Friday, August 19, 2011

Life Is Like...Water

Prior to my gastric bypass, I walked everyday for a whole year.  Yep, everyday, kinda like a postal worker but without the paycheck.

I always had a bottle of water with me everywhere I went, it was glued to my hand.  And boy was it a bitch when I had to rip it off!

Any who, after said surgery I had an extremely serious complication that required emergency surgery.  Oh, joy.

After the surgery my arms were restrained because I was trying to rip out the numerous thingies I was hooked up to.  I won’t even get into the whole restrained thing, let’s just say it wasn’t my first time, wink wink.

I also had a tube down my throat and I couldn’t speak, lucky Joe.  As always, he was by my side thru the whole thing.  I truly put him thru hell, not like usual because this time I wasn’t even trying.

I remember laying in the bed being so thirsty that my mouth felt like the Sierra desert!  Unable to speak I thought I’d use my version of sign language, I made a W with my hands hoping he’d get the hint.  But I didn’t know my hands were restrained so it looked like I was pointing.  What was I pointing at?  My pee bag.  Told ya I was connected to every medical devise known to man (and woman).

All Joe would say is that it was ok to pee (as I had a catheter).  So I repeated and repeated and repeated the W and his response was always the same, it’s ok to pee.  In one sense he was damn lucky I was restrained or I would have strangled him.  Now it’s funny when we talk about it, not so much at the time believe me!

Okay, okay, enough about me.  Although it is my blog so maybe not, guess you’ll just have to stay tuned to find out what’s up.

Our water is, well, in one word, shitty.  That is unless you like hard water that smells like a rotten eggs, but I think not.

All of our drinking water is filtered, we aren’t great fans of the whole rotten egg thing.  Actually it only smells after a rain, who knows why but it does.  Someone can tell me the scientific explanation for it but I really don’t care why, ‘cuz knowing why won’t stop it.  That is unless I could stop the rain and that ain’t happening either. 

I’m trying to drink more water and iced tea.  The two water filters we have are basically going non-stop.  Can’t speak for Joe but I’m pretty sure that he realizes that we are blessed.  Blessed to have clean drinking water as so many people don’t.

Perhaps you’ve seen women with giant thingies on their head carrying water on top of their heads.  They may walk for miles, each way, just to get filthy water to drink.  Chances are it’s contaminated with numerous nasty-ass germs but it’s the only water they have access to.

Yes, we are supposed to reach out.  To help those all across the world get clean drinking water, but personally, I feel that we should take care of those in the good ol’ U.S. of A. first.

Don’t get me wrong, if you support other countries, great (and good for you!) after all they need clean water too, but that’s my view on the whole situation.

Sad to say that in this great country there are those without clean drinking water.  Although they may not carry the big ass containers on their heads they don’t have clean water.  Some don’t even have running water in their homes.  That is if they are blessed enough to have homes.

I usually research everything that I write about, I’m a stickler for getting the facts straight, just ask Joe.  But if you feel moved to help those without clean water just do a Google search.  Make sure they are actually using the money to help those people and not pad their own pockets. 

A good place to start would probably be the Red Cross (they provide water and other necessities after a disasters here at home and all across the world).  I’m not going to chastise you if you don’t do anything.  I know these are tough times, but there are free things you can do to help.  Next time yer in Marquette, stop at MGH Blood Center and give a pint of blood. 

Now back to me, during my emergency surgery I lost four or so pints of blood, I wouldn’t be here boring you if it wasn’t for the selfless, nameless, strangers that took time out of their busy schedule to give a pint.

And how did I celebrate my successful surgery?  Let’s just say it was with a pint.  And I’m not talking about blood, wink wink.

Friday, August 5, 2011

Life Is Like...An Etch A Sketch (or in our case, a DoodlePro)

A year ago or so we purchased a Fisher-Price DoodlePro thinking that we’d use it as a gift for one of our nieces or nephews (ok, great-nieces or nephews).  Needless to say, it hasn’t left our house, but at least we are using it.

It’s a new and improved child’s version of an etch a sketch.  Come on, we all know the old etch a sketch!  And don’t say you don’t ‘cuz ya do. 

This has a much smaller screen, an attached ‘pen’ and a magnet so we can put it on da fridge, anything to keep the youngin’s busy.  Or adults in our case.

Since Joe is on his way to work before I wake up I leave him a hand written note by his morning pills.  My notes are generally gushy, pouring out my heart, his, not so much.  Ok, they are but I always have to chuckle that he includes the fact that our dog pee’d and/or poo’d.  As a mother it’s important to know that kinda stuff about your children.  He also writes that the cat has been fed and by the by, never once has the cat not been fed, usually at least once, she’s kinda a cow when it comes to eating!

Back to the Doodle-Pro already
It always takes me several times to write my message.  Joe always does it on the first try, that kinda pisses me off because he even drew a school bus once, inside joke, on the first try.  As I said, I can’t even do a short message ie:  ‘love you’ without doing it at least two or three times!

Sometimes it takes him days, or even a week or so, to notice that I’ve written a new note, even though it is placed by the freezer door handle.  Thankfully I don’t write anything urgent!

I think that it is very important to write little lovey dovey  notes to your spouse or significant other.  It’s not to remind them that you love ‘em, they already know that, but to  let them know that your thinking about them.

Shake shake shake
One of the coolest things about an etch a sketch is shaking off whatever you had on the screen, it’s like magic when your young.

But wouldn’t it be nice to be able to shake your slate clean?  To be able to change things you’ve done in the past that you would do differently now.  Oh, if it only worked that way!  That would be sweet.  As we all know that technology isn’t here yet, damn. 

But we can do that.  Confession does that don’t it?  Although I can’t remember how long ago my last confession was, seems to me that I remember that from my 6 years in Catholic school.

Don’t wanna go to confession?  You can still get your slate clean.  Come on, you know where I’m going with this.  In fact, you could probably finish the rest of this blogage yourself.

To me you don’t need a church, priest and that all too tiny room.  Plus you save money on gas from not going to the church.

All’z you have to do is ask, not just anyone, but God.  And bonus, he doesn’t order you to say 10 Hail Mary’s and 2 Our Father’s!

If you honestly and truly are sorry for something you did and know that it was wrong, pray.  Hail Mary’s and Our Father’s optional.

But God does wipes our slate clean, He doesn’t shake us though, or does He?  Maybe sometimes He should!