Idol and a Day Off

Today was a day off for me with no particular plans. My mom and I ended up going out to lunch and then did some shopping at Walmart. My brother had sent me a gift card from there for my birthday. I bought a rather large painting that I really love and hung it between my kitchen and living room. It`s a country scene - a barn, church, apples, children and animals. Very quaint. I just love it!!

I`ve been playing around with my page on MySpace. I don`t know why I ever thought it was difficult. It`s actually very easy, especially putting music on. I`m having fun with it.

Okay, so last entry I was saying how American Idol wasn`t exciting to me this year. But I have to say that the guys really stepped it up last night! There were like 4 that I really thought were great. My early faves for the guys are :

Sundance, the big guy who sang last -

Chris, I think his name is - sorta looks like Justin Timberlake. I could see him winning.

The Be-Bop Box dude, whatever you call that. He`s very unique.

The military guy - is it the Marines? I don`t think he will win but I think he will definitely be around for a while.

I think we are starting to see some improvement and some personalities coming out, as the really good ones start to move forward. We`ll see how the girls do tonight. No doubt about it, those two black girls can sing!

I have never been a fan of Dancing With the Stars, but I see where Olympian Apollo Ohno will be on the new show. I may have to watch. I have always liked him.

I have not felt  so great on and off today. A little nauseous. I feel pretty good at the moment. I just polished my nails and I`m off to read some more of Dear John by Nicholas Sparks. It`s very good. I may go watch a couple of videos from cute guys that I subscribe to on YouTube.   :) 

God bless and have a great night!

  thanks, Chris! xo 

                                            

 

Tags: American Idol, MySpace, Apollo Ohno, Nicholas Sparks

Dear John

Dear John, the letter read. And with those two words, a heart was broken and two lives changed forever....

So begins the new Nicholas Sparks book that I started reading yesterday. Yeah baby.

My birthday was nice, though relatively uneventful. I mostly ran errands and cleaned my car. Then I said hi to my friend, Cathie, online around 5:00 and we made a very spontaneous decision to go out to dinner. By 5:30 we were both at the restaurant. How fun! Who says we in the midwest can`t move fast?

Work was slow today. I spent a few hours in the drive up where I read some of the book mentioned above.

How can we face loss --- without giving up on love? Now, when he finally returns to North Carolina, John will discover that loving Savannah will force him to make the hardest decision of his life....

So goes the story.

I`m off to watch American Idol soon. Is it just me, or is it lacking this year? Last year seemed so - exciting, ya know?? I just can`t get into it so much this year and I look at these finalists and I`m not seeing a Chris Daughtry or a Taylor Hicks, a Clay or a Carrie. It`s still early, so maybe my view will change. But as Randy would say, "I`m just not feelin` it, dawg. "

An old friend called me last night. We went to school together and she moved away years ago, but we still keep in touch. Neither time nor distance has affected the depth of a friendship. We were on the phone for over two hours, with her doing most of the talking. She had a lot to tell me about her life, her family, things she is/was going through. Funny how you know people at such a young age, and then you follow through their lives - all the twists and turns that it takes. When I first met her in seventh grade, we were playing kickball and carefree. I don`t know where the time goes.

Her and I once went to a KISS concert and she painted her face like Ace. Wild times. Lots of parties. She moved to California and I moved to NY. She flew east for my wedding. I flew west for hers. Her daughter is my goddaughter. Parents die, friends get sick, I went through a divorce, life happens, and the friendship still thrives and a friend still calls to say, "Happy Birthday - I miss you!"

 

How Old??

  

Hi again and thank you for the birthday greetings that are coming in. I turn $# years old tomorrow! I have the day off and I plan on enjoying myself.

I haven`t done much this weekend, unless you count sleeping. I did work Saturday and got some laundry done later in the afternoon.

On Friday I took my car to be serviced - oil change, tires rotated, things like that. It`s all set for my vacation next month.

We had some rain here in Ohio today. We never really got much of the ice that was predicted. I did head out for church this morning and it was a little slippery here and there, but not bad. By the time church was done, it had warmed up to near 40 degrees and the roads were fine. For the first time in what seems like ages, I can see the actual ground again instead of layers and layers of snow and slush!

Than you, Lisa Jo for the birthday card by snail mail. It brightened my day when I received it! So sweet.

Oh, okay ........ 46.

Blue Skies, Wedgies, and Chris Daughtry

         

Yesterday morning when I left my house it was a beautifully sunny day. The sky was a gorgeous shade of blue. Just looking at it I felt like it was a summer day. Gazing around, I saw the barren trees limbs and the snow everywhere like so many white blankets stacked upon the ground and the illusion suddenly disappeared.

