Found this too while poking around the Magic Smoke Journal.
J-land photoshoot #138 - Photographer's Choice
And here is my entry. This is a ring billed gull that I captured with my E-500 and a 40-150mm lens. This was shot at the waterfront here where I live.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
JLand Photo Shoot
"Weekly Sentence With Val"
I just found this while poking around the Magic Smoke journal.
Weekly Sentence with Val #24
It's a weekly game where you take random letters and make a sentence out of it. Sounds like a lot of fun!
This Week's Letters:
AUGUST
My sentence is "An Unsupported Gal Usually Sags Terribly."
Weekly Sentence with Val #24
It's a weekly game where you take random letters and make a sentence out of it. Sounds like a lot of fun!
This Week's Letters:
AUGUST
My sentence is "An Unsupported Gal Usually Sags Terribly."
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Front Yard Renovation
Ok I got some pics in the nick of time. If I'd have waited any longer the hedges would have been all cut down. He's not wasting any time. I couldn't be happier! I can't wait to be rid of these things and get what I want done.
Below is a view from the driveway of the front walkway, or lack thereof. See the plywood? Off to the left and running under the steps is the where the drainage system was put in. The steps were done at that time as well. We need to paint the foundation and put a coat of Thompson's on the steps.
Above is another view from the driveway. Lots of edging and weeding to do as you can see.
Below we have a view from the driveway of what's left of the hedges.
View from the neighbor's driveway of what's left of the hedges. (The black spot on the door is where I blocked out our address plate. Can't be too careful.)
And another view from the neighbor's driveway of what's left of the hedges. See how tall and out of control? They were starting to reach the wires and they were hanging over the sidewalk!
And below are some shots from my upstairs sliding picture window of the hedges all gone. Now he has to dig out the roots. The other thing I hated about the hedges is all the debris we would find in them. People will walk past with candy, ice cream, chips, sodas... and use the bushes as a trash receptacle! There's even a brick in there. No idea where that came from.
Below is a view from the driveway of the front walkway, or lack thereof. See the plywood? Off to the left and running under the steps is the where the drainage system was put in. The steps were done at that time as well. We need to paint the foundation and put a coat of Thompson's on the steps.
Above is another view from the driveway. Lots of edging and weeding to do as you can see.
Below we have a view from the driveway of what's left of the hedges.
View from the neighbor's driveway of what's left of the hedges. (The black spot on the door is where I blocked out our address plate. Can't be too careful.)
And another view from the neighbor's driveway of what's left of the hedges. See how tall and out of control? They were starting to reach the wires and they were hanging over the sidewalk!
And below are some shots from my upstairs sliding picture window of the hedges all gone. Now he has to dig out the roots. The other thing I hated about the hedges is all the debris we would find in them. People will walk past with candy, ice cream, chips, sodas... and use the bushes as a trash receptacle! There's even a brick in there. No idea where that came from.
Hot and Lazy Day
I just love this tag! It fits my mood today. I saw this tag today on a graphics journals that belongs to a lady of another journal I read. Right here: http://journals.aol.com/melsa68/missies-magical-creations/
Lots going on here since Thursday. Where to start? Well there's my foot issues, my depressed-want-to-kill-the-hubby issues, and a front yard renovation that is FINALLY getting done. So here we go!
Thursday night I did not get to sleep until well after 5 am! I could not get comfortable at all with this stupid foot of mine. I have had the thing on ice, literally, since Thursday evening. I've been throwing a tray of ice into gallon ziplocs and putting my foot right in them suckers for 15 minutes at a time every 1/2 hour to hour. I'm getting no relief and I'm absolutely disgusted. Thursday my whole foot was so tightened up that I could not flex it at all, and I kept having spasms like nerve spasms or something. Still not much better today at all and the doc isn't in again till Monday. Of course!
I've decided that since I'm not really seeing much relief from these injections that I'm not going to continue with them. It's not worth it to me to subject myself to the torture of them or the complications that could arise from having them. So I'm going to look into other treatment alternatives such as the electronic shockwave treatment or physical therapy or both. Hopefully insurance will cover either or both. Keeping my fingers crossed on that. I need to be able to walk again. I've not taken my daughter to the zoo once this summer! She asked yesterday when were we going to go and I had to leave the room and go in the bathroom to cry. I hate that I can't take her for even a walk in the park right now like we used to, let alone the zoo. Damn it!
I finally have been able to get some of my anxiety off my chest to my husband. He finally actually listened to a little of what I had to say. So I'm feeling much better today mentally. Journaling has been helping a lot too. Just getting the frustration out one way or another is great and I'm glad I'm able to do that.
