I prefer to be called a "geek"
47.61904761904762% of me is a huge nerd! How about you?
More later. Sleep now.
Lazy afternoon
I had a rough night last night, and a busy day today at work, so I'm not feeling too creative. I am trying to write in my blog every day leading up to my vacation-- and maybe even once or twice while I'm on vacation-- but who knows it that'll happen.
I took some quizzes in the past few minutes...
Take Free Myers-Briggs Personality Test
This is the fourth Meyers-Briggs-Jung test I've taken in as many years, and the fourth time I've been categorized as an ENFP. I'm beginning to feel that I might just be an ENFP. How about that?
Hmm... well, my mother is Teresa. I can see how I received this response, though.
I hate to say it, but I've never actually seen this movie! In high school my art teacher had us watch this, but I fell asleep! It's out on DVD now, so I will have to check it out.
More later!
The Friday Five!
Yeah, so it's Monday. Sue me.
1. What was the last song you heard?
Some ambiguous electronica has been eminating from Bleep's speakers today. The last song I heard that I recognized was "Sweet Child O Mine," which was promptly turned off by my lovely, Axl-hating wife. The last song I intentionally listened to was "Comin' Down" by the Crystal Method.
2. What were the last two movies you saw?
Underworld and Once Upon a Time in Mexico
3. What were the last three things you purchased?
Two bacon egg and cheese biscuits and a medium Diet Coke.
4. What four things do you need to do this weekend?
5. Who are the last five people you talked to?
Scott, Bleep, Anne, a customer named Gary and a customer named Craig
Drained, yet recharged
I returned home tonight from a weekend trip to visit my parents at their new home in Wilmington. Emma's sixth birthday was Saturday, and she wanted to spend it with them. We got a bit of a late start on Friday, but we managed to get there shortly after 9pm. I was amused and surprised when Dad asked if I would ride with him to pick Grandma Frances up from a dance. In the past year and a half, she has gone from losing her husband and nearly dying herself, to going out, socializing and meeting new people. She told me she wasn't willing or interested in marrying again, but she was having a good time getting out of the house. I'm pleased beyond words that she is able to enjoy her life, which seemed to be holding on by a thread not so long ago. In fact, yesterday she got second piercings in her ears. She says she's in her second childhood.
After returning from Grandma's house on Friday night, Alicia and I headed out to Kure Beach for a late night stroll on Kure Pier. The pierhouse was still closed for the winter, but the pier was open for those that were daring enough to stroll or fish in the chill wind. I was in shorts and short sleeves since it had been fairly warm during the day, so we didn't stay too long, but it was the most refreshing walk I've had in a while. There's definitely something magical about that place. We got a milkshake at the 24-hour McDonalds drivethrough, and as I was checking my email on Mom's computer, I found a Jenny online! That was a pretty big surprise, since she wasn't home either and her computer access was extremely limited. We had a nice talk, then Alicia and I crawled onto our king-sized airbed in the as-yet unfurnished guest room. We even got to sleep in the next morning.
Emma had a great birthday. She got so many presents, it almost looked like Christmas! She wore a silver tiara with blue fuzzy stuffs on it all day, since she was the Birthday Princess. My Grandma and Grandpa Hinshaw came over, along with Grandma Frances, Aunt Linda, my parents and Alicia and I, of course. Emma had a yellow sheet cake with ribbons, white frosting, Barbie decorations, her name spelled out in M&Ms and six blue candles. With a little help from her Grandparents, she read her own birthday cards for the first time ever. She got two pairs of new shoes, two new pillows, a pair of pillowcases, a barbie doll, a ken doll, two sets of barbie clothes, some glow in the dark no-tie curly shoelaces, a blue (her favorite color) toy truck, a coloring book, some crayons, a little money, and a ton of books from Aunt Linda and Emma's cousins, Victoria and Matt. She had a great time, but we were pretty exhausted. Once the excitement was over, Alicia stretched out for a nap and I tried to relax, too.
