Stormy Times

I have been under so much stress lately I am not sure how much more I can take. I am getting major heart pain and palpitations. It's scaring me.

Brian was in the hospital and that stressed me. David was having fainting spells. My friend's baby was sick and in the hospital with RSV when he was only a couple days old. My daughter is having thyroid problems again. I completely cut "A" out of my life for good and ever. I realized I cannot even be friends with him no matter what. And even though it's for the best... it is still very, very difficult to go through it. I never want to speak to him ever again. He is part of the past and the "dark age" and I just wish I never met him. He screwed up my life in ways you can't even imagine. But I let him. And now I pay for it.

And now my dad is ill. He was in the ER yesterday for hours. He has an intestinal blockage and it is now reached the point with his health that he just CANNOT take care of himself and we need to get him into a care center. Even if it's against his will. He wanted them to keep him at the hospital, but they told him he wasn't "sick enough" to stay. Donna spent the night there. I haven't talked to her this morning so I don't know how it's going.

Work is very very busy, which, in this economy is a good thing, but it just adds more stress.

My body hurts. My neck and head and ears, and back, and hip, and elbow just pain me daily.

I'm scared for my health, my future, my family, everything. I am all alone and it is really hard.

I'm such a Prankster.....

This little April FOOLER has been busy. I came in to work last night and put a sign on the south entrance door that says "BSD EMPLOYEES, USE WEST ENTRANCE" with an arrow pointing. So people have to walk around the building and then they find a sign on THAT door saying "BSD EMPLOYEES, PLEASE USE SOUTH ENTRANCE" with an arrow pointing back the way they came. LOL. People who get here at 6 am were rolling their eyes.

Then I took Richard's glasses (he's the Director of Operations) and I took them home and put them in JELLO. They look like they are suspended in YELLOW (urine colored) jello. (If anybody watches THE OFFICE then the episode with the stapler in jello will let you know where i got this idea.

I then took Jason's Mouse, and Marissa's Mouse and Lisa's pens and held them for ransom. They are inside of the vending machine!!! LOL They gotta pay to get em back.

THEN, (lest you think I am done)... I took post-it notes and wrote "April Fools" on them and used them to cover the thing on Scotts, Briannes, and Tom's mouses so they don't work. LOL

And THEN... because Marissa always says she feels like she is in a fishbowl... I cut out colored pics of fishes and frogs and taped them to the window of her cube.

Last, but not least...... John L. has been in New York this week and he gets back today. His office door is closed with a sign that I put up that says "NO ENTRY DUE TO WATER DAMAGE" and I stuffed wet towels along the crack of the door.... he is going to FREAK out.... hee hee heee.

I hate being pranked, but I love doing the pranking.....

Last year I got Karin REAL good and I am scared of what the kids are going to pull on me to get back....

City in the Clouds.....

I think this is a really cool photo. I'd call it "City in the Clouds" or "Heaven's Suburb"....

Utah had ground fog like this the other day and as David and I drove to school we saw a condo complex that looked just like this.

This is also a cool photo. I love ice. I don't like driving in it, but I think there is a magical quality to ice sculptures and ice in general.

So seeing the bottom of this pier is just really neat.

Today is Friday and even though I have a ton of work to do and it's so quiet here because half the people are gone... I just can't focus and get anything done. I'm dilly dallying around and it's making me crazy. Pam and Polly and I are heading out at 4pm to go see the opening of "The Haunting in Connecticut" and then I can go home and watch something funny so I can sleep tonight. LOL. I don't know why I do that to myself but I just love scary movies. I don't like some of them, but I do like the more mild ones.

My ear is sending shooting, sharp pains through my ruptured eardrum. (Yep, it IS definitely ruptured).

I found a new Primary care physician. I am NOT going back to St. Mark's family practice. They seem to screw up EVERYTHING that I go to them for. I have coworkers who recommended this new doc who is located in the medical building at Pioneer Hospital. I still prefer to get any tests, surgeries, procedures, etc... done at St. Mark's hospital because they are wonderful at the hospital. But just everyday simple doctor stuff can be done at the new office.

And I still have my pain doctor at St. Mark's Pain center. He's good and I will stick with him. I do think I am going to save up money to go back to Master Lu for accupuncture again. When I went to him, I had 10 treatments and did not need a pain pill for 6 months. When I went to Dr. Kris for accupuncture I spent the same amount of money and it did absolutely NOTHING at all. I believe Master Lu knows his stuff better even though I can't understand a word he says. He speaks with a heavy Chinese accent.

