The Lisa Life

Sandi

My beautiful sister.

Milestones

Today, for the first time in at least ten years, I drove on the expressway.

This is nothing short of amazing.  After the terrible car accident I was in, seeing a shrink for a year and still suffering panic attacks, I was never comfortable as a passenger and driving was out of the question. A completely terrifying experience just riding.

Today, I drove on the expressway.

No panic attacks, no nervousness, no hesitation other than not being sure where I was going.  Granted, Martin was with me, and he's the rock in my bedrock, and we only had to go a couple miles, but three months ago, if you would have told me I would be driving on the expressway, I would have looked at you like you tried to tell me Dubya had an IQ over 98.

Melancholy Mad

This will likely be my last post from Michigan.

I've said good-bye to several people in our lives.  Not like we're moving to the other side of the world,  but we will be nearly four hours away. 

My friend Jen, who was both my thirtieth birthday party and my fourtieth, came by. 

We had our final home visit with Mia's teacher, Miss Jennifer and her para-professional, Miss Christina.  They spent extra time with Mia.  We were all weepy when they left.  They made Mia's first school experience wonderful.

I went out to dinner that evening with my friend Beth and her daughter Jen and two of Jen's three daughters.  The girls were very well-behaved and we had a lovely time.  Jen and I chatted for a few hours after, and I wish I would have gotten to know Jen better.

Our friends Chip and Ann came by yesterday, with two of their three children and Ann's mom.  Chip scored some boxes for me and we had a nice visit, reminiscing about our camping trip, gossip about where Chip and I both used to work and the state of the world. 

Just like "home" will always be England for Martin, Michigan will always be "home" for me.  Although I'm sad to be leaving in many ways, I'm so excited at our fresh start and a new place.

But now, I have many boxes that are empty awaiting me.  How the hell did I get so many books?

Moving Into The Future

Here's the big news.

We're moving to Indianapolis.

Martin landed a fantastic job involving both his IT skills and his background as an aircraft mechanic.  Great pay, great benefits, and he loves it.  He also loves his new toys, a new laptop and a Blackberry. 

After so long with so many financial struggles, we've finally moving on and my relief is palatable.

I also really liked Indy.  It's very flat and what they call lakes would be puddles in Michigan, but the economy is good there, everything isn't closed or for sale like it is here.  Michigan has become very depressing.  Indy is bright and shiny and new and people are incredibly friendly.

I'm nervous and excited.  This is a whole new chapter of our lives beginning.

Blog Neglect

I haven't written an entry in almost three weeks.  I think that's the longest I've ever gone.  Much is afoot, chez Watson, not all of which is for public consumption. It's all good, though.

Margaret's memory loss has been explained.  She has very low blood pressure and an MRI revealed that the part of her brain that controls memory isn't getting enough blood.  Sadly, there is nothing that can really be done about it.  It's not Alzheimer's, though, so that's a good thing.  It had progressed over the years as her blood pressure continued to get lower.  Her blood pressure medicine was evaluated and adjusted and that may make some difference, or it may not.

I have been on a new-to-me anti-depressant, Paxil.  It has made an amazing difference in my life.  I haven't had a single panic attack lately.  The most common time for the panic attacks were in the car on the expressway.  Martin and Mia and I went to Indy this week and I didn't have one single freak out.  I was even able to read a bit.  It was incredible.  Maybe I will at some point actually be able to drive on the expressway again.  It has made me sleep an awful lot and I've had some horrible nightmares, sobbing and mumbling in my sleep.  Scared the shit out of Martin, but I don't remember them at all.  The doctor assured me this will stop.

I have more news but I can't share it until it's a done deal.  I don't want to jinx anything.

In the meantime, I have cookies to bake. 

Insert Title Here

Some random thoughts on Saturday.

