Frustration

I hate QuickBooks Pro 2007. I have been fighting with it since last week. I have never called tech support so much on one product. In fact, Ardia and Beverly have even gotten to call. Grrrr...

First Beverly's computer needed an operating system upgrade. Fine, did that. Then I had to wrestle with her virus protection program. Got that fixed. Then her UPS software was being a problem. Fixed that.

Then the QB program has had some changes that won't let us create work orders and packing slips the way we need to. Tech support says "download this patch." I run around like Wee Willy Winky updating the 3 computers that run the program.

Still doesn't work.

Ardia's turn. She talks to tech support who tell her she needs to click this certain feature in preferences. She can't find the box in question. She calls me into her office. Why no, I can't find it either. It isn't a big screen, we aren't missing it. It isn't there! Tech support thinks we are retarded and refuses to believe us. We take a picture of the screen and e-mail it to this person. We never hear back from them.

Ardia calls back and speaks to someone else who says no, the other tech must have been thinking we had Premier (even though I heard Ardia specifically say no we didn't) and that feature isn't available in Pro. He tells us how to get around a save feature and do what we need to do. This is getting more complicated by the day.

Now we can use QB to ship things with UPS. We already have the account, we've just used the UPS software up to now. And of course this is making more fun than we really want. Sigh.

It is times like this that I miss just writing stuff out.

Not a Morning Person

Sometimes Garfield and I are on the same page.....

......but I was much better after my shower!

Curious

I ordered a medical bracelet since I'm on blood thinners. I figure it's important information if I fall apart and there is no one to tell the EMTs. My true motive is that if I have it I won't need it.

What I want to know is why the makers of this stainless steel beauty decided an eye glass cleaning cloth was the best possible "free gift with purchase" to go for. Personally I might have leaned toward a jewelry cloth or some such. But that's me.

Goodbye

Sad to say that Barbaro has been put to sleep today. The vet and owners agreed that there was no way he could continue on without an immense amount of pain.

For such a young animal he certainly touched a lot of people with his story.

Weekend in Review

A busier weekend than originally planned, but a good one. Friday I busied myself with grocery shopping and getting as much of Saturday night's dinner pre-made as possible. I gave Julie a quick call to see just how far I could prep things and discovered I could do everything but put the ziti in the oven, so I was a happy camper.

I got an unexpected call from Tom, which is always nice. His mother had called to invite him to dinner on Sunday because she was making a turkey and had plenty to go around. In the course of conversation he told her he was seeing me on Saturday and she opened the dinner invitation to me as well. So, did I want to have dinner with his family on Sunday and meet everyone?

Now, I'm old enough that meeting parents isn't a big deal, but was that where I wanted this relationship to go? And if so, were we at the "meet the family" point? I decided that yeah, I'd like to keep him around and we have been together for a while now so why not? It looked like I'd be spending most of the weekend with him, which isn't a bad thing at all.

Saturday was the long limp to the dumpster. Along the way I met another tenant who was having back trouble. We traded stories, wished each other luck and continued to hobble on our way. I did a little rearranging in my storage area then back to the apartment to get ready for company. Tom successfully navigated my directions and arrived a little after 2. It was a fun afternoon of watching movies and catching up. Dinner turned out great and I even sent him home with leftovers (thank you Julie!).

So that brings us to Sunday when I got to play the "what do I wear" game. He picked me up around 3, gave outfit approval (which he got a kick out of) and we were off to New Jersey. I met his parents, his sisters, his niece, his brother and his wife Liz (making me "New Liz") and their six week old little boy. It was quite the gathering, and they are a fun family. Poor Tom got a lot of ribbing, and I heard a lot of embarrassing stories from his childhood. He'd made the attempt to innoculate me the night before by telling me the stories I was likely to hear. He pretty much called them all. After a bit I gave up trying to defend things and just kept reaching over to scratch his arm. He didn't seem bothered by the stories, so all good.

After dinner he was whisked away to the living room to dance and play with his niece...okay, that was just adorable. He's a good uncle, not that I had any doubts about that. I stayed at the table and chatted with the ladies, cooed over the baby and enjoyed the show in the living room. We headed home around 9, with a light snow falling. It was a lovely dinner and good company. In fact, the whole weekend was good company.

Boys!

Okay, once again I have to say boys are silly creatures. I had a little fling with a guy from northern PA in August, we've been in touch off and on, but he wanted to have fun and I wanted something more serious so we lapsed into that friend space. After I was in the hospital the second time he seemed to fall of the face of the earth (e-mail gone, phone gone). He's a bit of a free spirit so I wasn't overly surprised, though I was slightly concerned because I knew he had had a court date in that time (never run from a state trooper, especially not on an ATV...that's just dumb). Well, turns out he lost his phone and the e-mail account got a virus. I know this because he tracked me down this week.

