When life hits...
Lately, I've often said I feel like I have it coming at me from all directions. And really I do.
I got new bosses at both jobs and both have their -- how do I say this politely? -- challenges. I barely get any hours at Toys R Us now, which would be good if I didn't have a car payment that I have to pay every month. Of course, that's my own fault for buying my new car.
So, I have a lot of work challenges lately to say the least. (That is, if you consider sitting at your desk and crying a "challenge.")
But, really, honestly, I think most of my funk is because of this stupid accident. I am finally to the point where I don't have a lot of pain, so that's good. However, my teeth aren't fixed, and my insurance company still wants their money back. The bar owner seems hesitant to give it to them. So, today I e-mailed an attorney. I think it's all ridiculous, but I really have no choice. Much like half the things in my life, I'm up against a wall on this.
Personally, life is still good. Chris still needs to get a job, but he will eventually. I'd like for him to get a really good one, so I wouldn't have to worry so much about the inevitible hammer dropping around here.
I know everything will work out. It always does. I just have to get through the rough patches, and there seem to be an awful lot of them lately.
Coincidence?
I just read an article that the reindeer and caribou populations are plunging. This article, which is at livescience.com, blames global warming and industrial development.
That's interesting, because my Republican friends told me that global warming was something that crazy, old Al Gore made up in his brain when he was inventing the Internets.
So, surely it can't be real, right? And it can't be damaging the habitats of animals living in northern climates.
And, of course, this decline in these woodland creatures could have nothing to do with the fact that Sarah Palin not only has a helicopter, but also promotes killing woodland creatures from helicopters.
I'm not pointing my finger, I'm just saying when we have a VP candidate who thinks it's humane and necessary to hunt wildlife from a helicopter, we're bound to have some unpleasant population issues and a blatant disregard for animal rights.
Of course, with the Republicans, it's often more than just animal's rights we need to worry about.
One more game
I just got this in my e-mail...
A TRUE DETROIT HOCKEY FAN
It's Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, and a man makes his way to his seat right at center ice. He sits down, noticing that the seat next to him is empty. He leans overand asks his neighbor if someone will be sitting there."No," says the neighbor, "The seat is empty."
"This is incredible", said the man. "Who in their right mind would have a seat like this for the final game of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and not use it?"
The neighbor says,"Well, actually, the seat belongs to me. I was supposed to come with my wife, but she passed away. This is the First Stanley Cup we haven't been together since we got married in 1967."
"Oh . I'm sorry to hear that. That's terrible. But couldn't you find someone else, a friend or a relative, or even a neighbor to take the seat?"
The man shakes his head. "No. They're all at the funeral."
Writer's block
I get e-mails from Writer's Digest magazine because I am trying to become a legitimate writer, slowly but surely. And today I don't feel like a writer, because I have a massive case of writer's block.
They say the best way to get over writer's block is to just start writing. I have a cube-shaped book that Toma gave me called "The Writer's Block." This book is a whole bunch of writing prompts to get you inspired and back to writing.
My Writer's Digest e-mails have writing prompts, too. And since I can't figure out anything to say about the Youth Fellowship Group's visit to one of our nursing homes, I'm going to use the prompt and see what comes from that. Already, I am feeling my creative juices start to flow. I'll be writing about the winner of the nursing home beauty pageant in no time!
Writing prompt: If you could spend your birthday doing anything you wanted, what would it be and why? (Please limit your response to 500 words or fewer.)
I wake up to the sounds of roosters and the vision of the sun rising over Cruz Bay. I’m not sure who made the coffee, but I can smell it. Mmm…Kiss of the Jumbie, my favorite flavor from St. John Spice.
I head into the kitchen and grab a mug left by a tourist from many trips ago. I grab my daily fix of joe and head out to the deck to watch the ships cruise by.
This is my morning ritual on St. John, the closest place to heaven that I have ever been.
As I sit in the Caribbean sun, it is tempting to ponder the answers to all of life’s questions. However, that would be too much work in this lazy island haven. So instead, I decide what beach I will go to and where I will pick up my lunch.
Since it’s my birthday, we will go to Cinnamon Bay, which is my favorite beach on St. John even though I have to schlep all my beach gear through the campground. As for lunch, I make the executive decision that we will pack our lunch in the cooler and then stop for happy hour on our way back to our villa.
Someone will need to go to Baked in the Sun to get my birthday cake. And they’d better hope they ordered chocolate. The mango filling is always tasty. It sounds odd, mango and chocolate, but it’s absolutely delicious. But then again, everything’s delicious with an amazing view.
We journey through town to the beach, and, as always, I have about three heart attacks on North Shore Road as we make our way to Cinnamon. I always think I’ll get used to the driving, but when it’s only one week a year, you always seem to forget what it’s like to go around a blind curve, on a hill, with a water-hauling truck coming at you. At least he remembered to beep his horn this time to warn us.
The beautiful blue waters of Cinnamon Bay are calling as we trudge through the campground toward the beach. The thought briefly enters my mind that it’d be fun to stay here sometime, but then I remember the lovely villa with its infinity-edged pool that’s waiting for me. We take our lawn chairs, beach bags, coolers and pool noodles and set up shop for the day. I pour a glass of some sort of fruity rum concoction, grab my chick-lit novel and turn on my iPod.
Yes, this is as close to heaven as we get on earth.
After a day of floating in the ocean and napping on the beach, we stop by Cruz Bay for happy hour. Its off to The Beach Bar for a bushwacker.
It’s amazing how a chocolatey, rummy treat, shared with your dearest friends in paradise, can make you forget you’re another year older.
No, seriously.
So, I wake up in the middle of the night with excruciating eye pain. It was so painful that I willingly put on my eye patch. I wanted to call in at work, but it's pretty lame to call in on the first day back from vacation. So, I kept my eye patch on and headed off to work, where I have sat in the office and went through weeks of newspaper clippings for various things. It doesn't involve looking at the computer, although I seem to be doing better.
I left work to go to the eye doctor, hoping she would give me some eye drops to numb my eye. And besides, I didn't really understand why my allergies would bother just one eye.
Well, they wouldn't. It's not my allergies bothering me; it's some sort of infection. And if it's not improving by Thursday, then I'm going to a specialist.
Of course, if it's not improving by Thursday, the pain could possibly do me in. I'm sure I'll be better once I start my antibiotics. It already feels better, but I have been eating advil like candy and wearing a very sexy eye patch all day.
I think the worst part is that the new contacts I put in on vacation get to be thrown in the trash because they are contaminated. That sucks.