Anyhow, I woke up feeling good. I put on my favorite jeans and my new pink shirt. (Always feeling good when I wear pink! )

First stop - Walmart.   Where else?

It occurs to me that my bra is killing me. A quick stop into the bathroom to try and adjust this problem. ( to no avail )

It then occurs to me about half way through the store that my jeans are what my mother might refer to as "riding up." Possibly otherwise known as wedgy! Here`s the dilemma .... do I schlep half way across the store to the bathroom again? Or do I just slip into an empty aisle and give a tug? But then will I be caught on camera in this compromising, un-ladylike position? Come on, we`ve all been there.

I won`t tell you which I chose. I know you`ll all lose sleep tonight in a fit of suspense.

After a trip to the bank and the gas station, I am now on my way to the Cleveland Clinic for treatment.

On the way I am rocking out to Chris Daughtry. You are so right, Greg, it is really good! I might even say it`s the best release by an American Idol persona so far!

So I get to the hospital and  I am informed that since my chemo and meds are doing so good and since I seem to tolerate it quite well ( their words, not mine ), that I will continue to do this for yet a few more months.

This hospital has come to be a place of many friends for me. As the nurse pokes a rather long, and might I add, sharp! needle into the port hidden just under the skin in my chest in order to draw blood samples, we chat about hair colors, the weather, pink shirts and dry skin. We laugh and giggle like old friends conversing over lunch. With this needle and wires taped to my chest, mostly hidden beneath my shirt, but not quite, I head out to another waiting room to see my two handsome doctors. Nurses stop by and say hi to me and tell me my hair looks great! How ARE you? How`s work? How`s your daughter doing? I love these people. We patients sit around and look at each other, and smile or nod to one another. It`s a bonding kind of thing. That look that says, "Yes, I know what you`re going through." We are all in our different stages of cancer. Some, like me, in remission, feeling good and looking normal once again. Others with no hair, others in wheel chairs, too weak to walk ... others with bad cases of nausea carrying little buckets just in case. I can relate, because 2 years ago I was in everyone of those different levels of fighting it.

My doctors ( handsome ) visit with me, ask me the usual questions, discuss my upcoming appointments and my progress. We then discuss books ... The King of Torts which I am reading by John Grishom. ( I love this book. I am fascinated by it, actually. ) and The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, which my doctor has read and loved. And I read it and loved it. We also have the same iPod.

Next stop is the actual treatment room. I wait about 40 minutes to get in. Lots of sick people. Another nurse then hooks up my already wired port to a machine that pumps saline through it. We wait for the chemo to come in from the pharmacy. This small bag of wonder drug. I must verify my name and birthday before it`s given to me. A second nurse must double check everything. My nurse must put on gloves and a special gown to administer it. I am shown the label with the name of the drug and the amount that will be given. It`s a go.

I lean back in the easy chair, close my eyes, relax, and let the poison slide through my veins ....

Tags: Walmart, Cleveland Clinic, Chris Daughtry, chemo, John Grishom, The Historian.

Lots of Driving

 

Yesterday was a good yet frustrating day. I visited my daughter at college, drove the couple hours to get there. We had many errands to run, some in parts of the city I had never been to. The streets had not been plowed, there was snow everywhere. Visibility on the highways was tough, too, as it was still snowing. I got lost about 3 times. Turning around on side roads was no easy feat, as there was snow and ice everywhere, and many people trying to shovel their cars out!

I gave up trying to find one store we needed to get to for art supplies. But we did manage to get to the post office, Panera for lunch, Jo Ann Fabrics, Best Buy, Walmart, and Red Robin for dinner. Traffic everywhere. Too many one - way streets. Snow everywhere. More snow falling. No place to park at my daughter`s apartment due to snow all over the streets.

But we did have a nice time together. We always do.

I got two CD`s yesterday ; Chris Daughtry, which I haven`t listened to yet and a band that I just heard of that I seem to really love called Umbrellas. WOW!!! Love them!!

http://www.myspace.com/umbrellas  

Best CD I have heard in a long time.

 

Anyhow, I was beat when I finally got home  last night. I went to bed at 10:00 and woke up at 11:30 this morning. I hated to miss church, but really felt the need to rest up. ( what else is new ) But I felt great today.

Tomorrow is chemo and bloodwork. Man, that monthly visit to the Cleveland Clinic comes up fast!

My car is a total mess. It`s covered with snow, salt, mush, goo, and road trip miscellaneous items picked up along the way. lol. I`ll have to wash it tomorrow. I just can`t take a dirty car. Drives me nuts.

Goodnight all!

