(5 of) 10 Good (?) Reasons …

… For Disappearing from Cyberspace

WTF?! I simply cannot believe it’s already New Years Eve. I mean seriously … where has all the time gone? It seems literally like yesterday that I was finishing up on the November Nablopomo. But here it is, 31 days later and I’m still scrambling to deal with last minute end-of-the-year things.

Anyway, now that I’ve managed to have a slight breather in between holidays, I thought I might catch y’all up with what I’ve been up to. What, frankly … has made this past month go by in a blur. And what has prevented me from being able to sit down long enough to read and respond to my other bloggie friends’ blogs.

Except, that there’s so much that I didn’t get to blog about over the past month that I need to break it down into two parts. So without further ado … here’s part of “The List.”

1. Lost and subsequently found our Kozzy-girl.

As you guys have probably been wondering … (thanks for your wonderful thoughts and prayers, BTW) the Sts. Francis and Anthony came through yesterday afternoon. I would have posted sooner, but as it was … my mind was already on the fritz.

Like my poster?
Like my poster?

After I posted yesterday, I ended up heading to the local office supply store and printing up a bunch of flyers made from my handy dandy lappie. And then I started handing them out to anyone I saw on the drive back to my house (all while randomly calling Kozzy’s name out to see if perhaps she’d respond). Well, so my next step was to go down our street to each of our neighbors and pass out the flyers. I got no further than four doors down when our neighbor told me that two women came down the street about an hour ago (probably when I was out making the d*mn flyers!) with a dog that look just like my picture asking him if he recognized this dog. He also said that they were planning on taking her to the local animal shelter if they couldn’t find the owner. So … after thanking our neighbor profusely, I set out to call our city animal shelter only to be told that there was no such dog matching her description there. However, the person I talked to told me to drop off a picture of her and she’d keep an eye out for my Kozzy. I had already planned on making the rounds of all the local shelters (including theirs), so there wasn’t more I could do until then.

Not more than an hour later, I get a phone call. From our city animal shelter. Apparently Kozzy WAS there earlier, but since they had just stepped in the door when I called earlier … they weren’t aware that this was the dog I was inquiring about. So I rushed over there and picked up our sweetie-girl. Who acted as if absolutely nothing had gone on. I told you she wasn’t the smartest dog. But … we love her to bits.

2. Got fingerprinted at local police office.

No … I did not get arrested and booked for breaking the law. Even though I know some people that may wish to see me locked up … the real reason my fingertips got slathered with black ink was so that I could officially submit my application for an RN license in another state. Oh yay! Now I can be added to a national database so that perhaps Gris.som on CSI can rule me out as a suspect on a homicide case.

3. Made an effort to exterminate a “rodent” problem.

Somehow methinks this statement might indicate that we have … ahem … unwanted “guests” in our house. Nope. That’s not the case. Actually, the particular “rodent” I’m talking about is myself. As in Emily, the Pack Rat. Let’s just say that between the two of us, Hubby and I have filled up eight extra-large garbage bags of stuff to donate to the local Sal. Army … and that’s just the beginning! I’m hoping by the time I’m finished, I’d have cleaned out at least 12 years of junk collected since moving into our house.

Sample Bit from our Lego Poster
Sample Bit from our Lego Poster

4. Became an Assistant Lego Designer.

Pretty funny, considering the recent post I had about Hubby’s cousin loving his Legos. But no … the “Head Lego Designer” in this situation was Hubby. He was asked by his local Ad Club to design a poster for their upcoming Addy Awards and his idea was to create one made up completely of Lego pieces. It took us a few evenings in a row (not to mention multiple boxes of Legos), but we ended up completing one design. I think we could have come up with more designs, but we were limited in time AND in Lego pieces. Maybe we should have asked Hubby’s 8-year old cousin to help us out?

5. Remembered why I became a “skirt nurse.”

In the midst of Hubby & I working on this Lego poster, Hubby got sick. With the Flu. But not just the fever-and-chills kinda flu. We’re talking the stomach flu. The kind of flu that requires a bucket or bowl at the side of the bed. The same one that usually requires another person getting a cool washcloth for the sick person in question. And the one where the non-sick person ends up being the one to empty said bowl-slash-bucket in the kitchen sink. (Okay, let me clarify that. This typically only happens when the sick person is either a husband or a child … and rarely when the sick person is the wife or mom.)

