No big deal, right? Everyone has cable, right? Well, for the 3 years that we’ve lived in the states, it’s been one of those expenses we just didn’t want to have - we preferred cable internet to cable TV (and I’m glad we made that choice). Well, my poor housewife went for two years with no access to live football - aka soccer - so this year we decided that with my promotion, we could finally afford cable TV.

Now I sit and bug out in front of the Food Network. That is all I want to see. I would’ve gotten cable 2 years sooner if I’d only known the joy that IS the Food Network. Pudding and Philly Cheese Steaks and Pea Soup, oh my…

The kids are infatuted with the kids’ channels, and B of course is in heaven what with both the soccer channel AND the outdoor channel. Soccer and fishing, all on the same TV? Someone get that man a la-z-boy.

Now we’re watching professional arm wrestling…really, I did not realize there was so much STUFF on TV.

Oh, oh, now it’s fishing in Alaska…you know, I could sit here in bed and start profusely bleeding out of my ears and nose and B would not be able to pry his eyes from the television.

Ah, cable.

I can’t think of much to post about lately, so I’ll do one of these irritating quizzes about yourself.

1. When was the last time you went to the bathroom outside? I can’t remember. Not for a long long time though.

2. When was the last time you saw one of your parents? Um. Uh…I don’t remember! I think last October? (they’ll kill me if I’m wrong)

3. Which family member do you most resemble? Good mix of both mom and dad

4. Do you wear cologne/perfume? I like to but I don’t often because it tends to irritate me.

5. Do you wear deodorant? Yes

6. Do you ‘clean up nice’? Yes

7. When was the last time you tripped and fell? I don’t remember (seeing a pattern here?)

8. What are you listening to right now? Norah Jones

9. Have you ever started an uncontrollable fire? No

10 . Ever run out of gas on the road? Only in the U-Haul with a faulty gas gauge…we’d only been driving for about an hour and it said it was full!

11. Would you rather cut the grass or rake the leaves? (this is one of the few things I like about living in an apartment)

12. What is the last thing you downloaded onto your computer? I don’t remember…probably music

13. Last time you swam in a pool. I don’t remember. A month or two ago?

14. Have you ever been in a school play? No - they always said I was too tall.

15.. How many kids do you want? Just the two we have already.

16. Type of music you dislike most? Rap or country

17. Are you registered to vote? Of course.

18. Do you have cable? Yes, as of this week

19. Ever prank call anybody? In high school

20. Best friends? Two

21. Would you go bungee jumping or sky diving? Sure - either one.

22. Do you have a garden? No (one of the many things I dislike about apartment living)

24. What’s your favorite comic strip? Um, Ricky’s Tour? LOL

25. Bath or Shower, morning or night? Shower, morning. Only way I can properly wake up.

26. Best movie you’ve seen in the past month? Amelie (I think it’s the only one I’ve seen in the past month.

27. Favorite pizza topping? Pineapple and cheese

28. Chips or popcorn? Neither

29. What color lipstick do you usually wear? Clear gloss

30. Have you ever smoked peanut shells? No

31. Orange Juice or apple? Either

32. Favorite type of chocolate bar? Oooh, tough one. I really like the godiva chocolate bars, raspberry or hazelnut.

33. When was the last time you voted at the polls? AT the polls? I don’t know, I always vote absentee.

35. Last time you ate a homegrown tomato? Summer 2003.

36. Are you a good cook? I would like to think so.

37. Ever order anything from an infomercial? Yes.

38. Sprite or 7-up? Sprite.

39. Have you ever had to wear a uniform to work? Every day for the last 8 years.

40. Ever thrown up in public? Yes, but I promise I wasn’t drinking…it was a migraine.

41. Would you prefer being a millionaire or find true love? True love.

42. Do you believe in love at first sight? No.

43. Can ex’s be friends? Hmm, I don’t know, never been in a position to be able to decide.

44. Who was the last person you visited in a hospital? B. I think he is the only person I’ve visited in a hospital besides new moms/babies!

45. Did you have a lot of hair as a baby? A good amount, but not tons.

46. What do you think about most? My mind is constantly busy with tons of stuff.

Today while eating dinner (I made tortellini, which is totally against my diet and now I feel horribly bloated), a breeze outside blew around the leaves on the tree right outside our window.

Noticing the rustling of the leaves, Anja turned to me and said, “Mamma! The clouds are sneezing!”

Curious to hear more, I asked how thunder happens, and Isak said, “The clouds have buckets and the buckets have electric things and that’s how thunder happens.” Pretty close!

Then Anja piped up again and said, “And snow is from angels throwing snow from on top of the clouds!”

I love the things these kids come up with.

So as I mentioned in my post the other day, I finally went to the doctor and asked about medication for my migraines. He prescribed me Cafergot for them and said to follow up in a couple of weeks if it wasn’t working. I was excited to finally be getting something for them, and in a weird way I was looking forward to having a migraine so I could FIX IT.