Like I said, he's a nice enough guy, a bit of a male whore but he's honest about it and is really just grabbing fun as he can. He's one of those guys who refuses to make plans, you know the type. So as you know my life has been going full speed so I'm out and about a lot and have grown to hate my cell because it is rarely someone I want to talk to-usually drs appointment reminders, lab results and the occasional whiny voice mail from the a-hole who I told off last week. Anyhow, my friend started calling again, filling me in on life, me filling him in on mine. All good. Then Thursday he sent a text, asking how I was. I was in a great mood so I wrote back "Kicking ass and taking names." His reply? "OK." End of conversation.

Friday he calls while I'm in the middle of something so I didn't answer. He didn't leave a message so I figured it wasn't important. I finish my running around, get the place ready for company and collapse into bed around 10. My phone starts buzzing. I roll over, it's a message from Connie, her car is fixed. Yea! Back to sleep. Buzzing again. I ignore it, it can wait. More buzzing...and more buzzing. So I groggily roll over to see that my friend has sent me the "I guess you must be pissed at me" message. Great. The other messages were from a sad little man I'd dated a year ago. He's figured out how to text from Yahoo. Great. No, I don't want to watch him play with himself on his web cam. Ug. I can ignore him, but I hate misunderstandings so I call my friend back.

He thought my Thursday text meant there was a problem, so I straightened that out and told him he should know me better than that. Then there was the "But you didn't call me back" comment which I countered with the "Well you didn't leave a message" argument. After all that we exchanged weekend plans, he made noises about coming out to visit and I told him I was busy. He's not too familiar with the concept of dating and not sleeping around so there was some conversation on the differences between us.

So there you have it, I'm dating a nice, sane, sweet guy and now the "bad boys" I've run around with in the past have decided to pop up. And get more persistant the less I pay attention to them. I find it funny that some guys only want what is not available. They are such silly creatures. One more and we'll cover all the guys I was interested in over the past year and a half.

Happy Things

This week has been quite nutty. What I didn't mention was that Monday's physical therapy was terrible. We tried some new things and now I know just which muscles are still very weak. It was the first time I got really discouraged about walking normally again.

I got home and had a lot to do so I threw myself into it, still feeling very down. Then in the middle of cleaning my kitchen floor I got a call from T (I'm going to go out on a limb and call him a boyfriend, though at 32 I feel rather silly using that word). It cheered me up, mostly because I had been thinking of calling to mope a little but decided against it because we really haven't gotten to that level of dating yet. Instead he asked me how I was, and how therapy went. He's great like that.

So after Monday was Tuesday, making dinner for friends, then Wednesday dropping Connie at the care rental place (her car could have it's own blog) and then meeting S for dinner. On the way home Wednesday T called my cell because he'd been trying to get in touch with me about weekend plans then got worried when it was 9 and I hadn't called...because I do have a history of breaking (he was the one who called as I was heading out the door to the emergency room the first time in December, I think he's got a legitimate reason to worry at times). We solidified our plans and then I fell into bed.

Thursday was a marathon. I had blood work in the morning then back to work, then I ran from work to PT. This was so much more positive than Monday. The strength in the extensor muscles of my legs is great now and I can even go up on my right toes a little. Very encouraging. The new exercised they wanted me to try turned out to be something I've been doing in yoga, so we had a laugh about that and my unwillingness to do "Downward Facing Dog" at the present moment. I am happy to report that I only have to go to PT once a week now.

From PT I bolted to Weight Watchers where I knew I wouldn't be crying over the weigh in because I hopped on the scale at the doctors. I am thrilled to report that I lost 8 lbs (thank you physical therapy and J) and that my WW buddy lost a nice amount as well. I also learned that my sneakers weigh 2 lbs. Who knew?

I had every intention of going to the grocery store afterwards, but I wiped out. There is only so much steam this chick has in a day, and I was well passed empty by 8 o'clock.

Today has been tweaking computer programs and playing "Why does the washing machine think it's a sprinkler." My life is odd, but entertaining.

So tonight is groceries and cleaning up the apartment since I'll have company tomorrow. Yes, I'm cooking for T and it's a new recipe...this could be another adventure.

Intimacy and Trust

They say sharing food is the most intimate thing you can do with someone. It goes back to early human evolution, and you can see it with animals as well. One person takes the time to find/kill/buy the food and perhaps prepare it and then is willing to share it with another who didn't contribute to the meal. You do it because you care about them and their existence, and because having them in your life is important to you. Plus, they are great company.

