I forgot how much I liked hydrocodone...

So, I've actually been using some of my two weeks of sick days this week. I am having an ERCP at 11:45 this morning. Supposedly there is a gallstone blocking my bile duct, which is why I've been having so much pain and why I am getting jaundiced. I ate last night for the first time since Tuesday. I've scheduled my gallbladder surgery for November 5th. Although I kind of wish it were sooner so I could just get it over with. But they said I should feel a lot better after this procedure. It's just really bad timing, since Shannon and I are moving Saturday. But she's been awesome and has been moving my boxes and stuff over to the new house this week. I don't know what I would do if she and Jack weren't so awesome. Other awesome people-Rachel, Dave, my parents, work. My dad booked it back from Scottsville the other day when Dr. G said I should go see a surgeon right now. He knew I was scared, so he met me there. In that he got there like 5 minutes after I did. Rachel and Dave have been checking on me a lot via phone and even offered to come help move me. Work has checked on me every day that I left early and yesterday when I just didn't go and they offered to drive me around and even to come help pack my stuff (it's been a slow week). And Rachel, proactive as she is, called the doctor for me the other day. Thanks dude, I couldn't think straight to remember what I wanted to say. I feel better now that I have hydrocodone and have eaten. But if my sedation is anything like my dad's was last year, I will mostly be sleeping the rest of today. I'm staying at my parents for a day or two since my place is all crazy right now. So to sum up, I am still sickly, just in a different way than I used to be. And every one of you is awesome. Thanks for everything and I'll probably blog again sometime this weekend.

pain

Perk of having the same GP for 15 years-they totally know that when you say you're having severe abdominal pain, you're not kidding. I called mine yesterday and told them this and while they didn't call me back until 6:30 at night, they said to come in at 7:50 this morning. So I went and tomorrow I am to go have an ultrasound. Dr. G. said my symptoms are textbook for gallbladder problems. I told my dad this and he said that's not like me at all, so it's probably something completely different. I like to think I can take a little pain (after all, I am prone to migraines), but it was very not fun. I got so flustered after I threw up that I couldn't decide what to do, so I tried to call Rachel, but she was at the hospital. Also, she totally told me it was probably my gallbladder when I was having pain the evening after Dad's party. I trust her, since she's a medical professional. Anyway, then I called my dad, who was like, uh, yes if you have pain so bad it makes you throw up, you should do something about it. What can I say? I'm not good in a crisis. But I figured it out enough to know that there was no way I was going to the emergency room, since it wouldn't really help me to sit in a waiting room for 3 hours while still being in pain. So I called Dr. G. and squirmed around on my couch. Work was really nice about it and sent me home again when I returned after taking a three hour lunch trying to wait it out. So I got to stay home and listen to it rain. I do love rain.
Also, Shannon and I got our keys on Sunday and started moving some of her stuff into the house. I really don't have time for a medical condition this week. Maybe next week, when we're finished moving.

good times

Christina just reminded me that I haven't posted in a while. Sorry about that. I know my legions of adoring fans have been sad. Anyway, the surprise birthday party we threw my dad went very well. I was worried, but about 50 people showed up. And he didn't know until we told him, which surprised me because he kept looking at me like I was up to something. We wound up having to tell him to get him there because of the UK game. But I think he was pleased and he felt the love.

Also, these gems from my awesome nieces-Addie, running away from where my dad and Zoe were removing pumpkin goop from the pumpkins he was carving, "Tha's nasty! Tha's a nasty punkin' patch!" Apparently she didn't realize pumpkins were stinky and goopy. Zoe, after listening to Rachel and I discuss how she thought the girls needed an easel, "Yeah, we need a weasel for Christmas, Mommy." And then we laughed at her. She took it well. And Addie can totally say my name with all the consonants that are on my birth certificate. I was excited. No more Anea or Aura. I can't believe how much they've changed every time I see them.

glee-inspiring

I think Shannon and I are going to get the place with all the paneling. As adorable as the other place is, the 70s porn dungeon makes more fiscal sense. Also it's funnier. It'll be fun and we'll have an interesting time working around the paneling. I think we might try to cover part with fabric. Or there is removable wallpaper or wall decals, but they are expensive. We'll see. We're meeting the guy at 6 tonight and I guess we'll give him some money. I don't think we can get anything a whole lot better for the price. Plus, his pet deposits are absurdly low. He wants $25 for the cats and $40 for Shannon's dog. Isn't that awesome? It should be an interesting place to live.