I just finished reading Money For Nothing, by Edward Ugel.  You know all those TV commercials touting getting payouts for your lawsuit settlement or lottery winnings rather than installments?  Mr. Ugel worked at a firm that bought out lottery winnings.  It's very droll and witty, as well as educational.  Some of the best lines in the book:

"What if you really did win the lottery?  Okay, day one - week one, even - would be a whole lot of fun.  Personally, I think I'd take a bath in warm butter."

Upon meeting his future boss for the first time, in a bar: "I'm lucky Ethan wasn't a Scientologist.  I was his no matter what."

"Winning the lottery doesn't make you any less crazy than you were before you won."

*****

I'm working on the next installment of Jerry and Diane.  That is not going to be the final title, either.  I am terrible at titles so I'm waiting for a catchy on to spring into my mind.

*****

I like to send away from free samples of stuff.  Generally, health and beauty items.  I've recently gotten samples of Jergen's Natural Glow, Olay Regenerist Eye Pods, Arm & Hammer toothpaste and Dove Shampoo.  My question is, why don't you get a coupon along with the sample?  Out of those four, I got one coupon, a dollar off for the toothpaste.  I never buy any health or beauty product (excepting Clinique) without a coupon.  Same with cleaning supplies.  So even if I like the sample, I'm not likely to buy it.

*****

Since we have Poor People Insurance, I am limited as to which doctors I can go to.  Any doctor affiliated with the University Of Michigan Hospital accepts our insurance.  There is only one little problem with this.  You can not get in to see a doctor at the Brighton U of M Health Center for at least three weeks. A resident, no less, not a real full fledged doctor.  I have not had an ob-gyn exam or physical in well over three years.  I desperately need to go back on the anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications, as well as really needing that annual girly exam.  So, I made the appointment, for March 18 and told the appointment setter that it was a ridiculous wait.  I decided to see if there were any other doctors in the area I could see that could offer an appointment sooner. I had to call our Poor People Insurance provider and change my primary care physician and I explained why.  The woman on the phone said, "Three weeks?!  I will certainly note that."   I found a practice that not only accepts new patients, but I have an appointment Tuesday.  As in this Tuesday.  When I called back to cancel the appointment at the U of M Health Center, I told them exactly why I was canceling.  They couldn't have cared less and indeed, the woman practically hung up on me.  (I was not mean or rude, either, just matter of fact.)

I have hated every dealing I have ever had with the University Of Michigan Hospital system.  They jerked Martin around for months about his psoriasis medication.  When I was experiencing stroke systems and my family doctor, affiliated with U of M told me to get to U of M immediately, and indeed, called them to tell them I was coming, I was not seen by a doctor for fourteen hours.  Stroke symptoms, fourteen hours.  You read that right.  Every time I have had to make an appointment, it is a ridiculously long wait.  They shout from the rooftops about what a wonderful state of the art hospital they are.  I hate them.

*****

That is all.

 

Twas The Week-End Before Christmas

Just some random thoughts today.

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It's easy to shop for Christmas presents when you're really broke.  Takes all the angst out of it.

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Tomorrow, we go to Margaret & Peter's for a Christmas Eve dinner of ham.  Christmas Day, I will be making a turkey.  I'm not a huge turkey fan but it was given to us and I'm all about make hay when the sun shines.  It's been a long time since I've made or had a turkey dinner, so I'm almost looking forward to it.

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I regularly surf blogs.  A couple I have read recently have had an astounding number of hits considering their longevity and content.  This makes me a bit sad. I thought I was doing pretty well. Blogging is very much about writing something you want others to read.  Otherwise, I'd be off in Live Journal land set to private .

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I seem to have hit a complete writer's block.  I haven't written anything worthwhile in a couple weeks.  My so-called novella or whatever about the Edmund Fitzgerald is at a total standstill.  I have re-worked what I have done and although I know where I want it to go, I seem unable to get it there.  Right now, I'm bored with my characters, bored with the premise and bored with the whole thing.  My attitude is much the same as my attitude towards the Titanic movie:  The damn boat sinks.