Last night I had the good fortune to make dinner for Connie, Monie and Will. Nothing fancy, just pasta, but the conversation and laughter made it truly special. Between telling stories, catching up and tormenting the cat I think we all enjoyed a nice, no frills relaxing evening. Just perfect.

I bet you thought this was going to be about sex, didn't you?

Easy Days

Sometimes you want to be busy, and sometimes you want to just putter around in your own space. And sometimes you strike a nice balance, and that was this weekend for me.

Monie was sweet and went to Petsmart with me on Friday, providing good company and muscle. What would I do without her? After feeding the Monie and picking up supplies for the critters we headed back to my place for cocoa and catching up on her Whistler adventures.

Saturday was mostly sleeping, not that it was the original plan. I slept in, then went over bills as I had breakfast. Not the best thing for digestion, but it needed to be done. Dan and Jill are borrowing my old car this week so I decided to see if she still runs, and if so to get her some gas. She did, so we were off to the gas station around the corner. I put the gas cap on the trunk like I always do, and then there was a really strong gust of wind...and the cap rolled off the trunk and across Rt. 309. I elected not to go after it. Now each time I drive by it taunts me.

After that little adventure I decided I was healed up enough from surgery to have a nice hot bath. It was just lovely. Once I wrinkled up and got out of the bath I laid down on the bed with Callie for just a moment...and woke up 4 hours later. There goes the day! I quickly got ready to head to Greg and Aly's and was out the door.

Jill and Dan were actually around and free on Saturday so they joined us for A Fish Called Wanda, though I admit we spent more time with Julia. She's getting close to being a little person instead of a baby, but she's still amazingly cute. And she's getting quite the impressive vocabulary.

Sunday had a nice quiet start, puttering around the apartment and getting ready for a lunch date. Nothing extravagant, just a late lunch followed by curling up on the couch to watch a movie, but it was just perfect, and just what I've been wanting to do for months. Sometimes the little things mean the most. The best part? I didn't have to ask, it's just how the day turned out. I don't need a mind reader, but it is nice to be on the same page now and again. It's been a very long time since I've run into someone who seems to have the same intrinsic sweetness and capacity for caring that my close friends do. A little like finding a diamond. I'm finding it quite fascinating.

Cruel Fate!

So I joined Weight Watchers last night, but let me tell you it isn't as easy as it sounds (the joining).

We went last Thursday, but the meeting venue we chose no longer has meetings and we were too late to find another one. We took it as a sign from God that my buddy was allowed to enjoy wedding cake that weekend. We resolved to try again this week.

Whose *#&@ idea was it to put a Weight Watchers between a bar and a BAKERY?!!!! That is just cosmically unfair. Not only do we have to be on our toes and follow the program, but now no matter which way we approach the meeting we have to run a calorie gauntlet! Not funny.

And to round it out, there's a shoe store 2 store fronts down. Oh yeah, just addictions-r-us going on in this shopping center. I'm waiting for Capt'n Crack Head's to open up where the video store is. It would round things out nicely.

Truer Words

I came across this today and found it quite funny. It is from an article a friend sent me about that first kiss...

"You must remember this, a kiss is just a kiss… hang on a minute. No it isn’t! Because when it comes to dating, a kiss can change everything. Sometimes it’s spine-tinglingly magical and sends shivers from your neck to your toes. And sometimes, well, it feels more like licking a wet fish. "

Things Left Out

Don't you hate it when you get caught up in Thai spices and then side tracked with a rant and forget to mention something rather nice? What I neglected to mention was that my movie and dinner on Saturday were actually a date. We've been seeing each other for a bit now and so far, aside from very geeky conversation, they have been neither boring or deserving of posting on "One Maiden's Tales". This may be a record.

But the reason for revisiting this is because of a very little thing that happened that meant a lot. When we got to the restaurant I walked around the car to get my crutch and he noticed I was walking better...and said as much. I looked at him and told him that if he gave me an arm when we got to the curb I could leave the crutch in the car. So that's what we did. And he seemed so happy that he could help me. Like I said, a very little thing, but supportive in every sense of the word. It was the sort of thing my friends have been doing, and it just touched me that here was someone who hasn't known me as long, but seems to share the same sweet spirit the other important people in my life do.

Pretty darned neat, if I do say so myself.