I have been laughing so much lately. I think I'm way too easily amused. I've also been talking to the AL Benzes a lot and that's always entertaining. Not to mention the fact that some of the homes Shannon and I looked at inspired laughter. Also, 30 Rock started again last night and it was good. And I am loving some of the new shows that started recently. Gossip Girl is awesomely trashy fun and Pushing Daisies was so bright and absurdly weird that it seemed cartoonish. Which is actually what they were going for, I think. And I am so thrilled that David Anders is on Heroes and back to being a fake European mastermind type. I did not like him at all when he was on Grey's Anatomy. Apparently he's only awesome when he is channeling Sark. Or at least Sark's accent. Speaking of Grey's Nads, I did watch the premiere, even though I said I wasn't going to. It wasn't great. And I've not watched last night's, but I've got it, so I may. You should all be really proud of me, because I am. No, really, because yesterday I hooked the DVD recorder up to the TV and the DVR so I could dump stuff from the DVR onto DVD. And it worked. I didn't need to make any calls or anything. Color me skilled.

Also, this website that I love, so I'm not sure why it's not on my links here, has been having a Donors Choose challenge and since it started at midnight on October 1st, the readers of Tomato Nation have raised more than $50,000. Now, I totally think you should be reading Tomato Nation, but now is not a very good time to start, for since the crazy awesome success of the challenge, the posts since Monday have been all congratulatory(click on leaderboards on the donors choose website to see more on why). One of the things that has been making me laugh is listening to the audio version of this in my car all week. I think the Girls' Bike Club stories probably make a little more sense if you start at the first one rather than the most recent. But they are freaking funny. And she does an advice column type thing where she advises people more like an actual friend would advise them, rather than the way Ann Landers would. And also just writes general stuff about odds and ends. So anyway, maybe later I will put a link up. Shut up, I am way too busy right now! Obviously! :-D

As promised...more on the living space search!

Last night Shannon and I looked at only one place, but we loved it. It is adorable and reasonably priced and there are no dragons on the walls. It even has a fenced in backyard, which is cool since Shannon has a dog. So now we just have to wait for the dude to call us back. I hope he does. If he doesn't, we'll be tempted to take the $350 a month attic. It is sooo cheap. And the guy who owns it called me yesterday and said he wants to rent it to us and asked what he could do to make that happen. So apparently we are awesome. Which, duh. Like, more than once he asked if there was anything he could change or fix to make us take it. And he said if we think of anything we should call and let him know. Which makes it tempting, but really, I think we are too old to be living in a crack den. We didn't even fill out an application, so he couldn't have checked up on us yet. I think he must like us simply because we are not crackheads. So pray that the guy with the adorable house calls us today.

Also, I just wanted to say that even though Shannon and I spent two days painting in my parents' not well ventilated family room, I did not get sick. Allergy shots and having my tonsils removed are totally the two best things to happen to me in my adult life. Other than maybe going to DisneyWorld those times with my people. I totally don't get sick much now. And last time I got sick was, I am fairly certain, simply because I kept crying. I think the crying made me get sick. It might not sound logical, but it's my theory, so suck it.

