Jillian's Wisdom Teeth / Halloween

It's Friday night, sitting here at work. I'm working FMC/ACH which isn't my favorite site. Oh well.

Today was payday and it barely feels like it. On Wednesday Jillian is getting her wisdom teeth removed and it will cost an absolute fortune. The anaesthesia fee is $250.00 (cash or cheque only) and the fee for the wisdom teeth surgery is over $1,800.00 (payable by credit card or cash). Hole-Le-Crap! It's a shame and I'll be broke afterwards and I'm sort of pouting about it. I will be able to submit our receipts to our insurance carriers but what a drag. I'll miss the money until we are reimbursed ... and I don't know how much we will be reimbursed for exactly. All insurance companies are different. We did get a pre-approval (if that's what you call it) but there are so many variables that come up and I'm not sure what the bottom line will be. So that has me concerned ... what will we end up paying? Oh well, the truth of the matter is she needs her wisdom teeth removed and it's going to be expensive. I don't remember how much my wisdom teeth removal cost me, way back when. Not that it even matters now. Isn't it funny what a person thinks about?

So what is also so funny is the fact that now more than ever I would like to work more. Paying for teeth is expensive, as I've said in the previous paragraph. And this evening I was offered two shifts ... one for tomorrow morning and the other was for Monday morning. I had to say "no" to both of them ... damn it! Tomorrow is Halloween and we are carving our nine pumpkins and finishing decorating the front lawn. I made a big deal of everyone being home to do this. And then on Monday, I promised to take Jillian to Mount Royal University to meet with someone there about upgrading, etc. for 10:00 a.m. So another shift screwed. But Monday's shift was for FMC/ACH so maybe I'm only half disappointed.

Tomorrow Peter (Jacob's friend) will be spending the night at our house after they go out for Halloween. That will be nice. Jacob and Peter are going dressed as Hippies. Last night I bought him a long blonde wig to complete the costume. Jillian is going to a Halloween party dressed as a witch. I have no idea what Chris is going as.

I sort of miss the days of planning my costume and going out and having some fun. Last year Enza (Peter's mom) said she was going to have a adult Halloween party since it seemed that the kids are sort of outgrowing the need or want for one. But, we are having Peter stay at our house because his older sister is having a party and Peter doesn't want to be hanging around with all the girls. What happened to Enza's plans ?? I'm really not sure ... and I didn't bother to ask. But deep down I was really looking forward to it.

H1N1

Well I have to let off some steam. It's not a lot of steam but I'm going to vent all the same. It's about the H1N1 vaccinations here in Calgary.

Now you are not going to hear me complain that the health region was asleep at the wheel rolling out the vaccinations for the city. No, what gets me is that on the first day (yesterday) too many people rushed out to get their shot. I'm talking about perfectly healthy people rushing out overwhelming the city's resources at the four locations and then complaining that the city wasn't equipped to handle it. Now, if I remember correctly, the people that were suppose to get the needles first were the sick, elderly or pregnant. Children were perhaps in the list but truthfully, I don't remember. So why did so many people stand around outside for hours in the cold weather waiting for this vaccination? Here perfectly healthy people were running the risk of getting sick waiting for an injection that would prevent them from getting flu. Oh it makes me crazy. How I see it is ... the people that "need" it should get it first ... everyone else wait. Are people so selfish that they think they have to run to get it before it runs out? What is the rush?

They say one in 3 will contract this flu with varying degrees of intensity. That doesn't mean everyone that gets it will just drop dead.

I was watching the Rick Mercer Report the other day and he said on the show that Canada has enough vaccine for 1 in 35 Canadians. Now I don't know how accurate his information is but if that's the case, that's the way it is. Let the really sick and people with compromised immune systems get it. The rest of the public should just take care of themselves. Eat properly, sleep enough, wash their hands and don't consume sugar.

Okay one more thing. Staff vaccinations were held yesterday and today at four locations in hospitals around the city. All day long we were fielding calls from health region staff asking if they can bring family members to the vaccination locations to get vaccinated also. What part of "staff" don't they get. I was getting pretty annoyed and most people said they would bring their family members anyway and it would be a 50/50 chance that they would also vaccinate them. How terribly selfish. People never fail to surprise me ... whether it's good or bad. I think this H1N1 is bringing out a lot of hysteria in people and they are being stupid.