Well, that was a stupid thing to do, because the Cafergot did NOT work as I’d hoped. I got a horrible migraine tonight - the kind that sneaks up and you want to DIE. Dramatic, probably, but it was so awful. I couldn’t lay down because it hurt so bad, but I couldn’t stand up, because it hurt so bad, and then I just started crying which is when I know it’s BAD. I still have a hard time identifying them when they’re just coming on since I have “normal” headaches that I wouldn’t want to treat with migraine meds (especially since there are serious side effects…can anyone say “Death”?) and by the time it’s gotten to the point of being a migraine, I can’t get up to get the medicine and I can barely talk to ask someone to get it for me.

B was gone, and I was laying on the floor in front of the fan and finally got to the point where I had to get up to take them. And of course I couldn’t find them, which was the first time I started crying. I took two just as B was getting home, so I went into bed to lay down and get better. I waited, and waited, and waited, and it just did not get better, which only made me cry more. After a half hour, it says I can take another one, so I called B to ask him to bring me another, and then the tears really started up, so poor B was bewildered because I’m in bed sobbing, and he has no idea where this all came from (when he left, I only had a small headache that had been nagging at me since this afternoon). I took that third one and it still didn’t go away right away; it did keep it down enough for me to fall asleep for a couple of hours and now it’s better - still there, but I’m at least able to get up and move around (and not be crying like a baby). I would like to take another but I am wary of taking too much - you can take up to 6 per migraine, but no more than 10 in 2 days. I only took 3 but jeez…3 migraine pills and it still hurts!

I guess I’ll be making an appointment for a followup visit.

You know, I’m really fed up with the whole Navy thing. I’m just tired of it all. The latest thing that’s made me mad is the issue with going on leave for my 10 year high school reunion. I asked for 10 days off work (of course, I have to take 14 days leave because weekends count as work days). First, I was told it was going to be disapproved, period. They just couldn’t spare me being gone “that long” (there would still be 2 civilians working and someone coming into the office twice a week while I was gone…not to mention the fact that our entire command has restructed so this kind of thing shouldn’t even be an issue, people should be able to make a phone call to one of our other offices and get help from them.)

After mulling it over for some time, I decided to go ahead and apply for it, anyway, since the one who told me it would be disapproved did not have final authority to disapprove it. So I drafted up a letter and submitted it with my leave request. I’m told my request “will be socialized.”

A few days later, it’s returned to me and I’m asked if I can take leave from Friday (8/5) afternoon until Sunday (8/14) instead of Thursday (8/3) to Wednesday (8/17). The problem with that is on Friday, the only flight we could get would not get us into Milwaukee until after 2am and would fly me through Arizona to get to Chicago. Not only that, the price went from the $350 tickets I’d found when I FIRST asked for leave to the current price of $500 for the requested days. That’s an extra $600 for the tickets that we just don’t have growing on the tree.

So I then find out that my request NEVER WENT UP. My boss just decided on his own to try and get me to change my dates without sending it up as I’d requested. I am so mad right now, and disappointed, and well, just pissed off! But hey, it’s only my 10 year reunion, right? I can just wait another 10 years for the next one!

I hate going to the doctor. I avoid it at all costs. I used to go more frequently, and then when I got pregnant, I went every month, then every 2 weeks, then every week, then the follow-ups, plus the hospitalizations for hyperemesis with Isak and dehydration with Anja…plus annual exams, physicals, screenings…my medical record is now so big it is about to be split into VOLUMES.

So now I just don’t go. I rarely get sick, I almost never get injured to the point of needing any medical care, so why go? The last thing that I can think of going for besides my migraines was a gigantic blister on the base of my toes that hurt so bad I couldn’t walk (and I couldn’t wear different shoes, this was when I was on the ship).

I was naughty and put off some unpleasant procedures for so long that it all has to start over again, so I figured while I was there I would address all my issues at once. My poor doctor who I have never seen before who was thinking I was coming in for a typical annual exam was bombarded with all my problems. He thought it’d be an easy in-and-out procedure, but I ended up with a referral to another hospital, blood tests for cholesterol and my thyroid, 2 prescriptions and a follow-up appointment.

At least all those issues I’ve been putting off - migraines, possible thyroid problems, cholesterol, and the dreaded question about ADD - I finally talked to my doctor about. I’m glad I finally did something about it, but now this means I’ll be going to medical more than ever, yuck.

How does this happen?

Parked in the middle of a parking lot. Not under a tree, not under a light, with several other cars nearby.

How is it that this happens to me? Mind you, not one other car in the lot was affected. Not even the ground past my door was affected. And it was only the driver’s side - windshield, window, and immediately in front of my door. One drop on the rear driver’s side door, nothing on the passenger side.

I am just so lucky:

I counted the spots and there were a total of about 70. I think maybe this is Corvette karma?