75% less whining, guaranteed

So I started to say this ealier, but I got sidetracked because I was talking to Rachel and Dave while I was typing. Yeah, whatever, I've been down lately, but the other day Shannon was driving us down Smallhouse Road to look at a place and I simply said, "Dude." She looked at me and went, "What? Oh, mailbox!" And we both started cracking up. Probably for a little too long, but when we were in high school and she would drive me home it always seemed like she was about to hit the mailboxes on Smallhouse because it's a narrow road and she was pretty far over. As of yet, she has never knocked one over, but I swear everyone who rode with her back then knows what I'm talking about. And I realized that despite feeling stupid and restless and lonely, I am lucky to have some really great friends. And even luckier to have some really great relatives who are friends. So thanks for being so awesome.

parade of janky homes

I guess I haven't had much to say lately. I got my hair cut-somewhere between two and three inches. I feel so much better without that weird layer left over from when it was short. Shannon and I painted my parents' family room. It's just lovely now. Or something. I've been down for a while now, feeling sad and kind of restless, like I should be doing something (not painting).

So Shannon and I are looking at apartments, because I would save so much money if I lived with her and also because it wuld be fun and she spends a lot of time at my apartment anyway. We lived together before and while it didn't end well, we decided our only problems were...extraneous. And we don't have those problems anymore, so we'll be fine. The first place we looked at was so awesomely funky. It was huge and it had a yard, but it was paneled. All but the bedrooms and bathroom. And it had one of those dungeon things and a floor unit for heat and three window units for air. So, not practical and also disturbing with all the paneling. But way cheap and really big for a rental house. Yesterday we saw this apartment that was only $350 a month and it really had two bedrooms, but it was...weird. Like it was an attic apartment so all the ceilings sloped and made it seem very small. And then we looked at one that had two bedrooms, but you had to go through one bedroom to get to the other one. That seemed less than ideal. But it had this awesome breakfast nook that was all windows. It was so cool. And there was a fabulous chandelier thing that had Mason jars over the bulbs. It might sound strnage but I really liked it. We tried to figure out if we could live with one of us sleeping in the living room and the other in the back bedroom and using the middle bedroom as a living room. But I don't know. Lest you think I am way too picky, the last two were leaning towards trashy. So we called a ton of places that had signs out front and hopefully someone will call us today and let us come look. We found one place that we both completely loved, but it was $750 a month. That would be the same as what I pay now. But it was an awesome house that had just been renovated. The bathroom and kitchen were awesome, but it had three bedrooms, and since we don't know anyone else we like enough to live with, it would be too much. More on the search later, I'm sure.

Arrr, mateys!

Avast, today is Talk Like A Pirate Day! Don't forget to confuse your friends and loved ones with some random pirate jargon! And, whenever possible, tell terrible pirate jokes. I have found that they are so cheesy, people almost always laugh.

1.Who was your first prom date? Peewee Herman (most of you know what I'm talking about) :-D

2. Who was your first roommate? Dave

3. What was your first alcoholic drink? Screwdriver

4. What was your first job? Babysitting

5. What was your first car? 1989 Honda Accord-I miss you, Snake Eyes...

6. Who was the first person you texted today? I haven't texted anyone yet today.

7. Who is the first person you thought of this morning? The people who beat me to work?

8. Who was your first grade teacher? Ms. Downey

9. Where did you go on your first ride on an airplane? Boston

10. When you snuck out of your house for the first time, who was with you? I never really snuck out of the house. I went out my window once, but it was the middle of the day and I was just seeing if I could do it without breaking my legs. My window was pretty far off the ground.

11. Who was your first best friend and are you still friends with them? Kathi and not really. She e-mailed me when she got engaged.

12. Where was your first sleep over? Either Kathi's or Haley's

13. First Kiss? What about it?

14. Whose wedding were you in the first time? Mark's

15. What is the first thing you do in the morning? Pet Grace so she'll lay down and stop meowing in my face and let me sleep a few more minutes

16. What was the first concert you ever went to? Sharon, Lois, and Bram from the Elephant Show at Freedom Hall

17. First tattoo or piercing? Ears at 10 and I still have no tattoos

18. First foreign country you went to? Germany

19. First crush? Steve in the second grade.

20. When was your first detention? Freshman year of high school I got my only detention because Dave was always running late and my first period teacher sucked. I only went for 15 minutes and then I got to leave and I didn't have to come back to serve the rest.