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We had Christmas carolers last night.  That was pretty cool.  Mia thinks they should come every night.

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Martin and his parents are not fond of corn.  Corn, in England, is grown to be fed to animals.  People don't eat it.  In a most passive/aggressive sort of way, I'm making a corn casserole to go with Christmas dinner.

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I'm really hooked on that Feist song on the iPod commercials.  The rest of her stuff is pretty good, as well.

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Anyone else following the Stacey Peterson case?  We had Peterson East (Michael), Peterson West (Scott), and now Peterson Midwest (Drew.)  Drew is a real charmer, as were the previous Peterson's.

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How are your holiday preparations going?

It Must Be All The Fillings In My Teeth

In the space of twenty-four hours, I have managed to kill two small appliances. 

Martin has been making fun of my new blog picture since I posted it.  He says the brightness on my face makes me look like I'm standing in the path of an incoming train.  One of our goals this week-end was to get a better picture.  Last night, after showering, I plugged in my curling iron.  I have naturally curly hair but I do use a curling iron to smooth out wayward curls and frizzy spots.  After ten minutes, the curling iron was still not remotely warm. Dead.  Not surprising since I learned years ago that curling irons tend to have very short lives, regardless if you pay $3 (as this one was) or spend $40 on one, as I have in the past.

This morning, I set up the coffeemaker and let the dogs out.  Generally in the time I do that, the first cup is brewed.  This time, there were coffee grounds and weak coffee water all over the counter, but none in the pot.  An awful mess, I might add.  I fear we've killed our coffeepot.  We've been using it a lot lately, I've developed a taste for nice decaf blends with the fancy Carnation creamers.  We also use it for tea and it's generally on several hours a day.  I'm amazed that it's lasted this long, since Martin got it long before I met him and it's not top of the line or even mid list, to begin with.

I'm off to brave the wild aisles of Meijer's two weeks before Christmas. The glamor never ends.

Note To The People Driving On My Street

I live downtown.  Did I mention that before?  I think I have.

The street I live on runs parallel to the main drag through town.  At one end, it turns into a service drive through Meijer's parking lot.  At the other end, it dead ends into Main Street.  It makes a nice short-cut to avoid the lights on the main drag. 

It is, however, a residential street.  How can you tell this, when you are barreling down it at twenty miles per hour over the posted speed limit?  You can tell it's a residential street by the houses that line the street and go by in a blur outside your car windows. 

I'm really tired of people driving 40 miles an hour down the street.  It is especially galling when the vehicles are FedEx trucks, UPS trucks, and City Of Brighton trucks.  There is a reason why the speed limit is posted at 25 miles per hour.  If someone is in that much of a rip-roaring hurry, they shouldn't be on a surface street anyway, they should be driving on the expressway.  Or in the space shuttle.

How To Make My Day

Tony Snow, the press secretary for the Bush White House, resigned today.  He came from Faux news and didn't last very long.  He has been battling cancer but allegedly needs to earn more money than his $168,000 White House salary and will make more on the lecture circuit.  Neocons dropping like flies.  Or like rats from the sinking ship. 

Today at Meijer's, I purchased a package of cheap pens since we seem to have two writing instruments that are not crayons in the house.  Those two writing instruments I think must live under the couch cushions since I can never find one when I want one.  I found a nifty package of ten, four blue, four black, two red and a  bonus mechanical pencil. I like the multiple colors when I am editing my writing. They were on sale for 50 cents, marked down from 99 cents. When we checked out, they rang up for 99 cents.  I marched (okay, maybe I pranced a just a little bit) over to the service counter, where the nice young man there refunded not only the difference in price, but an additional $4.90 for the Michigan Overcharge Tax. 

And the way to really make my day?  Appalachian State beat Michigan in the home opener, 34 to 32.  I'll be snorting into my wine over that all night.