Another thing that has lifted my spirits today is hubby is finally doing what I have wanted to see done with the front yard for almost 2 years now. I can't wait till it's done and the eyesores are fixed. We have these huge, I mean gigantic, hedges out front. At first it was nice having them as there isn't much front yard. So they gave us some privacy with the front of the house being right on the sidewalk practically. But they've become a pain to keep trimmed and I'd really just like them gone to be honest. Trimmed to about 5 feet and kept trimmed would be okay, but he doesn't keep up with them. Then we have those big wolf spiders here that have taken up home in these bushes and a few have gotten in the house. Those things are hideous!! I am terrified of spiders and these ones send me into epileptic fits and I don't even have epilepsy. I've nearly killed myself a couple times freaking out and trying to get away from one. My sister was bitten by one a few years ago out in her neck of the woods. They take a chunk out of you when they bite. Scares me to death one will bite one of the kids.
Also we have no sidewalk leading from the city sidewalk to the front door. A few years ago it was taken out to dig up the front and put in a drainage system. Well it's never been fixed and instead a piece of plywood was put down as a "temp" sidewalk. Well temp has become perm and I'm sick of it! When it rains the damn thing gets so slick and it's on an incline so of course then there is mud. And if someone stops over and uses the front door, the mud is tracked into my foyer. So I'm sure you can imagine what I'm dealing with here.
So hubby is finally ripping them out. Then we'll put up a little white picket fence and plant some flowers and mulch it. He's hoping to have it all done by the end of the weekend and have the concrete work done as well. I don't think the flowers and mulch will get done just yet though. I think we'll need to spread some grass seeds because it's kind of dead under these bushes.
In other news here not much else going on. I've been lazy the last two days and haven't really done much at all except lay around. The kids have been kind of lazy too. It's been hot and humid here. Yuck!
Someone ran over a baby kitten yesterday in the street and kept going. I hate when someone does that. You can't tell me they didn't know they hit it. Poor thing laid there dying and the carcass started baking in the heat. The man who's house it died in front of never even picked it up so we walked down and got it. Only about 6 inches long. Just a little one maybe a month. So sad! We put him/her in a bag and he/she's in our yard under a trash can in the shade right now. Monday I'll call the city and if they don't come out by 5pm, the shelter told me I can bring it to them and they'll cremate it for about 5-10 bucks donation. Hubby said he saw one the other night that size and was black and white. This one was grey and white. So apparently a momma stray has had a litter. I'll have to keep an eye out and see if I can't round them up before anymore get run over.
My 16 1/2yo boy went today with his girlfriend's family to Cedar Point. They're such wonderful people. A few weeks ago they invited him to the islands to a family reunion/picnic. And this weekend they invited him to the amusement park, bought his pass, and gave them money for food for the day. Didn't want me to do anything or pay for anything. They're very good to him and the mom and I talk often.
These kids are sure they are going to be together forever and they have their whole futures planned out. My son will major in art, maybe video game graphics design or architecture (he's not sure) with a minor in music (not sure what, but he plays guitar in a band) and she will be a lawyer. He's wanting to go the Art Institue in Pittsburgh and spent some time yesterday talking to a guy from there. Not sure where she wants to go. Maybe they'll end up going somewhere together by the time they're ready for college. They don't like being apart from each other to much. Her parents made her break up with him a few months ago because her grades were slipping. So they broke up until school was out. I thought they were both going to die! My goodness! I hope they do stay together and can make it through the college years. I think if they can make it through the college years that will be the real test. They do make an adorable couple. She's an sweet girl, quiet, but sweet. I just hope they make sure to finish school and have a career for a few years before starting a family!
Well I'm going to wrap this up and go take some before photos of the front before it's too late. I'll make another entry and post them here. I'm hoping maybe I can get a firepit this weekend too. I've been asking for one of those for a few years now also. Maybe now's the time while hubby is in ass-kissing mode. LOL
Enjoy what's left of your day wherever you are!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Plantar fasciitis, steroids, and fantasies
Well I had my doctor's appointment today for my injection. Ugh, I must admit this time was not as painful as the last. But damn! That is the worst place to get a freaking shot!! I'm not sure if all the podiatrists use the same spot but this doc sticks you right on the inside of your heel in that fleshy little part near your arch. The stick itself doesn't hurt as much as the burning, nerve like feeling associated with it. I'm telling you I wanted to kick him in the face it's that awful. I usually tell my kids shots don't hurt and suck it up when they get one. That's because I have never felt one before so they don't bother me. I will NEVER say that to them again I can assure you of that.
