Oh and

On an unrelated note ... I'm finally finished with the antibiotics (feel like I've been on them constantly since January). I think I'll have a beer. At last.

Weird Freaking Dog

So, very recently Fitzie (who is being neutered tomorrow, btw) has taken to peeing in Lola's food bowl. He doesn't pee in his own bowl, nor the water bowl, always just her bowl. Bizarre. I guess he's trying to tell her something. Poor Loly-girl. I made him eat of of the pee bowl tonight (I washed it first, of course).

Tax Woes

I am really annoyed. I had an appointment scheduled with a CPA for late this afternoon to help me with my tax preparation since my financial picture for 2006 is pretty complicated (between moving from NY to NH, relocation benefits, selling property in NYC, buying property in NH, higher salary, bonus, rolling over IRAs, etc.) Anyway, I was looking for CPAs in my town and had found her name somehow and sent her an email inquiry to possibly set up an appointment. In the email I briefly sketched my situation and she wrote back, “I don’t do NY tax returns”. Okaaaaay. So I wrote back and said, well I was really only living in NYC for 2 weeks in 2006, but could she perhaps recommend someone else? She writes back, “Well, I guess I can help you”. Gee thanks, don’t knock yourself out or anything (it’s not like I was insisting that she help me or anything, I just asked for a local recommendation). All of this tax stuff is stressful enough, do I really want to deal with someone who is so lukewarm about working with me? Anyway, not knowing who else to contact, I made the appointment.

So, since I have the appointment for late this afternoon, I go to the trouble to make sure that I get to work early so that I can work a full day before having to leave to make it to her office on time (which is conveniently located around the corner from work). But what happens? I get an email from her around 8 AM stating that she has to cancel because she’s not feeling well. WTF??? So, obviously she doesn’t really want my business. Frustrated, I vent about this to a co-worker and he suggests that I contact my realty office and see if they can recommend someone. So I do. It ends up being a good idea because they recommend a CPA firm (raving about them in the process) who I call and who goes out of their way to accommodate me (scheduling me in on a Saturday) and who also, when I mention the NY aspect of my situation, says, “No problem! We can deal with any state”.

I sent an email to the first CPA chick that says, “I’ll just make other arrangements then. Thanks for your help.” I haven’t heard back from her. I’ve got to wonder how someone like that is able to run a successful business. So unprofessional. She could have just said, “I’m sorry, I’m not very comfortable with the NYS stuff, but perhaps I can recommend someone else for you”. How hard would that have been? SHEESH.

toe

This is what my toe looked like when I took off my sock tonight. Gross.

Yet Another Pug Picture

It Never Freaking Ends

So, I went to the dentist on Monday and apparently I have a number of problems going on in my mouth. In addition to the needed root canal and abscess, I apparently have some major decay around the tooth adjacent where I had a root canal about two years ago. They're not even sure if they're going to be able to save this second tooth. All of these problems stem from this ill-advised bridge my former dentist talked me into getting years ago and I am finding myself quite bitter about it right now.

Anyway, the root canal doctor managed to get me in this afternoon which really ended up being a good thing because once she opened up my tooth, she said that the decay and infection was more extensive than it had appeared on the x-ray. She seemed to think if I had waited much longer, I could have lost that tooth too. So, I had the root canal today, but am still finding myself in pain which I hope is not an indication of the problems with the other tooth. I have to go back to the first dentist in a week or two to have him finish the work on the RC tooth and to evaluate what we're going to do about this other one. I am so ... I don't know, depressed, overwhelmed, stressed about all of this. And of course my out-of-pocket costs for all of this work is going to be in the 1,000s. TG for insurance (at least they'll be paying for some of this) and TG that I'm debt free! If this had happened two years ago I would be screaming and crying and completely freaking out & panicking -- at least I can pay for this. I'm not happy about it and some of my home improvement plans will have to be put on hold this year, but at least I don't have to go into debt to do this. At least it's not going to completely wipe me out.