I know I am pretty much on the fence about the flu shot ... both the regular one and the new H1N1. But I do know for a fact that I will wait until the people that need it the most are taken care of. I'm not rushing out to get my children vaccinated ... we are all, thank God, healthy and we will take our turn if and when we deem it necessary.

Thanks for letting me vent.

My Life

I'm at a funny place in my life. Nothing too exciting happens. When I'm at work, I wish I was at home. Then when I'm at home, I wonder why I didn't take the shift offered to me or even why I haven't received a phone call asking me to come into work. Oh my God. What the heck eh?

Yesterday I was offered ... not one ... but two shifts for today. I rejected both of them because Jacob had the day off school and I thought we would do something sort of fun together. Well, that didn't work out. Jacob and John Lee, from school, had to complete a group assignment ... they had to create a drink that would make a grape float. So off I went buying soda water and grapes. They played video games and then, after a while, started creating the drink. They didn't get the project done and still have to work on their poster which they will do after school tomorrow. That was my day ... okay that and making soup. Not the fun day I was hoping to have. Maybe I should have gone to work after all. Even though I know I would have been sitting there at my desk wondering what Jacob was doing ... worrying if he was bored, etc. See? I'm at a funny place in my life.

But today I did manage to make another "new recipe" homemade soup. It was a broccoli, cauliflower and cheese soup. I blended two recipes together and sort of came up with my own creation. It was really good. Thankfully, everyone else seemed to like it too, not just me. I was nervous about making it because I wasn't following a recipe word for word. I wasn't even totally sold on it until I added the cheese and then it was great. That was good. Perhaps the only good part about the whole day really.

Evening Shift

I'm here at work. I usually always work the morning shifts on the weekend but did a trade with Donna and here I am ... working the evening shift both today and tomorrow. It's 6:17 pm ... really the night has just started. I'm working with Jody, Yvonne, Shevaughn, Lori R and Mahara. For the most part the evening is going well.

Shevaughn made slow-cooker meatballs and brought them in for everyone. What a nice thing to do. I didn't have to buy supper. But I did go to Superstore on my break and I bought some tea Jody was drinking. It's Bojenmi Beauty Tea ( a Chinese tea) . It tastes good and is suppose to reduce cholesterol and body fat. Now I don't know about that, but it's made from 12 kinds of herbs and it's 100% natural. I don't know what my cholesterol levels are but my blood pressure is always on the high side so my thought process is ... this can't hurt.

Penny quit her job yesterday ... she gave her boss formal notice (2 weeks). She is nervous about the fact that she did it but I'm sure she is happy all the same. I don't think she ever intended to just quit her job. Her boss offered her job to someone else while she was away at her Aunt's funeral in Saskatchewan. Penny was notified about this by one of the other lawyers at her office and then the whole idea of her quitting started. In fact, I don't see how she could stay at that job knowing that happened. It was a total lack of respect and I'm proud of her that she stood up for herself and did what had to be done. Not that it was easy all the same.

As for me ... there is no quitting on the horizon. No I'll be here for a while yet, as far as I can see. Not that I'm complaining really. I don't love my job but I really like the people here and that has kept me here this long.

A Day For Updates

Well I didn't end up getting the flu shot. Okay, I sort of knew I wouldn't, mainly because I don't like the idea of getting needles.

Our big turkey dinner went off without a hitch. It was really good. Uncle Wally came over and so did Jillian's boyfriend Chris. We made so much food and sent a bunch home with Uncle Wally ... I hope he enjoyed it.

I finally unpacked my suitcase from my Las Vegas trip. Why it took me so long to do ... I haven't a clue. But it's done now. I'm still not happy about that trip and I haven't seen Penny since arriving in Calgary. That's a long time for us not to see each other ... 20 days to be exact. She had to go to Saskatchewan for her aunt's funeral on the weekend. Funerals are always so sad ... I think she is back in town today. Tomorrow I'll phone her and see how she is doing. But truthfully, I'm not in the world's biggest rush to get together. I'm sure we will start working out again soon and then we will spend more time together ... perhaps it will be much more fun.

