April 26, 2014
7:22 p.m.

Okay, so I didn't post for a few days--again. At least it wasn't fifteen days like last time! Ha ha! I am feeling better, but I still have an annoying cough and my voice still sounds like I've smoked for the last forty years. Yuck!

I was watching an internet show called "Source Fed" the other day, and they had a piece about women with low, sexy voices. That would be me right now: low, gravely--so sexy. And in three days I have an interview for a job where I must have a great phone voice. This should be tres interesting! Ha ha!

April has gone by in a blur for me. I think I slept through half of it, bit not in a good way. In a oh-my-God-I-am-so-sick way. Not a fun month. Four of my grandchildren have had their birthdays, and I had to text instead of call because I couldn't talk. Sad, sad, sad. So funny, my granddaughters all respond quicker to a text than a call, anyway. What is this world coming to?

Cell phones and devices are all good things, I think, but I have to say that I don't believe they should be allowed at the dinner table at home or in restaurants. It makes me sad to see a family in a restaurant all seated around the table, forks in one hand and cell phones in the other. No one is discussing their day, no one is laughing--at least not together. It's crazy to me.

My son has finally managed to get me hooked up with a cell phone. I did actually use it the other day to call the doctor and ask for a prescription for my allergies. That was only because my house phone service was out temporarily, though. So, I have to admit that it was handy to have it at that particular time. For the most part, I will probably never use it. When I'm not home, I don't really want people calling me. I'm out. Out of the house, out of touch. Just like in the olden days.

I'm not a technophobe, really I'm not. I spend a lot of time on the computer, and I love the darned thing. I edit pictures, make cards, play games. So my reluctance to have a cell phone really has nothing to do with that. I just don't like talking on the phone in public. I also don't like listening to other people talk on the phone in public. My conversations are personal to me, and I don't care to share them with others. I don't care to hear the man on the bus having a fight with a significant other about her/his infidelity, either. People complain that they don't have any privacy, but these are the same people who are discussing their sex lives within earshot of thirty other people. It makes no sense to me.

So...cell phones in public. Thoughts, please?

Over and out!

April 20, 2014
5:19 p.m.

Wow. I just looked back at my last post, fifteen days ago! Fifteen days!

I last posted after 2 a.m. on the 5th of April. I went to bed, got up and dragged around the house until mid-afternoon, then went to bed before 8 p.m. and didn't come out of my room except for bathroom breaks and water until April 10th, when I went to my doctor appointment.

My doctor told me I had the flu, and there wasn't anything to give me except cough medicine, because it was too late for anti-viral meds to have any effect and antibiotics simply don't work. The side-effects are not worth the little relief they might give. However, all my other medications were renewed that day, so I came home with a big bag of pills. And I went back to bed.

Since the 13th I have felt somewhat better, but I still have a terrible cough and have not had a voice since about the 9th. If I try to talk too much, I'll get to coughing so hard that it sometimes makes me vomit.

A lot of this is probably less due to the residuals of the flu and more to do with allergy season. Ever since I got so sick in 2010 that I had to leave my job, my allergies can completely do away with my speaking voice for days and cause my asthma to be a real pain in the butt.

The reason I'm now blaming allergies is because the last day I had a fever was the 12th. Even accounting for that, though, I had the flu for a week. I also had the flu for a few days in February, and before that for about a week in December. This all occurred after I got a flu shot last fall. This is an average now of every other month for the last six months. It's ridiculous! I hate flu shots! I have skipped them a few times since 2006, and the years I've skipped the shot, I haven't gotten the flu, but the years I've gotten the shot, I've gotten sick. This has been the worst flu season for me in quite awhile. I'm really tired of it.

Here's the scary part: if I had gotten a job this year, I would already have had to take about fifteen sick days. I would have been fired already. Sheesh!

So I would like to hear from you out there regarding flu shots. Do you get them every year? Do you think they work for you? Or do you find that you have a rougher flu season after getting them? I really want to know what other people think about this, because I've really come to the conclusion that flu shots make me sick! And I'm sorry to feel that way, because as far as vaccinations go, I'd rather see people get all their shots so they stay well.

Maybe it's just me. Something about my constitution that makes the shots ineffective. Who knows?
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So today is Easter Sunday--Happy Easter to all who celebrate! We usually do a nice family dinner, but as I have been sick, we had a pretty laid-back day. The kids came down and spent the night, and the Easter Bunny found his way to my house this year to leave goodies. We ate Wendy's hamburgers and called it good.

My son-in-law's wonderful Mom, who usually is on on whatever we have going, broke her foot a few days ago, so she didn't come for Wendy burgers. After lunch, the kids packed up and went to spend the rest of the day with her. I hope they are taking good care of her, poor thing!

The good thing is, last weekend I was feeling somewhat better and we all went to dinner at Armadillo's Mexican Restaurant. I was unable to talk at all, but it was fun listening to everyone. That was in celebration of my granddaughter's 11th birthday, and I guess it will have to do for Easter family dinner, too. Hope fully I will have a voice by next Sunday, when we are supposed to have a small belated birthday party for her, complete with barbecue. That should be fun.
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Okay, I'm alone in my house right now, and the door of my bedroom just swung open and I heard footsteps coming up the hall. I called out to my son, then remembered he's not home. So, hello, ghost! I'm never sure which one is around--I have two--unless I smell perfume, but I went back there and didn't smell anything, so I guess it was him, not her. I reckon they must get bored here sometimes. It's not a very exciting place!
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Okay, I'm going to end with a promise to myself to do better at keeping up with this. For now, I'm done.
Good night!

April 5, 2014
12:39 a.m.

Today is the 55th birthday of my ex-husband. Why do I remember these things? Ha ha!