Well, the boss is heading over here. Gotta look busy.

Homemade Twix bars

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Crust:

1 1/4 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup Butter plus 2 additional tablespoons butter

Mix and bake in 8 x 8 pan for 20 minutes.

Caramel:

2 TB corn syrup

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and continue to stir/whip in pan for additional two minutes until it becomes a little bit thicker. Then pour over crust and allow to cool.

Chocolate:

Melt 2 cups white or milk chocolate chips and pour over the caramel. Cool. Cut and enjoy!

UPDATE: WEDNESDAY

I made these last night and used 1 cup of melted white chocolate which I spread on half of it, and I used 1 cup of semi-sweet choc on the other half. I did NOT like semi-sweet and would definitely encourage using MILK CHOCOLATE chips instead. The original recipe called for semi-sweet, but I have changed it now to say white or milk chocolate.

Also, do not store them in the refrigerator or you will break your teeth on them because the caramel will harden like a brick. After I spread the chips on, I did put them in the fridge for only ten minutes so the chocolate would harden up enough for me to cut them and try them.

Keep them at room temperature, covered well so they don't dry out. (If they last that long. )

And The Mountains Shall be Laid Low.....

A look at Alaska's Mt. Redoubt blowing it's stack Monday. Scary times these.

I saw Brian on Sunday when he came for dinner. He was hurting pretty bad in his back and I hope he gets it looked at by a doctor because I think he hurt himself when he fell. He was in a lot of pain and was moving very slowly.

He claims it was from laying on the ER gurney for 5 hours, but I think it's more than that.

David has his Rebel Men concert tomorrow night. Next year he wants to be in the school Concert Choir where they have to wear tuxes for every performance. Which, means, of course, I have to buy a tux..... ouch.

Utah is getting hit with snow again. So much for spring eh? David was threatening to kill MR. Groundhog for lying.

I have a great recipe I am going to post later. If you like Twix bars, you will like this. It's not calorie friendly but the best foods, in my opinion, aren't. LOL

Guess who is home?

Little Markie who was in Primary Children's with RSV for a week, has come home as of yesterday. He had to bring oxygen home with him, but at least they let him leave the hospital.

Brian went to work yesterday. He says he feels like he has full lung capacity back. They had him doing a spirometer and he can get it to 100% now.

My ear still kills. I am pretty sure the eardrum is ruptured. I'm so mad at that M.A. I could spit. But whatever.

My house is a disaster. Oh my heck.... spending time recovering from my epidural injection....... then Brian going in the hospital....... means I have not done laundry or cleaned for a looooooong time. That is what I MUST do tomorrow. My bathrooms are so ick... and even though I did 3 loads of laundry.... it barely made a dent.

I hate living in a house that is dirty. So tomorrow I am going to grab a Sobe No Fear energy drink, pop music on my CD player in the kitchen and go to town cleaning!!

Ok, well, now I am at work and just learned the VP of Sales quit and today is his last day so now I pray they hire a SINGLE, good looking man to replace him...... (I had a dream long ago that I would find my next husband because he would be an employee here. At the time I thought "Huh, that will NEVER happen, we are not hiring! " But since that time we have hired several people and now we have another position open..... sooooooo..... we shall see.... LOL.

Yays and Woes........

First the YAY: Brian came home from the hospital on Tuesday afternoon. He spent yesterday resting at home and was planning to go back to work today!

Woes: I have a problem with getting earwax impacted in my ears. Two weeks ago I tried ear lavage myself to get it out and didn't. I have had a ringing in my right ear ever since and then it started to hurt and felt like there was fluid in it so I went to the doctor yesterday.

The nurse or MA, did ear lavage on me and nearly made me pass out. She used so much force and pressure that she MADE MY EAR BLEED! It was not bleeding before... but it was bleeding after and today it is STILL bleeding and hurts so bad I could cry. And she didn't even get the wax out! Some of it came, but the rest is impacted so tight it won't budge and I could not stand the pain to let her keep trying.

We were told (when I trained to be a Medical Assistant) that you do need to squirt the syringe firmly, but NOT real hard........ and this gal just BLASTED it and refused to listen to me tell her she was doing it incorrectly. She said, "Hard and fast is how it has to be done."

Well, I think she made things worse and possibly ruptured my eardrum.

I am going to find a different doctor. I don't like that place at all anymore.

Oh, and on top of that.... they didn't even give me antibiotics so I am SURE this is going to end up as a raging ear infection. I am so mad.

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.