I also just found out that what I am getting (cortisone injections) is actually a steroid! So now I'm panicking a bit. What the hell? Why wasn't I told this? Shouldn't I have been given a paper or something about it before the first injection? Or shouldn't he have at least said "Hey, um, you do know this is a steroid right?" And I don't even want to look it up online because then I'll see all the risks and complications and tomorrow I will have them all knowing me. I'm better off leaving it alone and hoping this week's therapy works and I can cancel next week's appointment.
Not to keep whining about it but I'm thinking he gave me a higher dose this time because I feel it still stinging and I feel nauseous and queasy. Last week's shot only kept me pain free for 4 days and upon telling him this he said this time we'll see if we can't get me "over that hump". So did he give me more than last time? Or am I just working myself up because I found out it's a steroid? I don't know. Probably the latter. I tend to make myself sick (literally) when I get worked up and stressed out. I wish I could stop doing that.
Anyway on to other sickening stuff, lol. No seriously though, lying awake last night I was thinking about stuff. I finally got to sleep at about 4/4:30. I knew that would happen. I was thinking about the stupid shot, and all the other crap going on in my life right now with the kids, and our financial situation at the moment, and my moron of a husband who I'm finding out after 11 years I just really don't like anymore. At all. But I was thinking about things that are never likely to happen. My fantasies.
For instance, only having to say one time for someone to do something and they actually doit. Or when someone spills juice or milk in the fridge that they actually grab a paper towel and clean it up right away. That the dog would stop being a little shit about the high grass outside and stop being so afraid to go out that she pisses on my rug. Or how about this... that instead of me lugging out the steam cleaner that maybe someone else will do it and clean it up?? And why is it so hard for everyone to close the shower curtain upon exiting the shower so that the water does not collect in the folds and cause mildew? Can anyone but me wipe the mirror off after brushing their teeth? I don't like seeing my reflection with little specks of white or aqua toothpaste. It reminds me not to look down because there's sure to be a gob of it in the sink that is now hardened on the porcelain like super freaking glue.
I could go on but I think I'll stop here. I woke up feeling like shit, nervous about this damn shot, and thinking about all the crap I put up with and I started to cry. My husband doesn't leave for work until 1:15 in the afternoon but could he do anything to help me out with things I needed to do before my appointment? NOPE! I had to manage what I could and leave a note with detailed instructions of what I expect to see when I get home, and put the 16 year old in charge of overseeing it all and feeding the 10 year old breakfast and lunch. Why? Because I do "nothing else" all day and he works 10 hours, comes home and stays up till 3 or 4am, then sleeps until half hour before he has to leave. That's why!
Then my oldest son was supposed to be here a little early (he was taking me) and he decided he would wait until I only had 15 minutes to get there. Then said he had things to do and was I going to take long. Then I really started crying. I can rely on nobody. Nobody! But I'm the one everyone relies on and I had better not let any of them down.
Of course my husband heard me crying and wanted to know what's wrong. I told him to f*** off and it's something he wouldn't care to hear so why bother. And I felt bad but when I tried last night to talk to him about the way I've been feeling lately he didn't want to hear it because he worked all day. The last thing he wants to hear is all the negativity from my day. Well I'm so sorry but for the most part I don't have much positive in my days lately.
My biggest fantasy right now is that I'll wake up and the kids will be grown and on their own. And then I'm packing up, moving, and not leaving a forwarding address. Maybe then I'll have a life of my own that is actually enjoyable. And I can use the ketchup bottle without worrying about sticking to the sides of it from all the ketchup that's dripped down it because I haven't had time to clean it off and nobody else cares to.
I also just found out that what I am getting (cortisone injections) is actually a steroid! So now I'm panicking a bit. What the hell? Why wasn't I told this? Shouldn't I have been given a paper or something about it before the first injection? Or shouldn't he have at least said "Hey, um, you do know this is a steroid right?" And I don't even want to look it up online because then I'll see all the risks and complications and tomorrow I will have them all knowing me. I'm better off leaving it alone and hoping this week's therapy works and I can cancel next week's appointment.
Not to keep whining about it but I'm thinking he gave me a higher dose this time because I feel it still stinging and I feel nauseous and queasy. Last week's shot only kept me pain free for 4 days and upon telling him this he said this time we'll see if we can't get me "over that hump". So did he give me more than last time? Or am I just working myself up because I found out it's a steroid? I don't know. Probably the latter. I tend to make myself sick (literally) when I get worked up and stressed out. I wish I could stop doing that.
