Baby Steps

When the phone rings, I glance at the clock. 3:26 AM.

First, annoyance, as I struggle out of sleep. Then fear. Good phone calls don't come in the middle of the night.

"Mom, it's me."
"Stacy? Where are you?"
"I'm in the ER. I was a passenger in a car and someone broadsided us."

Dread. Worry. I almost don't want to know the answer to the next question.

"Are you all right?"
"I'll be OK, but my chest hurts. I think I broke a rib, and I can't move my leg."

Concern. Unease. Apprehension.

"I'll be right there. What hospital are you in?"
"Well, you can't leave home because you have Ava."

Confusion. Maybe I'm still not awake.

"What do you mean? Isn't Tara here?"
"No, she's with me."

Things aren't making sense.

"Why? Did you already call her?"
"No. Mom...Tara was the driver."

My heart lurches.

"Is she OK?" I think I scream, but my voice sounds normal.
"Yeah, I think so. She hurt her arm and she's bleeding from the glass, but I think she's OK."

Relief.

"They're taking me for a CAT scan. I'll call you back."

Worry. Frustration.

I finally reach one of the doctors in the ER. Things are worse than Stacy led me to believe. She has a collapsed lung, 3 broken ribs, a broken leg, a concussion, maybe a cracked pelvis. They're still evaluating her injuries.

Shock. Panic. Heartache.

I get someone to watch the baby so I can be with Stacy. I just want to see her, touch her, hold her.

I want to make it all better. I want this to be a boo-boo I can kiss away.

Helplessness. Sorrow. Concern.

I spend the day in the ER going from one bed to the other, while the doctors debate whether Stacy should be in intensive care. They decide that she can go to a regular room if they put her close to the nurse's station so that her chest tube can be monitored. Tara can go home.

Now comes a wave of anger. At the world, at God, at Tara.

It's all I can do not to yell at Tara while driving her home, but I know that she feels worse than I could ever make her feel. I just want to know how she could have been so careless.

Stress. Distress. Anxiety.

My mind is still trying to wrap itself around all of this. I suppose it could have been far worse, and I tell myself I should be thankful that both girls are alive. I am, I truly am.

So now we go forward. We can only take this road one step at a time.

Baby steps.

web-surfing

Sometimes I don't know how I end up at these websites, but....

This is kind of funny, whether you smoke or not. Japanese advertisements about smoking manners. Click on the small images to read the signs.

I'm pretty sure this one is a joke. (I hope) What could someone have been thinking when they created this site?

Cat

Some surprise!

Both of my parents turn 75 this September, and they've been hinting around about wanting a "surprise" birthday party. So, for the past month or so, we've been arranging one and things were going quite smoothly.

Until this weekend. I guess my parents got tired of waiting to see if we were throwing a party, so they decided to throw their own, and started inviting all of us. (there are 10 of us kids, plus spouses and our grown kids, and a few close friends, so it's not a small party)

Finally, I had to tell them that there was already a party planned. After they'd already spoken to 8 kids and nobody else said a word. One of us had to say something, we couldn't just go on and let them plan another party. A restaurant had been booked and some of the kids already had their plane tickets.

Well, of course, control freaks that they are, they wanted to see the place we'd booked. I took them over there Saturday night and they really liked it, thank goodness! And they had to approve the guest list. Ditto on that, they liked it.

It's actually kind of a relief now that they know, because it would have been really hard trying to keep this whole thing a surprise. We can still pull a few surprises out of the hat at the party itself.

So now do we call it an unsurprise party?

Cat

New hours

I finally found out what my new work schedule. I had asked for third shift, so I think what I ended up with is pretty good.

9:00 PM to 7:30 AM, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday nights. So I leave work at 7:30 AM on Tuesday morning, and I don't return until Friday at 9:00 PM. And I receive a 15% differential, as well. I'm happy with it. Tara isn't very happy, because she'll be losing her weekend babysitter. Oh, well, that's life. I should start the new hours in about 3-4 weeks.


Another news clip here. I'm becoming quite the "news hound". I heard this one on the Early Today show on MSNBC.

A 7-month old baby was injured when a building collapsed while it was being demolished. The cause of the collapse is under investigation.

Now, I'm no rocket scientist, but do you think the fact that it was being demolished might have had anything to do with it collapsing? (the baby is fine, by the way)

Cat

More wierd news

The news stories keep getting stranger and stranger.

I can't imagine what kind of brains this bank teller must have, or what she could possibly have been thinking, to give a robber money through the tube at the drive-up window! What would he have done if she said no, sent her a gun and asked her to shoot herself? ;-))

Cat

I love my job

I love my job.

I love my job.

I LOVE my job.

I lovvvve my job.

I love my job.

I love my job!!!!

I love my job.

I love my job.

you get the idea.....what a day.

I love my job.

Cat

And in the news...

This story is so wierd that I just had to share it....1500 sheep attempting to committ mass suicide in Turkey. I wonder what would make them do that?

Gives real meaning to the phrase "following like sheep", eh?

