kistha

So. I've been busy living pretty much from moment to moment.

The husband has been busy with work, and so have I. I thought that by now, we'd have settled into a relatively stable rhythm and our lives would be in better order.

Yeah, not so much as it turns out.

We're eating tossed together dinners most nights of the week (except for Thursdays w/ argentyne) and we've even pretty much stopped watching anything during the week (except again, for Thursdays). I haven't touched any new arty crafty stuff in far to long. The craft room is a disaster again, the house isn't clean, and we *still* haven't hung any art - not to mention the final finishing of the house, like trim. Getting anything done on the house has come to a complete standstill, and with the holidays coming up, I'm not sure we're going to see any improvement in that any time soon. Oh, and I still haven't reformatted my computer, so it's still down. I'm getting awfully tired of the grinding sound.

( Where I whine about having a 'normal' life )

And, now we're working extra with Oba, since she's starting her rebellious teen angst (what? I'm not supposed to get on the couch?) who also as I discovered last night, has an absolute terror of the sound of our window blinds going up. Somehow, we want to fit (I mean cram) in an obedience class so that we can work Oba more, and dthon can get more direct dog handiling/training experience. I also want to pick up an exercise class/program that both of us will do, reliably. Remember the very nice Karate instructor? (No? Look here.) I'd like to maybe try and work out a private class so that dthon will feel more comfortable to start. While I'd love to pick up something dance related, I don't feel that we see each other enough, so I don't want to lose any more 'us' time. We both know we need more exercise, we both want to shed some weight and yet, our lives don't fit in the schedule we have now.

In other news, I received my first bird bite yesterday (a Moluccan Cockatoo) on the foot of all places, just above my clog. Luckily it was a "attention" bite as opposed to a serious one, but it still broke the skin and is a lovely bruise. Work continues to be the random madhouse I've come to know. I'm also becoming a Medical Clerk and am compounding and making medications regularly (did you know that it's 20 drops to a milliliter?) I’ve also learned to be the button pusher (harder than you think!) for X-rays and learned how to process them. Which for me, since weirdly I'm more blind in red light than I am in the dark, it's all by feel - and that's pretty exciting let me tell you! I'm also learning (slowly) how to hold various things in a non-wildlife way - birds are a huge difference. My first lesson was fairly hysterical. I'm kneeling by the crate with a towel, ready to "go get" the bird (a Galah) and Dr K says, "Just stick your arm in and tell her to step up." At which point the bird, tired of waiting flew out to my arm. Then they wanted me to put it to my chest, beak first. And I'm thinking - seriously? So yeah, it's exciting and weird and pretty fun.

I'm also reading rhienelleth's Nano project and find myself seriously missing role-playing and even thinking fondly of the one 'novel' I co-wrote. It's been a nice escape while stuck in downtime with nothing to do. Like now, but there's no new chapter out yet, and so here I am.

Everyone should feel free to LJ more - I'm looking for stuff to occupy me today.

And, I guess as they say, that's the news.

Tonight at exactly 10:34 PM PST we recieved this picture:




And a short note which read - "My compliments to us all. Your 'daughter' is officially a President's Grand Victor - formally known as  Hoytt's African Queen CD"


And while she'll have to get used to Coke in this household, with her third Obedience win taking her title - she can come home!!!


This means we'll be having a dog home very, very soon!


*Happy dances across the room*

So I've been sick off and on since November. I've had a sinus infection that just won't die, and have caught just about everything else I've been exposed to. I went through a heavy antibiotic 10 day regimen before the cowgirl trip. When I got back, it was back in full swing again. That Monday I went to the Dr again. She prescribed an expectorant (eeeeeewwwww) and another round of even higher level antibiotics, and said that if I wasn't better by the 10th day of 14 - that I was to get another appointment, and they might look into getting a CT scan of my sinuses to help rule out sinusitis. Last Friday I made an appointment for Monday. They ordered the CT scan, gave me some decongestants, and allergy medicine to try and help the low energy and shortness of breath by clearing out what they can. Tuesday I called and made the appointment for the CT scan.