Oh, like the tag above? Want to make your own?

http://www.signgenerator.org/books/dummies/

 

 

Tags: snow, Umbrellas, Cleveland Clinic

Congratulations To Andrew

 

One of my favorite songwriters/singers/pianists, as most of you know, is Andrew McMahon whose bands include Something Corporate and Jack`s Mannequin.

I`ve only seen him in concert once, but I have to say, it was amazing. And a lot of fun.

Two months after I was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia, word came to me that Andrew had also just been diagnosed with the same thing. He was in his early twenties and I was devastated to hear this news.

Ofcourse I would have been sad to hear this at any time, but laying there in my hospital bed, with a port in my chest, pumping new blood and platelets into my body; sick, tired, and weak, with no hair ..... well, it hit pretty close to home and I cried for him, knowing that he, too, would have to endure this.

In August of 2005 when his Jack`s Mannequin CD was debuted, Andrew was in a hospital in LA getting a bone marrow transplant. The very same day. Life sometimes shoots us a cruel, ironic twist of fate.

I said a lot of prayers for him.

I`m happy to say that he is back on tour again and recently got married.

I love happy endings.

Or in this case, a happy ending with a bright beginning!

Tags: Andrew mcmahon, leukemia, Something Corporate, Jack`s Mannequin, prayers

A Long Week

 

This snow and ice and "snow days" from work have made for a long week. The older I get, the less I like being thrown off my routine.

Today was a good day at work. I`ve been doing well, getting my referrals and had a good review last week, so I`ve been happy there. Plus today was the day we got our bonuses. :)( Well, at least those of us who received a good review. )

Tomorrow will be an early day for me, which is good because I have some errands to do. Saturday I am planning on visiting my daughter at college. It`s my only Saturday off this month.

Today was a good day, but honestly, I have really been struggling with being tired. Then I don`t feel as motivated as I should. Then I get upset with myself. Then I tell myself, ofcourse I`m tired, as I`m still taking meds and getting chemo monthly. Then I have flashbacks of being sick and the lack of energy that I had in the beginning of my illness. Scary, and I do not dwell on that! Then I get sad because I`ve gained weight from the meds. Then I just feel happy and grateful to be well and able to get on with my life once again. So this is how my emotions flow. And I even hate to admit that I sometimes feel overwhelmed or so fatigued because I am blessed with so much. I suppose, though, that my feelings and thoughts are flowing in a somewhat systematical order - the stages you go through as you get over any long illness. When I feel out of sorts I usually don`t write about it, either, yet here I am blogging away.

Anyhow, I am looking forward to a good weekend with Corey.

Thanks to Donna of  D's Designs for the top tag. Isn`t it cool?

And I`d like to wish Missie a very Happy Birthday! If you haven`t already wished her happiness on her special day, pop on over and do so!   :)   Missie's Upside Down World

Be well and God bless!!

Penny

http://www.myspace.com/pennysplace2gogh  

February 14th

 

I just wanted to do a short entry to say Happy Valentine`s Day!

We are buried in snow and I am home from work today because I can`t get out of my driveway! I am waiting for one of the local boys to come and use the snowblower! I did go to work yesterday and it took me forever to get there and back. I really need to get to Walmart, though, and pick up a prescription.

So I`ll be using today to catch up on laundry, bills, etc. I have been around to most of your journals but I wasn`t able to comment in most cases. I received a big screen saying  "Forbidden."  Huh?? Never saw that one before.

I have been planning on going to NYC in March, but I am re-thinking that now. I hate not to go, but it will be a lot of driving. Then I`ll have to take my daughter back to college when we get back, then go to Cleveland that Monday for my treatment. I think it will just be too much. So I will probably still get away, but somewhere closer, maybe Indianapolis where my brother lives. That way I won`t have to put my dog in the kennel for an entire week. Just a few days instead.

Well, I`m off for now. I hope AOL doesn`t eat this entry.

Happy Valentine`s Day! And remember, it`s not too late to send me flowers, candy, cards, or that handsome Christian gentleman I`ve been waiting for!    :0)

Love you guys xo

      

 

Packaging

    

After work yesterday, I did absolutely nothing. I laid down in the late afternoon for a nap and pretty much slept on and off until this morning.

Tomorrow will be busy. I have to exchange a shirt that I bought at Walmart, pick up prescriptions for my mom, meet Janice at Olive Garden for lunch, then help her with some computer stuff. ( yeah, don`t laugh. )

Friday I got my hair trimmed. Since my leukemia, my hair has been growing back in for about 14 months now. It grew back curly and very thick. It really took about a year for it to get back to normal again. So it`s cut in layers and I`m letting it get longer.  Soon it will be to my shoulders. Yay! I bought some new shampoos and conditioners. I like the look of very straight hair, so I bought a flat iron.