My rest was cut a little short as I attempted to set up a wireless LAN for Mom and Dad, but Charter Cable broke something somewhere and their cable internet went out for the remainder of my visit, so I wasnt able to get that done. I did fulfill a promise to Grandma Frances, though. I visited her house and did a little computer maintanence for her, cleaned some windows and dusted some out of reach places. I'm almost two feet taller than her, and I could barely reach it on a stepstool, but she knew the dust was there and she really enjoys living in a spotless house. It's the least I can do for her, so I made sure I took a benedryl before I went, and survived the ordeal with little trouble. She also gave me a tour of her nearly completed new kitchen, and we had a glass of wine and talked candidly about all sorts of things for perhaps the first time ever.
Alicia and I went out for a late dinner after I returned, leaving Emma with Mom and Dad for the rest of the evening. We went to Elijah's on the Cape Fear river in Wilmington for dinner. They are a mostly seafood restaurant, but I felt safe with a bacon cheddar cheeseburger, and the benedryl I had taken earlier. Alicia ate surf and turf, and we had a couple of drinks there, including a vodka, bourbon, spiced rum, peach schnapps, and iced tea concoction that was rather good and quite potent. Alicia hoped to have another drink or two at a bar near Mom and Dad's, but between the five drinks in me, the zyrtec and the benedryl, I was falling asleep in the car. She took me home, and I practically passed out upon hitting the pillow.
Today we feasted on Krispy Kreme doughnuts for breakfast, washed our clothes and bedding from the trip, Alicia cleaned the guest room and bathroom, Mom and I cooked lunch, and we enjoyed a family meal before hitting the road. We took a detour to Kure Beach for another visit to the pier and some cleansing, energizing salt air, and then made the three hour trek back home. Alicia's Dad had tended the pets while we were out of town, so they were happy to see us when we got home, but not too disappointed by our lengthy absence.
Now... my bed calls. Good night!
My mother showed this link to me:
Fairy's Strange Junkfood Tribute: How to Make Fried Oreo Cookies! Thanks Mom, my intestines ache just thinking about them!
It's rather nice to be able to talk candidly to your parents through an instant messenger, especially now that they live in another area code. Mom being a few keystrokes away was especially helpful over the past two days as a small crisis erupted around my family. I'll spare the details, but those that are close to me know what was going on.
On a lighter note, March 10th is my birthday. That's tomorrow, right now, but when most of you read this it will be today. Something like that. Most of my birthdays have sucked since I turned 20, but I'm determined to make this one different. I'll be 26, and this one's going to be good, damnit! On Friday we'll head to Wilmington for mine and Emma's birthdays, and to visit Mom, Dad, Grandma Frances, Grandma Bettie, Grandpa Hinshaw, Aunt Linda and all the rest of the family at the Beach. I gave Mom and Dad a list of birthday gifts to buy for Emma, and they picked those up tonight. I'll reimburse them when I get there. I feel kind of bad not getting them myself, but this way we won't have to try to hide presents from Emma, or try to find a way to buy them without her seeing it. Less stress is a Good Thing. Speaking of which, I'm going to bed early now, in order to ensure a good day tomorrow. Good night!
So...
I survived yesterday. Going to bed was probably the best part of the day. Today is almost done, and tomorrow is the end of the week. We're going to lay low this weekend and attempt to relax at home and not spend any money.
Alicia went to the doctor today to get a new prescription for pain meds, and update various other medications. The doctor has high hopes that continued treatment and physical therapy will begin to show results. It's looking less and less like surgery will be required, so Alicia's outlook has improved a bit.
I can't wait for my vacation! We leave for Vegas in 28 days, but it looks like we're going to stay the 12th through the 14th at Mom and Dad's new place in Wilmington for mine and Emma's birthdays. Time to go home! More later.
Yeah.
Today sucks. Good thing it'll be over 25 minutes from now. Maybe tomorrow will be better. I'll spare you all the details, besides... I don't even know half of what is wrong with me. I'm going to stick my nose back into a book now and pretend I'm somewhere else.