Yesterday my Dr called and fit me in for an appointment. Turns out I have cysts (or polyps) blocking three out of my six sinuses. I'm being transfered to an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor who most likely will be suggesting surgery. (Anything less, and I will fall off the table in shock.) They are totally benign, but it's still going to be surgery. It could be worse, this is a very true thing. I'm not really looking forward to a surgery, that probably won't happen until early April. The earliest consultation available was the 29th of March - obviously I took it. But that's a long time away.

In the meantime, I'm going to be very slow, and tired. Which, might I add, blows. I am so tired of being tired and sick. But now, we have an idea of why. With a sinus infection I can't get clear of, and a low oxygen intake I shouldn't be surprised that I catch everything that comes by.

Last night I had to bow out of the last three weeks of hula, so I can conserve my strength. And may have to miss some of next quarter too, now that I see the time frame I'm looking at. Damn it. All of my hula sisters are going to miss me. They were very concerned, and they all hugged me. Even the instructor was worried, and was going to miss me. H even threatened me with an email a day, if I don't come back. The new Japanese student who joined our class went home to Japan last week, and brought me back the coolest chopsticks - the covers have origami toothpick ladies on them. I was so surprised. I left feeling very loved, and knowing I'll be very much missed. Well it gives me time to find some rocks. We're starting to learn our first new hula thing - Stones. They use them kind of like castanets. It's difficult and you run the risk of hitting yourself or your hula sisters with dropped stones, not to mention the floor.

So if I'm a bit slow getting stuff done, or finding time to visit, know that it's nothing personal, it's just that I don't have the energy to do everything I want to do right now - and the house and getting the yard fixed up in time for Oba take priority. The latest we heard, looks like the estimated arrival is tentatively set for July.

Speaking of Oba, I'll leave you with some of the new pictures we received recently! More gratuitous Oba pictures!

Just talked with the the owner of Oba's Mom, Baby Marci. You can see her ( here. ) She works at the breeders, and says that currently Oba is all about being held and hanging out with people. She's always hanging around the baby gate looking to see people - much more interesting than her litter mates, who are always there. I think we'll be seeing more of her after the holidays and as she starts to really get out and start doing stuff.

Puppy news aside; Xmas shopping (all but a few secret gifts) accomplished in one evening - I'm afraid there's a number of gift certificates in this year's pile, but we've been ridiculously pressed for time. But one more shopping stop for me, and we'll be done. *Whew* I just hope I can struggle with this cold long enough to get through the last two days of work and at least to the holidays if not through them. These two days off have saved us and our shopping, the tree may even get decorated! I'm really, really glad my boss wanted to ski with his kids!

And for those who mark it - Happy Solstice. I won't be staying up this year to bring in the dominion of North, but I'll be thinking about it all the same. Last year I posted a very sad and lonely piece about how the holidays bring me down (you can find it here if you are interested) and while I'm not that depressive this year, I find that I'm feeling very disconnected from my faith, as with just about everything this year. We've been buried in estate battles, moves and buying and remodeling our first house, and now trying to live in it. All the tools and trappings of my faith is in boxes, and the room set aside for worship is the last room that we'll be renovating. While I can't wait to finally have a room that is set for my faith from floors to ceiling (and dthon's in the closet he's all about secret nooks) and nothing else - it's odd to have not done any rituals since last year, and knowing I won't for some time to come. I'm really looking forward to looking outward instead of inward. All this self absorption is getting old.

We had hoped to do one big celebration per year for one of the Four God/desses in turn; starting this year. But couldn't find a place to rent out that would allow for the sort of things that are part and parcel of the celebration of North. Maybe we'll be able to find someplace for next midwinter since that's where I want to start. It's the easiest of the four to put into standard celebration terms, and bluntly the most fun. It also puts the hardest three years out - West just isn't one for parties.

So, with that in mind, if you know of a rental that will run to 1-2AM, allow alcohol, has more than one room, will let you decorate, have a DJ and has dance space, and is close to taxi's or hotels at the minimum....and if I can also have a fire bowl, (outside) that'd be even better. [And doesn't require a million dollar insurance policy.] I couldn't seem to find anyway to contact the people who own the property that OLOTEAS uses (The Longhouse) nor do I know that it would be adequate, or if they rent to non-organizations. It was the last property we found that we couldn't check. As far as I know am not close to anyone from OLOTEAS that I could ask. But being that I could be wrong: if one of you does know, let me know will you?

So happy holidays, whatever your flavor....I'm off to finish the last shopping bits.