy buddies and started going to Navy reunions. He just came back from the reunion they had in  Hawaii where he was stationed during the war. I even got a chance to meet his friend Rich who started the website for his ship. http://usslipan.com/ Very nice man. I thanked him for his service and thanked him for being a part of getting my dad home safely.



Rich and Dad



Navy guys nowadays



I can't imagine being in the military, even for a short amount of time. I am proud to have a father who served unselfishly, courageously, and proudly. Thanks to everyone who served our country and especially you Dad. I love you.