Anyway on to other sickening stuff, lol. No seriously though, lying awake last night I was thinking about stuff. I finally got to sleep at about 4/4:30. I knew that would happen. I was thinking about the stupid shot, and all the other crap going on in my life right now with the kids, and our financial situation at the moment, and my moron of a husband who I'm finding out after 11 years I just really don't like anymore. At all. But I was thinking about things that are never likely to happen. My fantasies.
For instance, only having to say one time for someone to do something and they actually doit. Or when someone spills juice or milk in the fridge that they actually grab a paper towel and clean it up right away. That the dog would stop being a little shit about the high grass outside and stop being so afraid to go out that she pisses on my rug. Or how about this... that instead of me lugging out the steam cleaner that maybe someone else will do it and clean it up?? And why is it so hard for everyone to close the shower curtain upon exiting the shower so that the water does not collect in the folds and cause mildew? Can anyone but me wipe the mirror off after brushing their teeth? I don't like seeing my reflection with little specks of white or aqua toothpaste. It reminds me not to look down because there's sure to be a gob of it in the sink that is now hardened on the porcelain like super freaking glue.
I could go on but I think I'll stop here. I woke up feeling like shit, nervous about this damn shot, and thinking about all the crap I put up with and I started to cry. My husband doesn't leave for work until 1:15 in the afternoon but could he do anything to help me out with things I needed to do before my appointment? NOPE! I had to manage what I could and leave a note with detailed instructions of what I expect to see when I get home, and put the 16 year old in charge of overseeing it all and feeding the 10 year old breakfast and lunch. Why? Because I do "nothing else" all day and he works 10 hours, comes home and stays up till 3 or 4am, then sleeps until half hour before he has to leave. That's why!
Then my oldest son was supposed to be here a little early (he was taking me) and he decided he would wait until I only had 15 minutes to get there. Then said he had things to do and was I going to take long. Then I really started crying. I can rely on nobody. Nobody! But I'm the one everyone relies on and I had better not let any of them down.
Of course my husband heard me crying and wanted to know what's wrong. I told him to f*** off and it's something he wouldn't care to hear so why bother. And I felt bad but when I tried last night to talk to him about the way I've been feeling lately he didn't want to hear it because he worked all day. The last thing he wants to hear is all the negativity from my day. Well I'm so sorry but for the most part I don't have much positive in my days lately.
My biggest fantasy right now is that I'll wake up and the kids will be grown and on their own. And then I'm packing up, moving, and not leaving a forwarding address. Maybe then I'll have a life of my own that is actually enjoyable. And I can use the ketchup bottle without worrying about sticking to the sides of it from all the ketchup that's dripped down it because I haven't had time to clean it off and nobody else cares to.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tired from Nothing
Wow am I beat! Today has been a full day and tomorrow doesn't look any more relaxing. I don't know why I continue to do everything I do when all of it goes unnoticed. Although depending on who you ask... I do nothing all day.
My day of nothing started with getting the kids some breakfast. I made waffles from scratch, a pitcher of milk (we don't drink cow's milk) and some juice. After getting the kids some breakfast I cleaned up the breakfast mess and rifled through the nearly empty freezer looking for something that would be suitable for lunch, dinner, and an evening snack. I make a mental note that I have GOT to go grocery shopping tomorrow. I decided waffles would have to do for lunch as well, ground meat for dinner as something edible, and grabbed a bag of frozen shredded zucchini for evening snack. Then I ate breakfast and cleaned up my dishes and cleaned up the stove and sink again. I grabbed a cup of coffee and headed for the school room. By now an hour and a half of my day is gone.
I poked around on line for a bit drinking my coffee and going over today's lesson plans. Half an hour later it was time to get my 10 year old started with school work. By now two hours of my day is gone.
After three and a half hours with the 10 year old she managed to complete a worksheet on compound sentences, one on compound predicates, a handwriting assignment, a math worksheet, three reading activities, study spelling words for her test Friday, and practice her math facts. That wraps up math, reading, spelling, and writing for the week. Science and social studies as well as a spelling test is left - this will be a good week for her. It is now time to think about lunch for the kids. Five and a half hours of my day is gone.
After an hour break for lunch and cleanup, I'm now ready to work with my next oldest, one of the teen boys. He needs to get an english assignment done that involves a slide show presentation, a science assignment that involves lots of reading, taking notes and using his brain (oops, Houston we're gonna have a problem!) and a media assignment that involves creating a podcast. Nearly 7 hours of my day is gone, this will take at least two to three hours, and I realize I haven't even peed yet today except for when I first woke up! And the oldest boy, the 18 year old who "is an adult now", still hasn't made it out of his room. Probably still sleeping.