Catching Up
This weekend was all about catching up. Catching up with my wife, catching up with my friends, catching up on movies, on the laundry, on the dishes, on the garbage. I'm batting 1000 on the first few, but I halfassed the last half. I'm more than pleased with all that I managed to squeeze into the weekend, though. I also managed to finish all the arrangements for the Vegas vacation we'll be taking from March 31 - April 5.
Alicia had a bit of a scare this week with a trip to the emergency room after her back flared up. She couldn't feel her lower half, and the doctor at the ER got her the painkillers and muscle relaxers she needed-- and finally convinced her to see the specialist she had been avoiding. The trip to the specialist wasn't half as bad as she expected. In fact, rather than telling her that she had to have surgery, they informed her that surgery was the very last thing they had in mind. She's going to start an intense regimen of physical therapy on Friday March 5, focusing on her now officially diagnosed sprained back and neck. They took X-rays which were inconclusive, but when she returns after her first few PT sessions she'll be bringing her MRI results and getting an ultrasound on her back and neck, so that will shed more light on what's goin on inside her.
My sister volunteered to watch Emma this weekend, so I handed over my little girl and $40 to spend on her and my niece and nephews. Twyla took the kids to Chuck E Cheese and thoroughly exhausted them. Alicia and I took advantage of the quiet weekend to spend some time together. Friday night I kept her company at the flower shop from 8pm till 1am while she arranged flowers for a wedding. I picked up a book about Las Vegas a few hours before and read the more interesting parts to her while she worked, taking breaks to chat with Jenny. Alicia overslept the next morning because she had taken her meds a few hours than normal and couldn't get out of bed. When she did manage to get back up, we rushed to the shop where her coworker had finished the small pieces for the wedding, and I actually helped Alicia deliver a wedding! I've never done that before. Funerals, sure. I've even tried to pitch in on holidays, but never an honest-to-goodness wedding. It was kind of cool wandering around in this church all by myself, and seeing how all the pieces Alicia put together were laid out. After that, we had planned to meet my parents at their old place to say hello and pick up some of our old things we had left behind, but that didn't pan out. Mom and Dad opted to stay in Wilmington because they weren't sure if the snow and such had cleared up, so we went out to lunch instead and held hands and smiled at each other alot. I wanted to see a movie afterward, but Alicia's back was bothering her, so back home we went so she could take a little nap. That was interrupted a few hours later by Ian, aka Bleep the Elf, pulling up to get directions to Scott's birthday party, and generally whipping the dogs into a frenzy. Alicia woke and decided to go party too, so off we went.
We caught up with friends at Scott's thirty-third birthday party, which started out looking like a bit of a wash. When we arrived, the only folks there were Scott's girlfriend Rachel, her friend Rose, my boss Lyle, his wife Tami, their kids and Scott's neighbors. A number of folks arrived a bit later, and Scott invited me to taste a couple of different vodkas, so it didn't turn out so bad after all. I had a happy little buzz going on, so I made my way to bed shortly after arriving back at the house. I woke far too early and ate some leftovers for breakfast. Jenny decided that she didnt really feel like being in bed, so we had some interesting conversation this morning while I watched movies. She managed to keep me awake through the more dull parts of Star Trek: Nemesis and Once Upon a time in Mexico. Alicia got out of bed to watch Underworld with me, but I'm not nearly as good as Jenny at keeping people awake, and she passed out at some point in the last half.
During all of this, I took little breaks to round up a huuuge contractor bag full of assorted the trash and junk that's been piling up since Alicia's accident in September. We're not the neatest people in the first place, and with her unable to do much of anything, and me being the lazy bastard that I am, it's gotten to an obscene level of dirtiness around here. I also washed three loads of laundy, washed a few days worth of dishes-- only two or so months worth to go... I think we switched to paper plates and plastic cups at some point in December-- and then it might almost resemble a house again.
Twyla brought Emma home around 9pm, after taking her kiddos back to her ex-husband's place outside Greensboro. Emma has a raging ear infection and a really upset stomach, so Alicia's going to take her to the doctor tomorrow. I'm going to stop here because I've already practically written a short novel. Perhaps I'll write more tomorrow with some info on our upcoming vacation plans.