                 

 

Which brings me to my next subject:

Packaging.

It`s bad enough that when I buy a CD, the artist most likely will have their next one released by the time I can get the current one unopened. The packaging for the flat iron was even worse. First I took scissors to cut through the plastic that it was encased in. No easy feat. I then proceed to try and ply the plastic apart. No go. More cutting. Tugging, cutting, pulling. Beads of sweat forming on forehead. Clock is ticking. (I`ve showered, moisturized, dressed, dried my hair.... Now all I want to do is run a straightener through it!)

Pull some more.

Cut some more. Voila`! The plastic packaging is partially opened. All I have to do is pull out the flat iron.

 If I can wedge it out amidst the cardboard that surrounds it.

Pulling on the cardboard now while trying not to cut myself on the jagged edge of plastic that I cut into.

A few more tugs.

Clock ticking.

The cardboard is removed. There may be hope of me using this flat iron yet! Now I`m yanking it out of the package ....

 cord is caught in more plastic and cardboard in the bottom. Yanking. Hands cut from jagged plastic edge. Nose running. Gritting teeth.

One last final tug in a heroic show of strength and:

The flat iron is OUT OF THE PACKAGE!!!!

Piece of cake. Kinda like having a baby.

Review

Quite a bit of snow has fallen since I`ve been home from work. We are supposed to get 1 - 2 inches.

Work went by quickly today. The last hour of my shift was spent receiving my (gulp!) review. It actually went better than I had anticipated and I received a (small) raise and also a decent bonus. So I left work a happy girl. I think I will use the bonus for my trip to New York in March.

I have some laundry to do and some sprucing up of MySpace page before American Idol comes on.

Have a great night and remember ....

        heh heh

 

 

                                     Donna , thanks for the tag!~

C-c-c-cold Monday

         

 

Okay, it`s officially cold here in Ohio!

Even by my standards.

This morning I awoke to the sound of a loud BOOM! It`s not my brother backing up in the driveway, so what could it be? My neighbors had a guest staying overnight and she parked her car on the street. Someone ran right into it! I live in a quiet neighborhood. The streets are wide, hardly anyone parks on the street, ever. Maybe that`s how he hit her car, just wasn`t paying attention and wasn`t expecting it to be there. Still, I don`t really see how you could miss a car. Right in front of you.

 

I`m off soon to run some errands..... library, Walmart, and lunch with a friend. I did absolutely nothing yesterday and I slept a lot, so I`m itching to get out today, despite the cold.

  

I`ve had myself on a budget lately. Notice I haven`t bought any new purses or gone clothes shopping much. Last pay all I spurged on was some Flair markers, because I love pens/markers. And I bought my daughter and her roomie a few things for Valentine`s Day. They will each get a small surprise package in the mail. Everything else went to bills or savings.

Ta-Ta for now. I have to go. Stay warm!

 

  penny    

Sometimes......

              

 

Not often, but sometimes, I mourn the fact that I do not have a male companion. You know, when all the things I do just seem too much for one person .... or perhaps on a holiday ..... or all the trips I make back and forth for my treatment, or to visit my daughter. It would be nice to have someone to share events with and to chat with. However, there are times - many of them, in fact - when I am totally happy being single. Days like today, where I was off from work and had a day to myself to lunch, shop, relax at home. No obligations and nobody I have to please.

Most things have their ups and their downs. Being single is one. So is being married. You know I am still lôôking for that Christian gentleman,    :)     but until he comes along, I`m rather content.

                        

My brother and his wife ( and let`s not forget their puppy ) were here visiting from Indy the past two days. It was nice to see them again. This morning my brother was backing his car up into the driveway. I am sitting at my desk paying bills when I hear a loud BOOM! I slip on my shoes and run outside.  ( It`s 22 degrees, no coat needed - lol. ) I was sure he had backed into my new car. Whew.....it was the pole on the side of the car port. I wouldn`t have been mad anyhow - I love him way too much - but I`m sure glad it wasn`t my car he hit! No damage done to his car, although the pole is now dented. It sure is quiet now, with 2 less people in the house and especially one less puppy! My Mandy ( Cocker Spaniel ) really doesn`t seem too impressed with her "cousin", although by the second day they did seem to be friends.

                        

 

Yeah, so, I`m kinda hooked on MySpace. I worked on my page last evening and left some comments to others. I guess I`ve gotten the hang of it now.

Thanks to Donna for the top elephant tag. I just love it! Please say a prayer for 2 of my favorite ladies in J-Land who have been sick -

Sugar and Pam. I know they would appreciate it. ( I hope you`re feeling better soon! )

Have a great weekend!!!!!

Love & God bless,

      penny