Back To Normal

What a difference a day makes. The phone rang first at 5:30am and then again about an hour or so later. It was work calling. I didn't pick up ... didn't want to ... again. But this time I feel good ... I feel rested and totally back to normal. But I didn't want to go to work today. I know I'm supposed to be on this 5 Year Plan to work like crazy but I just don't want to do it this week. Maybe, just maybe, if they call me on the weekend I will go in. The shift differential makes all the difference sometimes. But don't quote me (in case I change my mind and don't accept a shift if called).

This is the weekend we are making our turkey dinner. I have to phone Uncle Wally today or tomorrow and ask him if he wants to come over for dinner with us. Hopefully he will make it a habit to come over for Sunday dinner every week. We just have to keep inviting him and cross our fingers that he is able to come over. We've invited Jillian's boyfriend Chris over and I'm pretty sure he is coming.

Today I have to do some shopping and get everything we will need. Today is also the day we are getting our flu vaccines at our Calgary Health Region site. I haven't made up my mind if I'm getting it or not. Every year so far, I haven't gotten the flu shot. Jonathan and Jillian do get one and both receive it at work. I don't have a good reason not to get it ... but at the same time I don't have a good enough reason to get it. What to do? What to do? I did promise myself that if I was working today I would get it this year ... then I don't go in when offered a shift not once, but twice. Perhaps it's my subconscious making the decision for me. Wow, isn't that a thought.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

We are going to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra on November 18th at the Saddle Dome. I figured out how to post this on my Blog. I'm so happy!

Lazy, Tired Day

Ever have one of those days when you just don't have the energy to do anything? I mean, it's a struggle just to wake up and get out of bed? I'm having one of those days. I drove the kids to see Toy Story 1 and 2 in 3D and I came back home and all I want to do is sleep. I did make myself a cup of tea and ate a peanut butter sandwich but all I really want to do is crawl back into bed ... for about a week. Oh the thought of that makes me wish it was possible.

I was called into work this morning but I didn't call back. I just couldn't bare the thought of it. It didn't help that when Linda called she didn't mention which site I'd be working at. Just thinking that it could possibly be for FMC/ACH made me ignore the phone call all together. And I'm okay with that ... I needed the day off to do mostly nothing.

First Snowfall of the Year!

Today we received our first blast of real, stick to the ground snowfall. Way too early if you ask me. What a surprise to see it when I opened the curtains this morning. Traffic was chaos and I was late for work ... again. Imagine me saying that sort of yelling ... because inside I was. And to add insult to injury ... I left for work early today just so I wouldn't be late. Macleod Trail was a gong show, more like a parking lot than a major route to work. Terrible just terrible. But it was what it was, nothing could be done about it. Tomorrow I work again at the same time and I will be leaving for work early and this time it might just work out fine. And yes, I am crossing my fingers when I say that.

I bought our four tickets to the Trans Siberian Orchestra today after work. The seats are not as good as the seats we had last year, but I got them and that's good. I'm looking forward to the concert. In my opinion, it's one of the best concerts I've seen in a long time.

I'm in a little bit of a rut I think. Perhaps it's all the working I did on the weekend. It feels like all I've done is work and sleep. It feels like I'm missing something. What exactly, I'm not sure. But it feels like I've been only half participating in life. Tomorrow is the last day in a string of five shifts. It always feels longer when I work the whole long weekend though ... everyone is at home and I'm away from them ... that's tough and I don't enjoy it a whole bunch ... that's for sure. But after tomorrow I have a bunch of days off in a row. No telling if I will be called into work or not ... hopefully not though. The money is nice, don't get me wrong but I need a little down time here at home. And when I'm here I will do some cooking and experimenting in the kitchen again. That was fun ... I'm looking forward to that already.

Thanksgiving Weekend

I'm wanting to write so much. I don't know that I have much to say this morning. This is day two of a three day Thanksgiving Long Weekend. I'm working 5 days in a row this week ... Saturday through to Wednesday.

Jacob here at work has given his notice. He will be moving at the end of the month. His move takes him to Medicine Hat, where his husband just got a job with the EMS department for that city. I'm happy for him and I'm hoping he will take the opportunity to go back to school for something automotive ... since it seems to run in his blood. I know he would be happy doing that. I don't think going back to school, while still here in Calgary, was really an option for him since it would mean giving up a good paying job to do so. So this move is perfect. And I hope he does take the opportunity to go back to school. I wish everyone could go back to school and do what they want to do. If I had three wishes, that would be one of them.