21. What was the first state you lived in? Kentucky

22. Who was your first love? Marie. She was our only real pet.

23. Who was the first person to break your heart? Me

24. Who will be the first to repost this? No one. Even Christina got to it before me. Maybe Mark will do it and make a blog.

Awesome!

My weekend just got really busy because a dude from church called and asked me to do graphics for him on Sunday morning. And he was also supposed to be helping my dad out this weekend in Leitchfield, but he's going to be out of town all weekend. So I told him I would cover for him Saturday too. So there's that. But what is really awesome is that apparently at some point this week one of my remaining three hubcaps fell off, but I didn't notice because it was on the passenger side and I never wind up on that side of my car. Our UPS guy at work noticed and told me the other day and I was like, nuts. But then a few minutes ago, he brought it to me! Apparently it was by a road right near work that he also delivers on so he picked it up for me. That was really nice of him. I just put it back on and I figured out why they must be falling off. The little plastic pieces that attach the big plastic part to the metal ring around the inside are mostly broken. Or maybe that's just my theory. I put it back on and it seemed stuck on well, but we'll see. I have no idea what I could be doing to make them fall off.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Rachel! You are totally awesome and not old at all, busty.

fence-riding

I was talking to Shannon the other day about politics, which she loves to do, but I don't. I just don't like to share my opinions about incendiary matters because I know people get all riled up when you don't agree with them. I prefer to just stay quiet rather than cause unnecessary conflicts. But we were talking about it anyway, and I said something to the effect that I wouldn't vote for Romney because he is Mormon. I didn't mean it, but sometimes people have a hard time telling with me. Shannon was like, dude, is believing what they believe really that much crazier than believing that Jesus died and came back three days later smelling like roses? That's not exactly how she put it, but you get the gist. And you know, I'm glad I have her to give me a reality check sometimes because that is a good point. If you are not religious, you would think that both of them sound crazy. I guess it's just that I am sometimes intolerant of things that don't make sense to me. And I'm not saying Mormons are stupid, because that's not true, it's just that they believe something different than I do. I know that a lot of people have problems with tolerance about morals and religion and well, pretty much anything there is to fight about. But it makes me really mad when people won't listen to both sides. It's great to have convictions, but sometimes you need to think about why people who disagree with you might do so. They probably have reasons just as valid as yours for believing what they do about politics, religion, family, and life. Just because you're sure about your stance doesn't mean you are right. Maybe you need a reality check too.

what a waste of airtime

When I got home Sunday night, Shannon came over and we were eating dinner and the plan was to watch one of our Netflix movies. But while we were eating, the MTV Awards started and we wound up watching that. God only knows why. It was terrible. I was so bored pretty much the entire time. The only time I wasn't bored, I was mildly offended. Sarah Silverman said some pretty rude things about Britney and her kids. I was also almost entertained when Ludacris left poor Shia LaBoeuf hanging up there and you could tell he was freaked about it. And then again when Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Garner were on stage, but that was only because Jamie Foxx chose not to read off the teleprompter and said whatever he felt like saying. I guess he knew MTV's lines sucked. But all in all, it was the most boring awards show I have ever seen. We kept thinking something might happen, but it never did. Apparently MTV completely retooled the format and made it more toolish. The article I read on CNN said they loved the new formula and they thought it was great except for Britney's performance, but honestly, while her performance wasn't good, it certainly wasn't the worst thing I've ever seen. The new format was just bizarre, with random cuts to these different parties they had going on hosted by different groups and they would show bits and pieces of the performances happening in those parties. It was so strange to me. Like Rachel and I concluded last month, we are just too old for MTV. Oh, Chris Brown's performance was also mostly entertaining. Anyway, so that was a big bust. A waste of two hours, but the show used to be three hours, so at least it was shorter.