In any case … being the “non-sick” person in this scenario reminds me of one of the things I absolutely hated about being a staff nurse on a hospital unit. Not that I didn’t enjoy taking care of the sick … but if there was one thing I hated more than any other nursing task, it would be cleaning up after someone has “tossed their cookies.” Weird, considering I can deal with (and rather enjoy seeing) “ickier” things. Like open gaping gut wounds. Why something as “natural” as any one person puking reaffirms my need to no longer “work the floors” is definitely beyond me.

And the kicker? Let’s just say that three days later, the bug decided to hit me, too. And just like I hate dealing with someone else’s upchuck … I hate dealing with my own. Because I hate being nauseated. ‘Nuff said.

So that’s the end of Part One. Stay tuned for Part Two … which should hopefully be out tomorrow. Maybe.

If not … here’s to wishing every single one of you a Happy New Years!!

If Imelda …

An actual pair from Imelda's Collection
An actual pair from Imelda's Collection

Marcos could, I wonder if she’d try to cast one of her 1,060 shoes in the same direction.

I babble, I know. But if you wanna get a nice little chuckle today, click on this link.

My personal favorite is the Dodgeball one.

My Hubby, My Hiro

Not to be completely cheesy here, but I’ve always believed that my Hubby is my own personal, honest-to-G*d hero. I’m sure part of it is because I met my Hubby during my sophomore year in high school and were friends first before starting to date the summer before starting college. And I’m not saying these things to put him high up on a pedestal. Simply put … he is my best friend and because of that, I place all my trust in him.

One of Hubby & My Favorite Telly Shows
One of Hubby & My Favorite Telly Shows

That song … the one by Enrique Iglesias … came out just before my laparotomy. This was the big surgery where I’d get my bikini c-section scar without the baby to show for it. The surgery to do some major clearing out of the endometriosis that was thought to be the reason I couldn’t get pregnant. (Little did I know then that it was also a combination of my “tricked out” hormones thanks to PCOS. Oh, how hindsight is always 20/20 … grrr.) And even though I had two previous laparascopies beforehand, the thought of this surgery somehow scared the living daylights out of me.

But it was that song, “Hero” that seemed to pacify my nerves. Perhaps it was because that particular song came on during one of the many tearful moments spent prior to the surgery. When Hubby held my hand while wiping my tears off my cheek with his other hand. All while Enrique would sing about kissing away my pain. And standing by me forever. So yes, to this day every time I hear that chorus, I think of that particular moment.

Okay … so really, this wasn’t supposed to be all serious here. What I was actually getting at was how Hubby & I have loved watching the TV show “Heroes.” When we first saw previews of the series two years prior, we both knew this was a show we wanted to watch. I mean, really … we’re talking about two people that have traveled as far as San Diego for Hubby’s love of comics! So to have a TV show based on poeple with “special powers”? Yeah, totally up our alley.

"Heroes" character, Hiro Nakamura
“Heroes” character, Hiro Nakamura

For those of you that have never seen the series, one of the major characters is an Asian with the power to “bend” time. Of all things, his name is “Hiro,” which is pronounces just like the word “hero.”

While Hiro’s power is cool, the thing that has made him our favorite character is who he is as a person. In the beginning, Hiro is this typical Japanese character who works in a boring office setting feeling as if he’s destined for greater things. When he learns about his power, he immediately relates it to his best friend, Ando as having special abilities just like in one of his favorite comic book series, X-Men. Among a series of events, Hiro and Ando find out that their “lives” are being depicted in a comic book written by another person with special powers. By reading this comic , he comes to the conclusion that it is destiny to use his powers for good. And throughout the past two seasons, Hiro and Ando have managed to get into difficult situations but have always managed to come out of the scrapes together.

My Hubby, My Hiro
My Hubby, My Hiro … Like the Spidey tee he’s wearing?

So, I’m sure you’ve probably figured out why I’m giving you this whole schpiel. First, the “Hero” song. Then the TV show “Heroes.” And finally the Asian character on the same show, “Hiro.”

Obviously, this all relates back to Hubby and how he is literally my Hiro. Let’s just say that not only are there character similarities between Hiro and Hubby. Well … see for yourself. Don’t you think Hubby could kinda pass for Hiro too?

