Does 2 days off work count as a vacation?

I'm about to start losing vacation days, I'm reaching my maximum accrual limit, and extra hours are rolled over into sick time. Which sucks, because when you leave or retire, you don't get paid for sick leave that you have accrued.

As an aside, my dad worked for the Large City Police Department, and when he started there wasn't a limit on accruals, and they paid sick leave, so my dad didn't work for a year, they paid him out of sick leave and vacation time, and THEN he retired. Nice.

Anyway, I decided to take next thursday and friday off, I called a dear friend of mine, and we are going to New Orleans next week. I'm very excited.

Now, we just got our clearance to start our animal again, so my boss is chomping at the bit to get started doing experiments again.

Let's look at my initial schedule next week:

Monday: Dr. appointment for mom, starting at 6:45, going until I don't know when, I might or might not make it into work
Tuesday: Neuro appointment at 2:30 in the afternoon, further north, much closer to Large City than I am, which means that I would need at least a half day to accomplish this.
Wednesday: work
Thursday and friday: New Orleans.

I didn't think I would push my boss that far, so I rescheduled the neuro appointment, and will try very hard to get to work in the afternoon, I will work all out tuesday and wednesday, and be gone! gone! thursday and friday.

I also missed a dentist's appointment this week.

I rescheduled both for the 29th. I'll be gone all day from work, dentist in the morning, neuro in the afternoon. And besides, there is a part of me that really doesn't want to go. I really don't want to know.

I think I might try to find someone who can go with me. Because I'm a little scared. But not my parents. Not yet. I don't want to worry them unnecessarily. If it's not bad news, then no big deal. If it is, then I'll update them then.

Friday post

It's really weird. I have things to write about. I have things happening to me that are funny, difficult, heartening, irritating, etc etc.

But I finally realized what it is.

And this is really stupid.

But, my house isn't done. My cave is in disarray. And apparently, when my refuge is no longer a safe place, parts of my brain stop working.

The only similarity I can use is when I work with animals.

When I work with animals, I turn off the emotional part of my brain. I can do what I need to do, but I distance my heart, my compassion, my emotions from what my hands and brain are doing.

Apparently, when everything is in bedlam, I shut off part of my personality. I'm not sure what part of my being that I'm turning off, but whatever it is contains the part of me that blogs. I also have a hard time reading other people's blogs.

Thus, I will post small things occasionally, but I hope to be back once my house is done and my life begins to return to some semblance of normal.

Dear God, for awhile there I was praying for peace. I guess you're trying to teach me how to be peaceful when life around me isn't? I don't like this lesson any more than I did the patience or strength lessons. I'm very patient and very strong. I'm not sure I need any more peace. Amen.

Phone rings one more time, one last email is received...

*Woman running crazily from the building, pulling her hair out in clumps, screaming and babbling incoherently*

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good News, all the way around

Mom: We were at her oncologist's today, there is no fluid in her lungs, her heart is in great shape, and the cancer in her lungs is very responsive to a drug. She has to take 1 pill, probably the rest of her life. She will never be in remission, she will always have it, but it will be well maintained. They don't want to see her for 3 months.

My job: finally finally finally FINALLY our animal lab is open again. The lab that I do my primary work in, the one that actually pays my paycheck, has finally been approved by the Governmental Agencies to begin our work.

My friend: My friend who was home on bedrest is doing much better now, and in fact she is cleared to go back to work on monday. They will have their first child home with them again shortly.

Myself: I had the massage yesterday, and I feel much better. I slept very well last night. With mom's and work's good news, I should sleep well tonight. I will go visit my family tomorrow, spend time with my niece, and come home sunday.

OH!! Forgot (that says something). ex texted me today, Did I want to do something today? I deleted it. yay me!

Dear God, thank you for some good new! Amen

Gave in to temptation

Yesterday afternoon I gave in and stopped on the way home from the hospital.

I walked into a Massage franchise and got a massage. 1 1/2 hours for $57.

My shoulders, back and rear end are so sore, but OMG do I feel better. I slept hard and sound last night. I'm calm and peaceful this morning. My mind is a ease.

I may have to do this again in a couple of weeks.

Thought for the day.

Is it just me, or is it a little narcissistic to create a facebook quiz titled "How well do you know me?"

I haven't created one. I tend a little narcissistic anyway, so this would just aggravate that. Plus, I would be worried that no one would be able to answer it very well, and then that would hurt my feelings and I would wonder what kind of friend I actually was if no one could (or would) pass the test I set forth for them.

Anyway.

That's my thought for the day.

*smile* LOL!

I've been reading a blog, MTAE. I like reading him, his posts run the range, funny smart serious sad family work friends.

Sometimes, as I'm writing a post, I write it just to see what kind of comment he'll leave me. For a perfect example, please read the next post down.

MTAE: Your comments, or lack there of, are always appreciated. You crack me up. I hope the feeling is mutual!

Still Single

I'm 34.

I'm single.

I have been single for the vast majority of my life.