Cat

Hurricanes

With Hurricane Dennis looming out there, even though predictions are now that it will miss the east coast of South Florida, hurricanes are in the news and on my mind. So I thought I'd just jot down some random thoughts.

I never used to be afraid of hurricanes, and we used to laugh at the weatherman's dire predictions (which never came true), since we hadn't had a direct hit in South Florida for so long. Since I've lived here, in fact, except for Andrew. And even Hurricane Andrew, with all the destruction it wrought, appeared to be a fluke that wouldn't repeat itself. But last year seemed to change the status quo, with four of them hitting us straight on. Now, as soon as the news starts putting us in the "cone of terror", I begin wishing I'd never moved to Florida. So, in other words, yes, I get "skeered".

And the newscasters are no help. You'd think they'd be trying to calm people down. Instead they whip everybody into a frenzy with their predictions of doom and disaster ahead. Makes for good news, I guess.

I always feel a bit of guilt when I'm wishing for the hurricane not to hit us, because by default I guess that would mean I'm wishing it would hit someone else. Unless it just goes back out into the ocean, or weakens into only a rainstorm. By the time I start wishing it would miss us, though, those two options are pretty much out of the question.

Like defiant teenagers, these sons and daughters of Mother Nature dance across the water, teasing and threatening, changing their temperment on a whim, first veering one way and then another, while they decide where to unleash their fury.

You'd think I would at least be prepared, since they've been telling us since April to get ready. Not this procastinator. I bought a flashlight. That's the extent of my hurricane preparation. I'll be on line at the store right before the next hurricane, fighting to buy the only remaining supplies, along with all the other people like me, who waited like idiots until the very last minute.

An interesting site (if you're into weather stuff) run by weather hobbyists, with hurricane blogs and forums is here.

The last straw

I've finally had it with the place where I get my oil changed. I've been going to the same place for years. A local Jiffy Lube. Why? I don't know.

It's one of those places where they're supposed to do a check-up, top off all your fluids, clean your windows, etc.

There have been many times when they didn't do the windows or vacuum. And times when if they did vacuum, they just worked around whatever was on the floor instead of moving it. Several times they didn't top-off my windshield cleaning fluid, and I had to ask them to do it. They have never put air in my tires.

They are too interested in trying to sell me everything under the sun. Every time I go there, they give me the spiel about how my dirty air filter is going to ruin the car's engine, even at times when I know I've changed it too recently to need replacing already. And their prices for any little thing are outrageous! The air filter, for instance, would cost $40 if I allow them to replace it. Come on, it's a $15 item, and it takes less than 5 seconds to drop it in there. That would work out to $9000 per hour for labor!!! Other simple items are just as expensive. And the staff is always surly, besides.

But, since I am such a creature of habit, I continued to go there.

Until now, that is.

I started having trouble with my transmission slipping last weekend. My brother looked at it, and it turns out that I was extremely low on transmission fluid. I admit, I should be checking it myself occasionally, but that is what I pay Jiffy Lube to do! I had my oil changed only 4 weeks ago, and they should have topped off my tranny fluid, or at the very least, told me that it was low. It's supposed to be one of the services that they claim is included in their "signature service". And I could not have lost a quart and a half of fluid in 4 weeks.

So finally, I'm going to do what I should have done a long time ago, and find another place to get my oil changed. A place that does what they promise.

Cat

My holiday

I enjoyed my Fourth of July holiday. I had Ava (my 10 month old nieta) for the day, and we went to my brother's house. His whole neighborhood gets together and has a shindig.

Ava was scared of the noise in the beginning. When my brother threw down the first few firecrackers she cried, but then she started liking to watch the bottle rockets. She enjoyed looking at the other kids playing with their sparklers. And she especially loved it when the real fireworks started. Her head was turning every which way so as not to miss a thing, because we could see fireworks shows in all directions.

So, that was my day. How was yours?

Cat

Flight Plans

Finalized my flight plans for my September trip to Buenavista (Mexico). YAY!

It was funny because my sister is coming with me for part of the time, but due to price constraints, she is taking a different flight than I am. So, she was breaking the news to me that although my flight leaves Miami at 6:30, her flight would not be leaving until 7:30. I tell her, that's OK, I can wait at the airport in Mexico City for you. And she says, "no you can't, because I get there two hours before you do"!

The wonders of modern travel. She snagged a direct flight, lucky her. I guess she'll be meeting me at arrivals in Mexico City. Hopefully she'll have no trouble finding my gate....I wonder if we need a back-up plan?

Nah, we're both experienced travellers, it'll work out.

Cat

Beach Shot

Here is a link (click here) to a webcam picture of the beach closest to my house, it's the one I go to on the rare occasions that I visit the beach. I never even knew there was a webcam there! I've probably been on it, because I always sit right there, downstairs from the pavillion, since you can walk underneath it into the shade if it gets too hot in the sun.

Now when I'm meeting friends at the beach, I can check to see if they're there yet before I leave my house. How's that for cool?

So maybe someday if you're browsing and check the webcam, I could be in the pic. I'll wave next time I'm at the beach. ;-)

Cat