Good Trip

I made it home yesterday without incident. But last time I was driving home from Birmingham, I happened to be on the phone with Mark when my bumper fell off and I ran over it (correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't it be nearly impossible to avoid hitting your front bumper if it were to make a break for it?). I told him I thought I blew a tire (it was very confusing. It seemed I had hit something, but I didn't see anything, so I thought it must have been a tire issue). Mark told me that I would know if I had blown a tire. So about an hour later when I really did blow a tire, I thought, huh, Mark was right. It is very different.

Yesterday's trip was infinitely better than that one. We celebrated Rachel's birthday and watched all the episodes of Ty Murray's Celebrity Bull-Riding Challenge that have aired so far. It was entertaining. And I just want to say that Rachel looks great. She is standing almost completely straight and her swelling has gone way down. She looks very svelte. I am going to have to kick my butt into gear so I can keep up with her. Well, I have work to do, so I'd better look into that. I think I have to call Sacramento some more today and it's after 8 there now, so maybe I can actually find the people I need now.

Nothing

This weekend was pretty fun. My cousin Beth Ann (or cousin-in-law or something) taught me to crochet, which is awesome because I did not understand the second step in the book I had. She was like, don't use books, they're no good for this. And I totally get it now and can do two different stitches. So that was quite exciting for me! And we all ate way too much all weekend and worked all day yesterday preparing for the party. But I think it went pretty well. I got sick while they were cutting the cake and I had to go lie down before I threw up. Apparently I should not eat shrimp and steak when I never eat shrimp and I rarely eat red meat. So now I know. It was nice to see everyone and we had really good food, as always. But I am really glad my parents wanted to come home tonight so we could all have tomorrow to do nothing. It should be fantastic!

Disjointed

I got my car fixed and it was ridiculous. I got sick the day after I got home from Birmingham and it has taken me until now to feel good again. Which is also ridiculous. I went to Louisville last weekend and saw my grandparents and Mark. That was pretty fun, except we're all worried about them. Tonight after work I'm going to Owensboro because we're having a shower on Saturday for my cousin who is getting married soon. My cousin from FL who rarely comes will be there and the cousins from KY who rarely come are making an appearance. So that should be nice. They're fun. Fortunately I think we're coming back on Sunday, so at least I have one day of the weekend to do something useful. I feel like I've been really busy lately, but I don't think I have. I was just really tired for about a week because I was sick. I think tomorrow is going to be kind of crazy, since my grandma's house will be full of people and we're in charge of food. At least we'll be having good food.

Also, last night I was at a friend's apartment and I glanced at her calendar and exclaimed in dismay, "Did you mark the date of High School Musical on your calendar?!" The answer was yes, but it's worse than you think. Apparently, the people at the Capitol here did it. How awful is that? I was horrified. Because as I told Dave and Rachel while Zoe was making us watch part of High School Musical 2, the worst part about it is that it's available to do as a musical for your school or whatever. Think about that-watching High School Musical, but worse. Remind me not to encourage any children I may have in the arts. Also, I ranted at Mark last week because Zac Efron was on the cover of Rolling Stone. I really can't figure out why. I mean, he's been in like five movies, three of which were made for television. I realize that two of those movies are part of like an insane children's pop culture thing, but dude. He's like the only person in that cast who does not have a record deal. Anyway, apparently crappy movies offend me now. But I love crappy movies! I guess even I have standards. Yay me.

Breakdown

So, I am home. Most of you already know about my travel troubles, but suffice to say, I blew a tire and many thanks go to those of you who talked to me on the phone and then kept checking on me. Thanks guys, you're all awesome and I'm sorry I cried at most of you. It was almost ten by the time I got home, but it could have been worse. And, no Rachel, I have the best sister! You are too cool and extremely hardcore. I hope you keep staying ahead of schedule. Be careful and don't try to drive anytime soon, no matter how good you feel.