Since I've been back from Las Vegas I've been surprised by all the cold weather we've been experiencing here in Calgary. I mean, it's been really cold. We've had frost, a really hard frost, and snow and ice on the roads. It's been terrible. Jonathan said yesterday that we just seem to forget that it happens every year ... but I don't think that's the case ... I don't forget it happens ... I'm just surprised that it's gotten so cold and hasn't let up. We always get a good blast of frost to kill off all the flowers and then retreat to some milder fall temperatures. But this year the cold is hanging on ... where is our Indian Summer? Heck, where is the normal October weather?

This year I'm working the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Teresa has offered to cook the turkey and have us all over on Monday. I'm making the sweet potatoes with pecans (as usual) ... Teresa always wants me to make these ... they are her favorite. Teresa offering to cook is really nice but as a family we prefer to cook ourselves here at home. We love the leftovers, we love the homemade stuffing, cranberries, potatoes, gravy and bread. We always make so much food just to have the leftovers for the next day or two. It's just so yummy!!

Jonathan did bring home a fresh turkey but we did have to stick it in the freezer because I was working. That's too bad ... but it also lends itself to the possibility of making a fabulous turkey dinner next weekend when I'm not working. Just the thought of that makes me smile.

I just got call a second ago. A gentleman called saying is cousin is in the hospital and was inquiring about bringing him some turkey dinner this evening. Now that makes me smile too. I hope he is able to.

The Bad And The Good

So today I goofed up again. I was suppose to be working at 9:00am and at 9:00am I was still here at home, in my robe. Linda called me to see if I was okay or perhaps just stuck in traffic. Oh man, I got there in record speed. How embarrassing! Thank goodness for being low maintenance. I didn't write the shift trade on my wall calendar here at home and forgot all about it. I must be going through a mid-life crisis because I've forgotten two things this week. Thank goodness they both weren't work related. ha ha ha

I laugh but I won't let it happen again. Oh God ... I hate not being in control.

So there I was at work until 2:45pm. I have to move my car every 2 hours where I work (stupid I know) and today I thought I'd risk not moving it since I didn't want to leave my desk (after arriving late). Then I stuck around for a few minutes visiting with the second shift before heading out to the car. And who do I see there ... security ... writing me a parking ticket. Yikes! I walked over and smiled to the fellow (a new old guy I haven't seen before) and he asked me if I was just leaving now. I said, "yes" and apologized for my delay getting back to my car. He asked, "should I waste this ticket?" I said, "That would make me very happy." And he wrote void on it and closed his book. And yes, I was very, very happy.

Today was a day of contrasts. A little bad and a little good. It all evens out.

Vegas Recap

Back from Las Vegas today. And boy, am I glad to be back! Okay, I have not had the best 4 days. What was I thinking? I know Jonathan was trying to be really nice suggesting that I go with my friends but really ... I didn't have a really good time at all. That's the last time I go on holiday with Penny and Shelly. Shelly is really low key and Penny has the outlook that's it's all about her. And me ... I felt like I was the "mom" the whole time. I rented the car, I drove the car, I felt like I had to be in charge of things most of the time ... not what I expected. Primm Valley is a place NOT to go. It's too far away and not a nice place at all. We stayed there only one night and went to the Las Vegas Hilton for the remaining 3 nights. Also note, the Las Vegas Hilton, although very nice is too far away from the Strip ... the monorail going to the strip is too expensive and closes at 2:00am. Weird when it isn't a "manned" monorail ... it's an automated system ... so why does it actually stop running?

I could go on and on but I choose not to. But I will say that Vegas has changed quite a bit ... it's not as good. Things close early when it's not the weekend. Some restaurants and shows just don't open for days at a stretch. It's not what I expected or remembered Las Vegas to be. I always thought I'd like to go back and take Jacob and show him around but now I don't think that would be too much fun. It would be better to go to Disneyland again and have some real fun. Then of course there is the tropical vacation we all want to do. Yep, that would be a great idea. But as for Vegas, I'm not sure I need to go back again. And for going with friends and not family ... that won't happen again for a long, long, long time ... if ever.

p.s. On a positive note, Sunwing is a great airline to fly. The experience is better than Westjet by far. AND ... pretending to sleep on the plane, on the way home, is a great way to get some peace and quiet.