Thus, as you might guess, I am frequently horny. Surprised?

Now, in my life, there have been a couple of 'special friends'. There is, however, only 1 that has stood the test of time. We've been crossing our paths for 12 years now. I was supposed to see him this week, but his schedule didn't open up like he thought it would. We're both hoping for this week.

I'm not good at being single.

One guy noted, upon dating me for a month or two, that I never turned down sex.

Apart from 1-night-stands, I don't, as a rule, turn down sex. Especially when I'm dating someone. That's one of the major reasons that I date. For the sex. Because why would I deal with the rest of the whole relationship-stuff if I didn't get some boy-girl action?

I have in front of me a situation. Which I should not act on. Because it will only lead to bad things. I'm not sure it's even a situation. It's more in my mind than anything else. But being single and horny, it is a rather prominent thought in my head.

Yeah. That's it. Just needed to put into words. I probably won't act on it. I usually don't. But it's there.

Dear God, if you don't want me to continue to have sex outside of marriage, please, GIVE ME SOMEONE TO MARRY!!! Amen.

That was more of a demand than a prayer, wasn't it? hmm

short update

Update:

The neuro appointment is in mid july.

My friend Katie is home. still having very very tiny contractions and on modified bed rest at home, but doing better. Her daughter is being taken care of by various and sundry family members.

The tile for the kitchen and bath have been picked and laid already. The kitchen is awesome! It's a different tile, but it looks so cool in that room. The bathroom is good, the tub surround is done, the floor will be laid tomorrow. Now I just need to pick colors for the walls.

The AC is great! It's much more efficient than it was.

The sink, toilet and tub are going to be either bisque or almond, I'm not sure which.

On the bad side, mom's cancer has spread to the epithelial (surface) of her lungs, it is causing fluids to build up and making it hard to breath and do anything other than sleep. They're probably going to insert a drain tube to help keep it clear. Dad had a melt down. I'm going to start going to all of her appointments with him.

They're anticipating having the house done in 2 weeks. My sanctuary will finally be mine again.

I exchanged my digital converter box, and the new one works ok, but I still don't get FOX or PBS. My cell phone contract is expired. I think I'm going to cave in and get the AT&T triple pack, cell phone, home internet and cable/satellite/whatever. I hate that. But part of my sanctuary is my tv, and I want my tv, so that means I'm going to have to suck it up and do something about it. I hate that.

{explosion} NOW WHAT?!?!?

I sent this as an email to a friend, but it hightlighted what's been going on in my life pretty well, so I'm posting it here. I will update on the neuro appointment.

It's just been a hard time lately.

I've been having tremors and muscle spasms for awhile now, but they're getting more frequent and severe, so I had an appointment with neurology on Monday, but my brother called last night and the fluid they took from mom's lungs 3 weeks ago is showing something, but the doctor said it's not something he will discuss over the phone, so instead of the neurology appt I'm going in with the family to talk with mom's oncologist. That pushed my neuro appointment until middle of July.

My friend Katie is having pre-term labor and they are having a hard time getting it under control. She's 5 months, which is viable, but that's still way too early to deliver. They have a 2 1/2 year old that I'm helping take care of. Katie's parents have finally been called, so that's not on me, but I still worry.

My kitchen and bathroom are being updated, so the house is in total chaos. I had to completely empty the kitchen and bath, which is all in my second bedroom, and the garage, which I thought would be organized by now, isn't. They have been turning off the AC during the day, and turning it on at 5pm when they leave, when the house is 95, and the coils (? I think that) froze. They had to bring an AC guy out, but they had to leave the fan running until it all thawed, so last night I had all the windows open and fans on, which should have been enough, but the fan for the AC unit had to be on, so it was pumping hot air into the house faster than it could cool it down.

Tuesday night when I came home all of the smoke detectors were alarming and the Carbon Monoxide detector was screaming. I threw all the breakers in the house and managed to shut down the smoke detectors, but I had to rip the battery out of the CO monitor. When I plugged it back in it reset, so I'm thinking just a low battery? Not sure on that one.

I have picked out the bathroom floor tile and tub surround tile, the formica for the kitchen counters and the tile for the kitchen nook. I still have to pick out the sink/toilet/tub color, a vanity, the kitchen sink, get a new cat door and look for an interior door that matches the ones I already have. I still need to pick the paint color for the kitchen, nook, and bathroom.

I don't want to talk about work right now.

All I do is put out fires, and I'm running out of water. I can't process anything else. My brain is full to bursting, and I start my period in 3 days.

We have a random holiday tomorrow, Emancipation Day, instead of getting a 3 day weekend for 4th of July. My friend Michelle and I are going to the a water park here in our town tomorrow. Should be fun. Fresh air, sunshine and water should put me in a little better mood. At least, that's my hope.

Dear God, I don't think I can handle very much more right now. Keep my family and friends safe and healthy, and keep me sane. That last one wasn't a joke. If there was any time in my life that I needed my sanity, it's now. Amen.