I work with the the other boy on his slide show and show him how to make it look nice and stuff. He had all the information that he needed but the slides were plain and not "presentation" material. So fixing that up with him only took a little over an hour. Eight hours of my day gone.
Next I open up iTunes and download some podcasts for him to listen to. This will give him an idea what he is to do for the media project. He can choose any subject. I suggest something to do with music as he plays the guitar. That idea strikes his fancy and he will do a podcast about how to tune your guitar, get the sound you want out of your pedal, and what to look for in an amp. Yippee! That was quick! Eight and a half hours of my day gone.
Now we move on to the science assignment. I pull up the website he is to use and show him how to copy and past the assignment questions into a blank word document. Then I tell him as he reads the material on the website, and as something pertains to the questions, copy and paste that into the word document under the appropriate question. When he is done he will have his "notes". Now all he will need to do is choose what is or isn't relevant, delete what is not, and then use the rest to answer the questions making sure to interpret into his own words. Sounds easy right? Not for this one. He HATES to read. He wants to skim. He wants to use CTRL+F to find the key words and answer the questions as quickly as possible without reading the material.
Maybe that is why he is so insistent that the "information needed to answer the questions is just not there mom!"... okay then why did I find it? Go and READ the damn material!! Two hours later he has a rough draft and I have a phone call. I talk for a half hour or so and then realize the time! OMG I have to start dinner. 11 hours of my day is gone.
Dinner is elbow macaroni with ground meat and spaghetti sauce. After dinner I decide I'm going to catch up on my email and other stuff I need to do online. Two hours later I head back downstairs to make evening snack and prepare for tomorrow. The oldest boy is finally out of his room and I scream and threaten him to get upstairs and get his schoolwork done. I make 24 zucchini muffins and whip up another bowl of waffle batter. I put that in the fridge for tomorrow and make some more milk. The muffins are done and I put half away for tomorrow. Clean up the kitchen again and go grab a cup of coffee. I grab a muffin and head upstairs with my coffee to work on tomorrow's lesson plans. After an hour I am falling asleep at my desk. Fourteen hours of my day is gone. The oldest one is not at his computer doing his work. Apparently he believes he is done. Hmm... I'm just guessing but perhaps that's why he's 18 and still in 11th grade.
I still need to get a shower, straighten up the laundry room which I noticed is a mess, shave my legs, scoop two litter boxes, clean up my bathroom, straighten up my desk, and write out instructions for the two "functioning" kids for tomorrow. I have a doctor's appointment for another cortisone injection into my foot so I won't be here to get them started on their schoolwork.
By the time I am done with all of that roughly 17 hours of my day will be gone. I'll lay awake thinking I forgot something for at least an hour. If I'm lucky I'll get 5-6 hours of sleep and wake up still exhausted for another day of nothing.
My day of nothing started with getting the kids some breakfast. I made waffles from scratch, a pitcher of milk (we don't drink cow's milk) and some juice. After getting the kids some breakfast I cleaned up the breakfast mess and rifled through the nearly empty freezer looking for something that would be suitable for lunch, dinner, and an evening snack. I make a mental note that I have GOT to go grocery shopping tomorrow. I decided waffles would have to do for lunch as well, ground meat for dinner as something edible, and grabbed a bag of frozen shredded zucchini for evening snack. Then I ate breakfast and cleaned up my dishes and cleaned up the stove and sink again. I grabbed a cup of coffee and headed for the school room. By now an hour and a half of my day is gone.
I poked around on line for a bit drinking my coffee and going over today's lesson plans. Half an hour later it was time to get my 10 year old started with school work. By now two hours of my day is gone.
After three and a half hours with the 10 year old she managed to complete a worksheet on compound sentences, one on compound predicates, a handwriting assignment, a math worksheet, three reading activities, study spelling words for her test Friday, and practice her math facts. That wraps up math, reading, spelling, and writing for the week. Science and social studies as well as a spelling test is left - this will be a good week for her. It is now time to think about lunch for the kids. Five and a half hours of my day is gone.
After an hour break for lunch and cleanup, I'm now ready to work with my next oldest, one of the teen boys. He needs to get an english assignment done that involves a slide show presentation, a science assignment that involves lots of reading, taking notes and using his brain (oops, Houston we're gonna have a problem!) and a media assignment that involves creating a podcast. Nearly 7 hours of my day is gone, this will take at least two to three hours, and I realize I haven't even peed yet today except for when I first woke up! And the oldest boy, the 18 year old who "is an adult now", still hasn't made it out of his room. Probably still sleeping.