To add insult to injury, tonight my cell phone was ringing. I could hear it and I realized that it was still in my jacket pocket. So, instead of just letting it ring, I jumped up and ran for it, vaulting over something on the floor and catching my toe on the corner of a chair in the process. Now I'm afraid I've broken my toe! Oh and that phone call was my father. I have no doubt he was calling about having me send him more money out of our trust account, I've already had to do that twice in the past week and that seems to be the only reason he ever calls me lately.

But I'm not bitter, no, not at all.

It's Always Something

Spent the weekend in pain as it seems that I have another abscess in the area where I need a root canal. I've been putting it off and I guess I've just put it off too long. I called the root canal dentist and the soonest they can get me in is April 6th. ACK! In the meantime, I've made an appointment for this afternoon with another local dentist as I really don't feel comfortable going back to the "Super Cuts-esque" place that I went to the last time. I'm hoping this new dentist will maybe be able to get me in someplace sooner, or at the very least will have some good drugs to prescribe. UGH!

I'm SUCH a worrier

Seriously. I wish I could just stop. I go through these periods of intense anxiety sometimes that I just can't seem to shake off. It seems to get worse as I get older. A number of things contribute to this, lack of confidence/self-esteem issues, growing up with a mother who worried about everything, probably having too much time on my hands. Worry, worry, worry. I. Just. Can't. Stop. Sheesh.

Signs You're Getting Old

It must be a sign that I'm getting old when I actually prefer Mondays to Fridays. Used to be, Friday was my favorite day. Usually the weekend would start on Thursday with Happy Hour and then on Friday it was out directly after work until all hours, Mondays were to be dreaded. Nowadays, by Friday I'm tired and running down on energy, yet Mondays are fun! I'm well-rested, re-invigorated with energy and enthusiasm for the work at hand. I always seem to get a lot done on a Monday and the day just flies by. Preferring a Monday to Friday ... what's up with that?

The Puppy is getting so big!

Sleep

It seems like sleep or rather, the lack of, has been in the media quite a bit recently. The Today show has been doing a segment about it this week and the subject keeps popping up from various other sources too. “They” are saying now that sleep is not just as important, but that it’s even more important, to one’s health and well-being than diet and exercise. More important to your health than diet and exercise. I don’t think I know even one person who consistently gets 8 hours a night. I know that I don’t (and for no good reason either). I heard a blurb somewhere, I think it might have been on Oprah or something, that said, “you can not be the person you were meant to be unless you’re getting eight hours of sleep a night”. I kind of like that, it sums it up neatly for me. And it kind of makes sense, if you think about it. You’re not as sharp or as intelligent. You don’t have as much energy or passion or enthusiasm or whatever as you would have if your body was getting enough sleep. Anyway, I don’t have children, I have a ridiculously short commute, and I am generally a pretty good sleeper. Or I am, once I finally turn the lights out. I have no excuse not to be getting my 8 hours. No excuse except that I just stay up too late at night. I watch TV, I am on the computer (I mean, at least two nights this week I was still logged into work at 11 PM – I just got a bug in my brain about something I’m working on). I finally go upstairs and get into bed and that’s when the reading starts. Half the time, I’m turning the lights off at 1, 1:30 AM. And getting up around 6:30 AM. Not acceptable. Last night I think I managed to turn the lights off at 11, and it’s amazing how much better I feel. No wonder all I want to do on a weekend is laze around and relax. I’m exhausted from lack of sleep. This is probably the most easily fixed thing in my life, so I really need to be conscious of it and really work on getting that consistent sleep. Like, starting NOW.

These are the kind of dogs I have:

Most dogs, you let them out the back door, they're like "woohoo! outside" run, run, run, sniff, sniff, sniff, pee, pee, pee. Mine? I let them out the back door and they just sit there, peering back at me through the glass.

Most dogs, you come into the house, they're right there at the door to greet you (if they're not barking on the other side of the door as you approach). Mine? I come in, no dog, walk through the downstairs, mill around in the hallway sorting the mail? No dog. Finally walk upstairs and there is Lola, all curled up on the bed and looking up at me like, "what?". Sheesh.

