The first thing I have to say is Google Chrome rocks my socks! If you don't have it - get it! It's the best web browser I have ever used. Simple, fast and easy to get to all the websites you use on a regular basis. And I love how the bookmarks are easily customized and organized in a way that suites me!


Next thing - seasonal allergies suck! I can usually deal with my nose being stuffy and runny at the same time and sneezing repeatedly throughout the day, but when my throat and ears start to get itchy from all the histamine my body is producing is about when I start to go insane.


Anyway. I went to my first doctor's appointment today at the new clinic where I was applying as a patient and was very pleased to be treated as a person and not just a number at the walk-in clinic with an insurance card to pay the bills. We discussed my medical history and I told the PA what my concerns were. Then she did an exam and ordered some blood work done. I have to go back next week to discuss the results and have another exam. Hurray! Finally I don't have to wait, bend over backwards or jump through flaming hoops to get some help and answers to my questions! The only thing that was unpleasant was getting a bruise from the needle when the nurse removed it from my arm and then finding out that they had to draw more blood because she didn't do it right.....not a big deal. I have no qualms about being poked with a needle - I pay people to do that to me! Hahaha!


The countdown has begun! Only 2 more days until vacation! and I need to get off of this damn computer and go finish taking care of things. I have some phone calls to make and dishes to wash and truffles that need to be made because this is the only day I have to make them.

P.S.
CSS can suck my tits right now. I'm getting the hang of it and I understand the concept behind it but I just don't have the time to sit around and fuck with it right now.

It has been a very hectic and chaotic week, especially today. I received a phone call from my grandmother about fifteen minutes before my shift was up. She had called to inform me that there was a fire in the building below my apartment and I promptly freaked out. I knew that Kevin should have been home and he hadn't called me so I didn't know what was going on or if he and the cats were okay. I immediately left work and arrived at my apartment to find the parking lot filled with a fire engine and several of my family members on scene. Kevin was home and the cats were fine and my stepmom was standing outside with him. She had shown up to make sure that we were all okay. The fire was small - one of the dryers downstairs in the laundromat had caught fire and was quickly put out but the stench was horrible and our apartment was a bit smoky inside. I was glad to find that everything was alright and touched to know that my family was right there to help out. Julie, (my stepmom) offered for us to stay at their house for the night if it still stunk too bad but after opening all the windows and letting the fans run it's not so bad. Oh, well. Life goes on I suppose and nobody got hurt so it's all good.

In other news:
It's been decided to cancel the trip to the Porcupine mountains during my vacation. It's just going to cost too much. The amount of money we would spend just on gas is enough to make me cringe. So now I haven't the slightest clue what to do with myself for my vacation. Of course that could be determined entirely by how my doctor's appointment goes next week as well. It will be nice to finally have a proper doctor to go to and maybe I will be able to get some help with some of my 'issues'. That would be an immense relief. First thing's first, though. Full on physical including a series of blood tests and a review of my medical history and we'll go from there.

Also, weekend before last Kevin and I drove down to Holland and Grand Rapids to visit with his family. We had a wonderful time and I was so glad to finally meet my future mother-in-law. It was a busy weekend but a much needed break from the humdrum of staying at home. Otherwise, I am looking forward to taking vacation after next week, whatever I may end up doing.

I've seen it and thought it would be fun to give it a try.....

Thanx to

The rules are as follows. Choose a singer/band/group.
Answer using ONLY titles of songs by that
singer/band/group.
Tag 6 more people and let them know they've been tagged.


Band of choice

Dropkick Murphy's

Describe yourself.

Perfect Stranger

What do people feel when they're around you?

The Gang's All Here

How would you describe your previous relationship?

Vices and Virtues

Describe your current relationship.

Going Strong

Where would you want to be now?

The Rocky Road to Dublin

What's your life like?

Rude Awakenings

What would you ask for if you had only one wish?

Forever

Say something wise.

Your Spirit's Alive


I don't think enough people actually read my journal to merit tagging anyone....so, if you read it and feel like doing it let me know so I can check out what you put down.

Kevin is a doll! He bought me a subscription and I've spent the last hour at least digging through the help desk trying to figure what all exactly I can do now and how to do it. It's fun setting it all up but to be honest I'm a little lost. Any helpful hints or suggestions would be welcome.

My lazy day yesterday was just that.....very lazy. It must have been needed, though. I think that my body finally went on strike after rollerblading as much as I have during the last week. It was a lot more exercise than what I was used to and I didn't get the opportunity to ease myself into it. Today, however, shall have to be a different story. There is a lot of planning to do before the trip up to Porcupine Mountains, so I'll be looking over trail maps and digging around online to find the rest of the equipment that I need to have. I've already found a daypack to carry all of my camera equipment and it was surprisingly less expensive than what I expected but it will be just perfect. It can store up to two SLR bodies, 4-5 different lenses and there are tons of little spaces to store filters, extra batteries, media cards and my cleaning kit. So there is plenty of room for all of my lttle toys and more for all the little toys I plan to get in the future. It also has straps along the bottom of the pack to attatch a tripod; hip and chest straps to keep the weght off the shoulders and and resting across the hips like it should be and wicking (a thin material that lets air pass through it very easily) lines the back of the pack so I won't be sweating to death while I carry it. The only down side about the pack is that it doesn't have a pocket for a water bladder (of course). So I'm going to have to figure out some way to carry my water with me. Four or Five miles without easy access to water would not be fun and it would be inconvenient to ask Kevin to stop every time I was thirsty so I could take a sip out of his water bladder. That would just slow us down.

I also found the wired remote that is compatible with my camera. The prices on this was right around where I had expected it to be, but I still shopped around to find a little better price and was surprised to find it on B&H Photography's website for about $5 cheaper than what most other places were asking for it. That actually makes me a little giddy. I get the B&H catalog in the mail every year and I always sit there drooling over it like a kid with a toy catalog. Most of their merchandise is pricey but it's top of the line equipment. Needless to say, I'm a little excited to be making my first ,(and possibly last) B&H purchase and this little baby is going to open up a wide range of possibilities for shooting different styles of photography and make nightshots a piece of cake.

So today it'll be trail maps and writing out a proper list of all the things I will need to bring to make this into the best photo op trip it can possibly be. Not to mention that this will be the first time in a long time that Kevin and I have been able to do something special together with just the two of us. In fact, I think it's been about a year now. We just don't get to spend a whole lot of time with each other during the week so we're both looking forward to this with great anticipation. Wish me luck!