I work with the the other boy on his slide show and show him how to make it look nice and stuff. He had all the information that he needed but the slides were plain and not "presentation" material. So fixing that up with him only took a little over an hour. Eight hours of my day gone.
Next I open up iTunes and download some podcasts for him to listen to. This will give him an idea what he is to do for the media project. He can choose any subject. I suggest something to do with music as he plays the guitar. That idea strikes his fancy and he will do a podcast about how to tune your guitar, get the sound you want out of your pedal, and what to look for in an amp. Yippee! That was quick! Eight and a half hours of my day gone.
Now we move on to the science assignment. I pull up the website he is to use and show him how to copy and past the assignment questions into a blank word document. Then I tell him as he reads the material on the website, and as something pertains to the questions, copy and paste that into the word document under the appropriate question. When he is done he will have his "notes". Now all he will need to do is choose what is or isn't relevant, delete what is not, and then use the rest to answer the questions making sure to interpret into his own words. Sounds easy right? Not for this one. He HATES to read. He wants to skim. He wants to use CTRL+F to find the key words and answer the questions as quickly as possible without reading the material.
Maybe that is why he is so insistent that the "information needed to answer the questions is just not there mom!"... okay then why did I find it? Go and READ the damn material!! Two hours later he has a rough draft and I have a phone call. I talk for a half hour or so and then realize the time! OMG I have to start dinner. 11 hours of my day is gone.
Dinner is elbow macaroni with ground meat and spaghetti sauce. After dinner I decide I'm going to catch up on my email and other stuff I need to do online. Two hours later I head back downstairs to make evening snack and prepare for tomorrow. The oldest boy is finally out of his room and I scream and threaten him to get upstairs and get his schoolwork done. I make 24 zucchini muffins and whip up another bowl of waffle batter. I put that in the fridge for tomorrow and make some more milk. The muffins are done and I put half away for tomorrow. Clean up the kitchen again and go grab a cup of coffee. I grab a muffin and head upstairs with my coffee to work on tomorrow's lesson plans. After an hour I am falling asleep at my desk. Fourteen hours of my day is gone. The oldest one is not at his computer doing his work. Apparently he believes he is done. Hmm... I'm just guessing but perhaps that's why he's 18 and still in 11th grade.
I still need to get a shower, straighten up the laundry room which I noticed is a mess, shave my legs, scoop two litter boxes, clean up my bathroom, straighten up my desk, and write out instructions for the two "functioning" kids for tomorrow. I have a doctor's appointment for another cortisone injection into my foot so I won't be here to get them started on their schoolwork.
By the time I am done with all of that roughly 17 hours of my day will be gone. I'll lay awake thinking I forgot something for at least an hour. If I'm lucky I'll get 5-6 hours of sleep and wake up still exhausted for another day of nothing.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
I'm back
Well I'm back to write in my little online journal. Last time I was here was in March. Yikes! So much for sticking with this whole journaling thing.
So what have I been doing since March? Well I'm still homeschooling my kids. I'm still drinking my mocha cappuccino in the evenings. I'm still trying to quit smoking again. Still working on losing weight. And still putting up with the bullshit that has become the normal daily routine in my marriage.
What I haven't been doing is taking my daily walks that I used to love doing. At the moment I can't take my daily walks because I've developed a bone spur on my heel along with plantar fasciitis. Or it may be tarsal tunnel syndrome. Either way the treatment for all three is the same - cortisone injections, ice packs, stretching exercises, and stay off of my feet. The latter is easier said than done unless I want to pee in my bed, let the house become a landfill, or allow the kids to starve.
The whole ordeal is a huge inconvenience. Not only am I confined basically to the house (because I can't really walk very far) but the pain is often just unbearable. For those who don't know what a heel spur is - it feels as though there is a piece of asphalt (you know, the little rocks that break off of a driveway?) inside my heel. Every time I take a step it gouges into my heel bone but also feels like the other end is ready to protrude through the skin at any moment and stick in the floor, nailing me to the spot. It's absolutely, horribly, painful. Take my word on it. I am not one to cry and moan about pain, but I have broke down crying over this pain twice in the last month.
Another thing that has me annoyed at the moment is today's mail. I don't consider myself a tree hugging activist whose constantly preaching about the environment and how to save it. But, I do like to think I'm aware of environmental issues and I do try to be as green as possible. So today's mail put me in a really foul mood and I can't seem to shake it so I guess I'll write about it.