Seriously though. Seeing Hiro’s character reminds me of some of the reasons I love Hubby. The Asian thing. The sense of responsibility to do what’s right. Even the whole comic book lover thing. (Yes, I’m serious!) But what gets me the most is the like Hiro, Hubby has this incredible loyalty to those he cares for the most. And that despite everything that we’ve been through together , he has managed to stand by me forever. And every day, he continues to take my breath away.

Labs and Legos

Spidey
To.bey as Spidey in the 1st movie

What part of me thought that having my cholesterol levels checked a week after Thanksgiving was a good idea?! Oh, that’s right … I wasn’t thinking, that’s why!

Yes, this morning I get to go to El Doc’s office to have my blood drawn. And it’s supposed to see how I did after three months of being on a cholesterol-lowering drug. And if I did well with my low fat diet.

Uhm … methinks that I may have failed this test again. What can I say?! It’s been a stressful three months? Well, at least November turned out to be a good stressful month.

Okay quit making excuses, Em. I should just fess up and say that I totally suck at taking care of myself. Others? Sure, I can take care of them. After all, I’m a frickin’ Registered Nut — oh, I mean Nurse. But like many of my other health care professionals, I have this tendency to worry about others’ well-being rather than myself. After all, isn’t that the reason why I got into my G*d-awful state of depression in the first place? Thinking that my feelings of self-worth and health as it related to my infertility was nothing compared to others’ issues?

But once again, I digress. Perhaps this next year, with all the changes in store, will be a better year. And I can start focusing on myself again.

Which, by the way … I have officially cleared my background check (Yay! I’m not a criminal!) and can now officially announce to my current employer that I’m leaving as of the end of this month.

Doesn't he look like a young To.bey?
Doesn't he look like a young To.bey?

Anyhoo … really, what I was going to post about was my Hubby’s 8-year old cousin. Who, as he grows older, reminds me more and more of a school-aged To.bey Ma.guire in Sp.iderm.an (the first one, that is).

We saw this particular cousin on Thanksgiving, along with his older brother (who is 12 and is such a good kid ). He was one of those kids that decided to snuggle up next to me while watching a movie that night. And afterwards as we played Rock.band, I would listen to him tell me about stories at school. How his favorite subjects were science and math.

Holy crap, I thought, at that age my favorite subject was art and recess!! This kid, who has always loved to talk about hurricanes and tornadoes and other “natural disasters,” is going to be one heck of a smarty pants. Seriously. As if he’s not one precocious smarty pants now. At eight.

So that prompted me to ask him what he wanted to be when he grew up. “Uhm,” he said, as he cocked his chin up at an angle and propped his index finger on his cheek. “I wanna be a scientist.” Which I could totally see him being a meteorologist one day. Or a researcher in some university lab.

And then he added, “Or a Le.go designer.”

“A Le.go designer?,” I asked, kinda chuckling under my breath. “Why is that?!”

“Well,” he answered. “I’m really good at designing things with Le.gos and I have some reaally cool ideas!”

L = E+G+O
L = E+G+O

So there you have it. My Hubby’s cousin is a future Le.go designer. Or engineer. Or architect. Either way … he’s gonna be something special.

As if that wasn’t funny enough, that weekend while we were in suburbs of Chicago we happened to pass by one of the local shopping centers. And what do we see?! Uh-hmm. A Le.goLand store. So we just had to stop in to check it out. And right as you enter the store, there’s this massive face of none other than Albert Einstein, made completely of Le.gos.

Somehow, I think this could have been one of those ideas that Hubby’s cousin would think of, if he was already working for Le.go.

A Quickie

nablo1108accomplishment120x240No … not that kind. And not the “Afternoon Delight” kind either.

Nope … just wanted to post a quick one to say … Woo-frickin’-hoo!!! I finished 30 posts in 30 days!

Okay. So really, I wrote a post a day for 34 days in a row. But really, who’s counting? Oh yeah … me!!

And speaking of counting … today is officially my 200th post. Who’d a thunk I’d make it this far?!

But seriously, writing this past month has been very therapeutic. It has totally helped me get through one of the busiest and exciting months I’ve had in quite a while. And having done so, it has helped me put my priorities in order and my thoughts into action.

So … with that said, I hope to continue to write consistently. Maybe not every single day (otherwise Hubby would seriously take my lappie away and hide her permanently), but often enough to keep my life a little more sane. Besides, with all the changes happening in the near future, perhaps this is the one steady activity I’ll be having in my life until things settle down.

Thanks for reading my rambling and for all your comments. You guys just simply ROCK!!