It's been a busy day in the life of me. I wasted a half hour going to the doctor's office for a blood draw that is ordered for next month. Dang. But my daughter-in-law just got insurance through her job, so she made an appointment while we were there, so it wasn't a total loss! And, honestly, I wan't too sad not to get poked today. I have stingy veins, so blood draws are not fun.

Dancing to the Wii has become my favorite exercise. Kicks my butt, but it's definitely a cardiovascular workout. My walks do not raise my heart rate, so this is a good addition to my routine. Gotta lose this weight! I do not want to graduate from pre-diabetic to the real thing.

All this would be much more fun if I could quit getting cramps in my feet. I drink water all day long, so I'm not dehydrated. What causes cramping?

I have a question, and if anyone else has this going on, will you please let me know? The weather has been relatively mild lately, but I seem to be cold all the time. I wear two, sometimes three pairs of socks at a time. Sometimes my feet feel as if spots on them are wet--cold water wet. Now my hands have been doing the same thing. Cold and achy, even in the middle of a warm afternoon. I'm constantly putting them in my pockets or sitting on them to warm them up.

Yesterday, I complained to my son about how cold my hands are and touched him. He said they were warm. What's up with this? Is this a side effect of arthritis that I don't know about?

Tonight it is forty-one degrees outside. I have on my long johns, sweat pants, sweat shirt, double socks and I'm wrapped in a blanket as I sit here. I have a pair of gloves next to me that I periodically put on to warm up my hands. What is wrong with me?

I have a doctor's appointment next week, and I guess I have to go through all these weird things with my doctor, because I am just never comfortable these days. I have never been a cold person before. This is beginning to worry me.

Has anyone else out there had this happen to them? I would love to hear from anyone who has experienced this.
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My daughter has been looking for a new place to live for some time now, and has finally found a place she likes. Please send out some positive vibes for her family to get this place. The town house they live in right now has so many problems and the landlord won't take care of the place.  Thank you!
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I finally got up the nerve to call and speak to the interviewer at the company where I did not get the job. I just wanted to be advised about what I might have done wrong during the interview process, if anything, and ask about any other jobs she might suggest I try for.

She was very nice to me, and told me that they had indeed gone with the candidates who had more experience. She also told me to keep an eye on the company web site for entry level openings, which at this time they do not have. Getting a foot in the door to gain experience is the key, especially in this job market. No matter how much schooling you have, they want lots of hands-on experience. I can't blame anyone for that!

Anyway, it made me feel better to know for sure. Rejection is tough!
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I'm sending out some extra prayers for my sister tonight. She's had a rough couple of days. I love her so much! I wish I lived closer to her!
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Ah, my money-pit house is in need of some work. Gotta do some research about helpers. Ugh! Poor old house.
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Four of my seven grandchildren have birthdays in April. Yikes! I better get busy and get the gifts picked out. The only easy one will be the baby boy. He's a year old in a few more days. The girls are getting tougher these days, eleven, twelve and fifteen! Oh my God, fifteen! What happened?! 

Well, I could be in luck--they are all readers. Gotta check with them to see what's on their reading list these days, I guess. And I am so, so happy that they all love to read. Reading is a gift that just keeps giving. I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't read!
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Speaking of reading, sometimes I wonder about me. After reading a passage in Point of Origin  earlier tonight, I've decided to put off buying new cookware.

Seriously, I love the Kay Scarpetta novels by Patricia Cornwell. Just like I love to watch "Bones" on t.v. I find forensics fascinating. No matter what, medical things are so interesting to me. And I do like that I actually know what they're talking about most of the time! Ha ha!
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What I don't do anymore, though, is try to self-diagnose. So although I did ask for feedback on my weird symptoms earlier, please rest assured that I'm not going to try to fix anything myself. I really will talk to my doctor about it. I'm just interested in hearing from anyone who has had similar things going on. And I will let you know what I learn next week, if anything. Even if she just tells me I'm a kook.
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Well, enough already. It's after 2:00 a.m. I really should go make an effort to sleep.

Good night!

April 1, 2014
10:48 p.m.

April Fool's Day. No one played any jokes on me today, and I'm not sorry about that. I've fallen for a lot of nonsense in the past, so it was nice to have a break this year.

My daughter had an excellent day; she finally got to repair her car and get tags for it. Now they are a two car family again. Awesome.
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I'm pretty tired of searching all these ads for job openings in my field. I'm told there are lots of jobs out there; where are they?

I have to believe that an opportunity is out there for me, and it will be something I don't have to commute four hours a day to do. I'm trying to believe that everything happens for a reason, and the reason I haven't gotten anything so far is because something better is going to come along.

It's tough, though. Optimism is actually hard work!
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I am not particularly physically active. Mostly I walk; arthritis prevents me from doing a lot of things, like riding a bicycle or jogging, and on the days when my movements are relatively supple, my asthma finishes the job of limiting my exercise options.

My son recently purchased a dance exercise game for the Wii, and we've started doing that. Oy, am I a mass of aches and pains. I promise I am not overdoing it, but when dancing I've discovered muscles that have been largely ignored while walking. Huff and puff! Stiff and sore. But it is fun, so I will keep trying. I may even learn how to dance! Ha ha!

By the way, never thought I'd be dancing to "Applause". Hilarious.
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April 2, 2014
1:05 a.m.

 Weather report calling for rain this evening, turning to snow. Phooey. I am tired of snow. Ah, Spring, where art thou?

Last year at this time I was preparing for a trip to Oklahoma to attend the birth of my seventh grandchild. In seven more days, he will be a year old. I can hardly believe that a whole year has already gone by.

Remember when you were a kid, and a year seemed to last--a year? Now it seems like maybe four months! I feel old.
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Clearly I have nothing much to say tonight. Late night phone call with my sister, and now I'm going to head for bed.

Good night, all!