Our insurance company (health insurance) sends out pamphlets four times a year and sometimes in between. Doesn't sound that horrible to put me in a pissy mood you're probably thinking right? Well here's the thing... they send one to EVERYONE in the house enrolled on the plan. We have 5 people here on this plan! So I get 5 pamphlets EVERY time they mail them out. Not tomention all the in between mailings and other crap, again one for each person on the plan!
Now, first of all I may, if I have time, read one of the pamphlets. But come on, how many of us really read this stuff when we can find the same info online?! Ok, back to what I was saying - I may read one. But why would I read all 5??? Therefore it's a waste!! And it's more stuff to sit in the landfill because my city doesn't do recycling curb side. And I'm not totally convinced that when I put the papers and plastics in the recycling receptacles at the drop off points that they are actually recycling the stuff. I don't believe it.
So I called the insurance company and told them I am very happy with the company and the plan but that I do have an environmental concern that I'd like to address with someone. The rep asks me what my concern is. I tell her and ask how I can fix it that I only receive ONE mailing or, preferably, none. She can't relate! She has no idea what I'm trying to tell her and apparently thinks me as crazy as the lady who lives alone in a run down house with 87 cats and eats cat food along with them. *sigh*
So I again explain to her, or try to, that this is an issue I am concerned about, why I am concerned about it, and surely there is someone who can get on the phone with me and listen to my request for less mailings, if not my idea for a better plan for these mailings which, according to the rep, are "automatic".
Apparently there is nobody because I was on hold for about 20 minutes before being transferred to a voice mail of someone who probably was not in today and therefore seemed like a great person to push my issue onto thereby making me think that this person might be the one to solve my issue when they call me back. Which they will most likely either not call me back, or not be the person to resolve the issue when they do, and therefore I will end up in someone else's voice mail! *scream*
So that has me bugged right now. I cannot understand why, in this day and age, with all the talk on global warming and conservation, why I feel like the crazy lady wearing a tin foil hat and lecturing onthe invasion of Martians. Am I the only one who is concerned about our insane production and consumption of paper???
I'm going to wrap this up but leave you all that may be reading with some facts. About paper. And greenhouse gases. And global warming. And maybe tomorrow I'll tell you how to properly make a tin foil hat so that the Martians can't read your mind.
1 tree makes 16.67 reams of copy paper or 8,333 sheets and 1 ream (500 sheets) uses 6% of a tree
In 2004 the United States used 8 million tons of office paper (3.2 billion reams), which is equivalent to 178 million trees.
The U.S. is by far the world’s largest producer and consumer of paper. Per capita U.S. paper consumption is over six times greater than the world average.
The U.S. pulp and paper industry is the second largest consumer of energy and uses more water to produce a ton of product than any other industry. Production of 1 ton of copy paper uses 11,134 kWh which is the same amount of energy used by an avg household in 10 months. Also, the production of 1 ton of copy paper produces 19,075 gallons of waste water.
One ton of paper requires the use of 98 tons of various resources and the production of 1 ton of copy paper produces 2,278 lb of solid waste.
Production of 1 ton of copy paper produces 5,690 lb. of greenhouse gases which is equivalent to 6 months of car exhaust.
Dumping paper in landfill adds methane to the atmosphere as it decomposes, with 20 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide.
We have lost 95 percent of our old growth forests in the U.S. and 4281 acres of rainforest are lost every hour worldwide.
It takes 3 tons of wood to produce 1 ton of copy paper.
A single mature tree can release enough oxygen back into the atmosphere to support 2 human beings.
If every American family planted just one tree, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere would be reduced by one billion lbs annually. This is almost 5% of the amount that human activity pumps into the atmosphere each year.
According to the USDA Forest Service, a tree generates $31,250 worth of oxygen, provides $62,000 worth of air pollution control, recycles $37,500 worth of water, and controls $31,250 worth of soil erosion, over a 50-year life span.
So what have I been doing since March? Well I'm still homeschooling my kids. I'm still drinking my mocha cappuccino in the evenings. I'm still trying to quit smoking again. Still working on losing weight. And still putting up with the bullshit that has become the normal daily routine in my marriage.
What I haven't been doing is taking my daily walks that I used to love doing. At the moment I can't take my daily walks because I've developed a bone spur on my heel along with plantar fasciitis. Or it may be tarsal tunnel syndrome. Either way the treatment for all three is the same - cortisone injections, ice packs, stretching exercises, and stay off of my feet. The latter is easier said than done unless I want to pee in my bed, let the house become a landfill, or allow the kids to starve.