Walking Update

Well so far so good. My limp is a lot less noticeable and I can get around pretty well without the crutch...unless I encounter a curb, then I'm screwed if I don't have help. PT on Monday was really encouraging. My strength has improved enough that they are starting step work and increasing the resistance on other things. And yesterday I saw my orthopedist, the wonderful Dr. Star, for the last time! Unless I break again, of course. But he's guardedly optimistic that I'll get full strength back in my legs.

All in all, a great couple of days.

Ignorance

Yes it's time for another Monday Rant!

I have an acquaintance who has in the past gone head to head with me about his language. No, not cursing, but racial stereotypes and ugly names (the N-word mostly). He knows I won't put up with it, won't be silent about how ignorant I think it is, so what happened today really shouldn't come as a surprise to him, but somehow I bet it did. And yes, I got ugly right back...though this time I didn't call him a "cracker".

What happened? Well he IM'd me this morning with how to celebrate the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday: "Join the KKK, eat watermelon and fried chicken." Now a word about free speech.

We are guaranteed the right to free speech, and I in no way want to limit that. We have a right to express our opinions. While I feel "hate speech" is a bit of a different animal and should be eliminated, I think education, not legislation is the way to do that. But here we have a conundrum. What if the "hate speech" isn't actually the speakers opinion? What if he is just rattling off this ignorance in a poor attempt at humor? Should it still be protected, or is it like yelling "fire" in a crowded theater when there is no fire? As another friend pointed out, had this guy said this in Harlem chances are he wouldn't have been able to say anything else for quite a while. He would have taken the beating for words he didn't own. According to the antagonist of this story he doesn't truly believe what he's saying, he's just joking around. But back to our story...

So I wasn't particularly mature when I called him an ass for his comment. His reply? "Yeah, but you laughed." No, no I didn't. It wasn't funny and I don't put up with that crap. This is when he decided to be foolish. He asked why MLK got a holiday but John Lennon and Ronald Regan didn't.

Lennon fans are about to be insulted, just be prepared.

I told him Lennon was a musician, whoopee. And Regan gave us trickle down economics, which worked out so well. I didn't see the need for a day. Besides, if we are giving holidays for assassinations Regan didn't die from his wound.

His come back was that "all MLK did as get shot and now we have welfare... and you're paying for it." Then he signed off. This was the wrong move.

There is a very short list of things that really set me off. Bigotry is at the top of it. I think too many people just cluck their tongues and shake their heads when someone spouts this ugliness. Sure, they think it's wrong but they don't say anything. Why not? Free speech gives them a right to voice their opinions as well. And silent disapproval is encouragement in a way. Various sources can tell people from on high that we are all equal and bigotry is wrong...blah blah blah. But when young eyes see it go uncorrected by people who are right in front of them, people they respect, well that sends a message. So when I say education, I mean more than just school and church. Everyone who thinks this bigotry is wrong has a right to say as much when confronted with it. And that would be an excellent example, don't you think? After all, if hate is learned in the home, can't tolerance be?

So that is why I can't and won't listen to comments like this guy's silently. Why I will always say that it isn't okay, it isn't funny. And since he really managed to piss me off I sent him an e-mail:

I say again...You are an ass.

And seeing as you may someday need to be on the welfare rolls I'd think you wouldn't be so snotty about it. And yes, I do pay into welfare, because I have a job. A job which pays my rent, my car upkeep, contributes to social security, pays my health benefits and all the other things I need and enjoy.

You know how I feel about racial comments like that, so you shouldn't be surprised at my reaction. They aren't funny, you aren't witty and I have no time for it.

Just to clarify, he is 32, has no car, no job and lives illegally with his parents in a retirement home. For anyone who thinks my comments were a low blow, maybe they were, but I think sometimes a reality check is necessary. I doubt I'll hear from him again, and if I do I seriously doubt I'll read it.

Happy MLK Day.

Adventure

Okay, so it was a culinary adventure, but I still think that counts.

Saturday I saw "Night at the Museum" and I have to say it was great. I definitely recommend it and it's worth seeing on the big screen. I kept thinking the plot was going to go a certain way and become annoying, but it never did. And the fight scenes are mind blowing (at least for me).

After the movie we headed for my favorite little Thai place in Blue Bell and I finally got up the courage to try the dish that's been intriguing me for almost 2 years: Evil Jungle Princess. While I wasn't brave enough to try the 3 pepper version, I did make it through the 2 pepper version. It was quite good, and I'm glad I tried it though I doubt I'll be having it again. A lot of veggies I'm not fond of were involved, which just seems like a waste to me.

Probably not what most would consider and adventure, but seeing as I'm still working on the walking thing what did you expect, sky diving?