Most dogs, you pick up the leash and they get all excited, "woohoo! goin' for a walk! goin' for a walk!" Fitz, I pick up his harness & leash and he cowers and runs in the other direction (even if I'm bribing him with food).

These are my freaks, they are not normal.

How Many Times ...

Do you have to tell a person, "no sugar" for them to figure out that you don't want ANY sugar in your damn coffee???? Once or twice a week I treat myself to a Dunkin Donuts "Turbo" coffee, which comes with a shot of espresso and is delish and also gives that sometimes much-needed extra morning kick, but when they don't get the order right, it completely spoils the experience. This is the second time this has happened with my coffee with them. Very disappointing.

Wake Up, It's Monday Morning

Nothing like almost waltzing into the Men's Room to realize that I am not really fully awake this Monday morning. Sheesh!

Home Improvement Continues

One of the things that I've really wanted to do in my new house is have some bookshelves and an incorporated TV-stand/entertainment unit built into my living room. A couple of weeks ago I interviewed a few carpenters and last week finally decided which one to hire. Today I signed the proposal and gave him my deposit and the work is meant to start at the end of this week. It's pretty exciting to see something I've envisioned actually start to happen. In the past I've never really had the resources to have anything significant done in my home, it's almost a weird feeling to realize that I actually can do this kind of thing now. I'll be very happy to finally get these shelves installed. I can unpack all of my books, hang some pictures and finally have a completely finished room! Well, it won't be completely finished until I replace the carpeting and get some window treatments, but it'll be close enough to satisfy me.

Rant of the Day

When you sit in a cubicle, in an open-air, cube-farm style office, using a speaker phone is really not the most considerate choice. But then, it is all about you after all, isn't it? Sheesh.

Lots o' Snow

sick, sick, sick

So, as I posted previously, on Thursday I started getting that sick-y feeling like I was coming down with something. By Thursday night I had a fever and chills and by Friday I had that strange chest rattle-wheezing thing I also posted about. I felt pretty miserable for most of the weekend and then Sunday afternoon I felt worse, with my fever spiking over 102*. I managed to speak to a nurse over the phone through an after-hours nurse service through a local hospital who advised me that I should probably go to the emergency room, just to be safe. So I drove myself to the closest one, up the road in Manchester. This was the ultimate example of how living here differs from NYC. No one in the waiting room, they took me right away. I think I was having a chest x-ray within 20 minutes of having checked in and I was out within an hour or so. Anyway, the bottom line is, I have bronchitis. The doctor says that I *can't* go to work for three days and I'm on antibiotics. Ugh, I am never this sick! It's so frustrating! The doctor also lectured me for not having a local doctor yet. Sheesh. So, I'm sick, sick, sick and will most likely be whining and complaining about it for a couple of days.

This is so weird

I don't know if it's because I'm sick, but I seem to have developed the strangest affliction. I am making this weird noise, deep in my lungs, with each breath I take. At least, I hope it's my lungs and not my heart -- ACK! Anyway, with each breath I make this wheezy-whistle-y noise, kind of a cross between a stomach growl and that noise your nose can make when it needs a good blowing. This noise actually kept me up for half the night. Even the dog could hear it! She sat there on my bed looking at me completely perplexed. I don't usually freak out over health stuff, but this is rather strange, so I'm a little concerned. Maybe I'll call my cousin (he's a local Dr.)

UGH

I have tomorrow off (and long weekends planned for the next couple of weeks in order to use up vacation time from 2006) and now I feel like I'm getting sick! It's that scratchy-frog-in-the-throat-sneezy-coughy-general-funky feeling. It just figures. And I really can't lay around nursing myself either as Painter Guy will be there all day. I plan to use the day to do errands, get a facial and get some of the stuff done that I always say I'm going to do on weekends and hardly ever end up doing (browse a furniture store, shop for linens, get a facial, go to Trader Joe's and/Costco, go get more paint chips, etc.) Damn.