The whole ordeal is a huge inconvenience. Not only am I confined basically to the house (because I can't really walk very far) but the pain is often just unbearable. For those who don't know what a heel spur is - it feels as though there is a piece of asphalt (you know, the little rocks that break off of a driveway?) inside my heel. Every time I take a step it gouges into my heel bone but also feels like the other end is ready to protrude through the skin at any moment and stick in the floor, nailing me to the spot. It's absolutely, horribly, painful. Take my word on it. I am not one to cry and moan about pain, but I have broke down crying over this pain twice in the last month.
Another thing that has me annoyed at the moment is today's mail. I don't consider myself a tree hugging activist whose constantly preaching about the environment and how to save it. But, I do like to think I'm aware of environmental issues and I do try to be as green as possible. So today's mail put me in a really foul mood and I can't seem to shake it so I guess I'll write about it.
Our insurance company (health insurance) sends out pamphlets four times a year and sometimes in between. Doesn't sound that horrible to put me in a pissy mood you're probably thinking right? Well here's the thing... they send one to EVERYONE in the house enrolled on the plan. We have 5 people here on this plan! So I get 5 pamphlets EVERY time they mail them out. Not tomention all the in between mailings and other crap, again one for each person on the plan!
Now, first of all I may, if I have time, read one of the pamphlets. But come on, how many of us really read this stuff when we can find the same info online?! Ok, back to what I was saying - I may read one. But why would I read all 5??? Therefore it's a waste!! And it's more stuff to sit in the landfill because my city doesn't do recycling curb side. And I'm not totally convinced that when I put the papers and plastics in the recycling receptacles at the drop off points that they are actually recycling the stuff. I don't believe it.
So I called the insurance company and told them I am very happy with the company and the plan but that I do have an environmental concern that I'd like to address with someone. The rep asks me what my concern is. I tell her and ask how I can fix it that I only receive ONE mailing or, preferably, none. She can't relate! She has no idea what I'm trying to tell her and apparently thinks me as crazy as the lady who lives alone in a run down house with 87 cats and eats cat food along with them. *sigh*
So I again explain to her, or try to, that this is an issue I am concerned about, why I am concerned about it, and surely there is someone who can get on the phone with me and listen to my request for less mailings, if not my idea for a better plan for these mailings which, according to the rep, are "automatic".
Apparently there is nobody because I was on hold for about 20 minutes before being transferred to a voice mail of someone who probably was not in today and therefore seemed like a great person to push my issue onto thereby making me think that this person might be the one to solve my issue when they call me back. Which they will most likely either not call me back, or not be the person to resolve the issue when they do, and therefore I will end up in someone else's voice mail! *scream*
So that has me bugged right now. I cannot understand why, in this day and age, with all the talk on global warming and conservation, why I feel like the crazy lady wearing a tin foil hat and lecturing onthe invasion of Martians. Am I the only one who is concerned about our insane production and consumption of paper???
I'm going to wrap this up but leave you all that may be reading with some facts. About paper. And greenhouse gases. And global warming. And maybe tomorrow I'll tell you how to properly make a tin foil hat so that the Martians can't read your mind.
1 tree makes 16.67 reams of copy paper or 8,333 sheets and 1 ream (500 sheets) uses 6% of a tree
In 2004 the United States used 8 million tons of office paper (3.2 billion reams), which is equivalent to 178 million trees.
The U.S. is by far the world’s largest producer and consumer of paper. Per capita U.S. paper consumption is over six times greater than the world average.
The U.S. pulp and paper industry is the second largest consumer of energy and uses more water to produce a ton of product than any other industry. Production of 1 ton of copy paper uses 11,134 kWh which is the same amount of energy used by an avg household in 10 months. Also, the production of 1 ton of copy paper produces 19,075 gallons of waste water.
One ton of paper requires the use of 98 tons of various resources and the production of 1 ton of copy paper produces 2,278 lb of solid waste.
Production of 1 ton of copy paper produces 5,690 lb. of greenhouse gases which is equivalent to 6 months of car exhaust.
Dumping paper in landfill adds methane to the atmosphere as it decomposes, with 20 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide.
We have lost 95 percent of our old growth forests in the U.S. and 4281 acres of rainforest are lost every hour worldwide.
It takes 3 tons of wood to produce 1 ton of copy paper.
A single mature tree can release enough oxygen back into the atmosphere to support 2 human beings.
If every American family planted just one tree, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere would be reduced by one billion lbs annually. This is almost 5% of the amount that human activity pumps into the atmosphere each year.
According to the USDA Forest Service, a tree generates $31,250 worth of oxygen, provides $62,000 worth of air pollution control, recycles $37,500 worth of water, and controls $31,250 worth of soil erosion, over a 50-year life span.
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