Hee Hee

My Dove Chocolate words of wisdom for the day:

"Be mischievous. It feels Good"

Perspective

I spent last night with friends I used to work with. It became an evening of "You could have died if..." I'm not fond of those conversations. I know I almost died. I also know one of these days I'll stop making jokes about it and I'll cry. Just haven't gotten there yet. What I have gotten is a better perspective...I think.

Lots of people say "life's short" after being sick. I did it for a while. I guess it kind of is short, if you look at it in context with all of history. But I've always seen the years stretching before me, and I plan to have at least 30 more birthdays. This doesn't seem so short to me. Lot's of opportunities to do good, to mess up, to tell people you love them, to laugh, to cry, to take chances and to embarrass yourself. I think the important thing is to actually do those things.

Why sit on the couch? If you're sad cry. Get it out, and then get out. Call a friend, take a walk, do something. If you're happy share it! Spread the smile. And if you love someone, tell them. I'm not saying to pledge your undying devotion to that guy you've bumped into at the grocery store once or twice (that would be really creepy), but tell the people you care about that you appreciate them. And there is no reason not to ask that grocery store guy out for coffee...just don't make wedding plans. The worst he can say is no. No one has died from embarrassment and you don't have to wonder "what if".

A Mother's Love

A few years ago my mother called me out of the blue, and once she was certain it was me on the phone demanded to know if I was having unprotected sex. "Not right now," was my smart-ass reply. She just needed to know I was being safe, even though she knows she didn't raise an idiot.

Flash forward to my latest hospital stay. Since they decided that birth control had a lot to do with causing the clot I'm no longer taking it. Cue Mom:

"Don't have unprotected sex!" Yes, I'm still in the hospital for this conversation.
"Mom, I'm black and blue from my knees to my neck. Being naked isn't a priority right now."
"Still, be careful"
"I just had back surgery! I don't think sex is really in the cards for a while."
"But when it is..."
"I can't shave my legs for 6 months! Isn't that birth control enough for you!"
"There are weird men out there..."
"Sigh. Yes mother, I will not have unprotected sex. I promise." In hind sight, I should have just said this first.

I love my mom. I love that she worries about me. And I love that I can tease her about it. But I always listen.

Things that make you go "Hey!"

I had physical therapy last night, my first session. We are pretty confident that I will be walking without a laugh track soon. This makes me very happy as I am tired of being daunted by curbs, and don't get me started on stairs!

I learned a few things:

1) The extensor muscles in my right upper leg are REALLY weak.
2) I can't stand on the ball of my right foot, which helps explain the "spaghetti ankle" issues I've been having. Putting on my shoe is like getting a dress on a cat!
3) There is an after-market for used balloons, it's called Theribands.

So I now have exercises to do every night, and I go for PT twice a week. Life is getting busy.

Morning Musings

Happiness is warm flannel sheets....

...Sadness is having to get out of them.

Vampires

You know you are getting tired of having blood taken when you barter with your doctor about how much you really need to have blood taken on a particular day. My argument was that I'm running out of veins, it's disrupting my work schedule (which I know shouldn't be a priority over health, but stress does factor in there) and since my INR is high I just have to make sure I don't hurt myself, as opposed to it being low and having to fear another clot.

What is INR you ask? I really don't know. It has something to do with the level of coumadin in my system.

In happier news, Monie and I saw Happy Feet yesterday. It was good, not quite as good as I expected, but good. It reminded me a lot of Rudolph, but not so much to bug me. Monie was a spectacular date as always, even after I body blocked her with my crutch (a girl has to pay for movie tickets every now and again). I have to admit, that was funny. No injuries though.

It seems like life is getting back to its weird side of normal finally.

Holiday Excitement

So I had as close to a near death experience as I care to have just before Christmas. A blood clot traveled up my leg, through my heart and then lodged in my lungs where it did it's best to stop my breathing. Thanks to friends with good ears and a lot of medical help, I'm okay. But I'm looking for a home for my fishing pole, now that I know what a fish out of water must feel like.

I will spend the next 6 months being poked for blood tests and wondering where the latest bruise came from, though that last isn't really new. I'm on blood thinners which other than making me a little tired and curtailing any thoughts of binging on spinach I might have really don't slow me down much. At least my hemotologist is cute.

The quest for walking like a normal person continues. Hopefully I will be able to walk with out Don giggling after me by March. It is good to set goals.

Yesterday I was spunky and did laundry (thank you to the kind neighbor who brought it upstairs for me) and managed to clean the apartment a bit. Tonight is grocery shopping and actually cooking. I'm sick of frozen food. I have a new tomato gravy recipe I have been dying to try.

And that is the band-aid report. May the rest of the year be about silly things.