I love you dudes

This is me and Dave inspecting Mark when he was new. I am also apparently inspecting the contents of my nose. What can I say? I was only two.

After further inspection, we decided that he was okay and he could stay. We love you Mark, even if we don't get to see you enough. And even though you and Dave wouldn't dance with me and Rachel the night of this picture. We had fun dancing with Zoe.

I think this picture is adorable and so it took me a bit to figure out why it also made me sad. I guess because my parents are not close to their siblings, even though at one time, they obviously were. My mom's little sister was her maid of honor and my dad's younger brother was his best man. The rest of the wedding party was not family, so I don't think it was influenced by that. It just makes me sad that by the time Rachel died and Dick got really sick, we didn't see them much and I know my parents didn't talk to them a lot in between holidays. And they don't talk much to their remaining siblings now. I don't ever want to be that way with my dudes. I love that we're close and talk quite frequently. I love that they're easy to shop for because I know them. I love that Rachel and I laughed at Dave for like 10 minutes yesterday for talking about Hugh Downs when he meant Hugh Grant. And that I told them yesterday that I hit their car once when I was 16 and didn't tell anyone and they were like, dude, we never noticed (I was really scared and I had only tapped it. I would have told on myself if anyone had even asked what happened).

Anyway, I have had a pretty fun week down here and I am sad about leaving, but I have to work and see all the other people I love and stuff at home. Shannon said my cats stopped throwing up, which is awesome! Work only called me once, so I hope everything is good there. We went to the mall today, which was a trip. It kind of makes me appreciate how small BG is, even though Scottsville Road always sucks. Also, Addie saw a picture of me from kindergarten and said, "Your were little?" Yes, indeed I was once little. Right now I kind of wish I still were so I wouldn't have to work and stuff. She is still skipping all the consonants in my name most of the time, which is funny. Sometimes she says Ura instead. Andrea is a hard name for little kids.

Who Ya Gonna Call?

So Rachel and I decided we must be too old to watch MTV because we were baffled by even the commercials. Seriously, if you understand the ones with the people talking to the stuffed bear, please explain it to me. And explain to me if those people are the same people who are in a weird band in other commericals where at least one dude just sits around and watches while the others play instruments and sing. On a semi-related note, we finished the really long Pride and Prejudice today. It was still good. Addie made everyone watch Ernest Scared Stupid again yesterday, except she calls it the "punkin patch" movie (there's a picture of Ernest in a giant pumpkin on the front). Today we watched part of Ghostbusters. Addie said ghosts are also not allowed in the house. Dave had somehow forgotten about the awesome red phone we had when we were kids that said "Who Ya Gonna Call?" on it. It was totally a real phone and he got excited once he remembered. But the funniest thing so far is when Zoe came home from school Wednesday and announced that the air conditioner in her classroom caught fire. She kept telling the story to different people and gesturing wildly and reenacting what they had to do to get their backpacks out. She's very dramatic. :)

I most certainly can do dishes!

Anyone who cares already knows that I'm spending the week in Birmingham with the peeps. It's been pretty quiet. Rachel and I spent yesterday watching Jason movies on the Monsters HD channel. Just so you know, putting crappy special effects in HD does not really help. It was awesome. I haven't watched an old school Jason movie in years. Sadly, laughing really hurts for Rachel right now, so we are mostly not watching things that are funny. Although we adults all burst out laughing more than once during Ernest Scared Stupid today. Rachel is pretty hardcore about her pain. She has the some of the most vivid bruises I've seen in years. We've spent some time reading the seventh Harry Potter book, which is good. Rachel's dad lent me a copy. I finished it tonight and it was good.

Addie had some words of wisdom for me earlier. We were watching Ernest Scared Stupid and she told me, "No bad guys in the house. Bad guys have to stay outside." Keep that in mind always. Also, the troll in that movie needs a tissue. Addie also keeps telling me that I'm a girl, which is good knowledge to have.