So things have been... interesting around here, so say the least. Remember awhile back when I mentioned that pesky gypsy wind was wreaking havoc with my status quo?
Well she came back.
In gale force.
And my life is about to be turned completely upside down.
Let me explain.
So back when I wrote that blog post, I had been searching and applying The Husband for jobs for several months. He has been unhappy with his current employer for awhile now, ever since they made some, shall we say, douche-y decisions. So I started looking around the greater Seattle area.
Local city governments, school districts, hospitals, major businesses, small businesses, utility companies, you name it I checked it out.
Now, The Husband has been in the IT industry for over 15 years now, and in probably any other part of the country that experience and expertise would be in demand. But not in Seattle.
IT people are a dime a dozen around here, and employers either want the entry-level tech who will work for $12 an hour, or someone who holds three Master's and two Doctorate's. There's nothing in between. Combine that with the fact that Boeing is getting ready to do a major layoff of thousands- yes, thousands- of IT people, and the odds become stacked even more against you.
So I branched out.
San Francisco. Portland. British Columbia.
More of the same. Too few jobs being competed for by too many overly qualified IT people.
I even devised a hair-brained scheme to move to the incredibly beautiful but incredibly tiny town of Joseph, Oregon. Why? Because it's pretty. Are there jobs there? NOPE! Their industry dried up years ago, so unless you are an established small-business owner, you're out of luck.
This is where the culmination of my frustration turned into the blog post about wanting the gypsy wind to take me away.
All I can say is, be careful what you wish for!
Shortly after that, my aunt suggested looking at the hospital in her city. She had heard they were hiring for IT, and sure enough, they were! So I applied The Husband, assumed it would be more of the same, and forgot all about it.
Until they called. And I began to panic.
Because the hospital where my aunt lives?
It's in Cheyenne. As in WYOMING.
Yeah...
Fast forward to today, and my life sits on this giant precipice above a gnarling torrent of chaos.
That sounds a bit dramatic, eh? But it's so true. The offer that the hospital presented to The Husband was... incredible, to say the least. Too good to turn down. Husband gave his current employer a chance to counter the offer, and they did. However, the counter offer was nothing more than a token gesture, and was actually a bit insulting when you consider that he has given them his blood, sweat, and tears over the years.
So we're moving halfway across the country.
I don't think it has fully sunk in yet. It seems surreal to me. And let's just say that no one is really taking it well. My family isn't speaking to me. Husband's family is split- some are excited for us, some are pissed. Our friends are all heartbroken, but they have all promised to come visit regularly. And naturally we will be back up here to visit as well.
But still. It's a huge move. And it's scary, and sad. But it's also a really good thing.
By the way, did you know that Wyoming has antelope?!?
Friday, May 31, 2013
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
The hammer of the gods
First of all, it figures that I would have a good hair day when it is pouring rain outside and my mane's good behavior will inevitably be ruined just walking to the car. Lame.
Second, I'm a little bitter because I have that new Daft Punk song stuck in my head and it's really annoying me. I can't say that I've ever been the biggest fan of Daft Punk (nor have I particularly disliked them... I've been mostly apathetic to their musical stylings), but this song has crawled under my skin and proceeded to irritate me worse than a week-old splinter.
Which leads me into my topic de jour- music.
I am a total music junkie. I have it playing pretty much constantly throughout my day (apart from when I am doing school work, as I have the attention span of a gnat).
It has largely been agreed that I was born in the wrong decade, as the majority of my musical tastes are from the late '60s through the late '70s. I do however (contrary to some opinions) make room for newer stuff.
Occasionally.
(Loving the folksy indie trend happening in new music right now!)
I have a pretty varied musical collection, and my tastes are... eclectic, to put it nicely.
Metallica.
Traveling Wilbury's.
Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young. ('Helpless' is probably my favorite!)
Fleet Foxes.
Mumford & Sons.
Buck Cherry.
Cake.
The Who.
Pink Floyd.
Rolling Stones.
Tom Petty.
Fleetwood Mac.
Ray LaMontagne.
Queen.
The Lumineers.
Supertramp.
Stone Temple Pilots.
Bob Seger.
John Cougar Mellencamp.
George Thorogood.
Plain White T's.
Random country like Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw, and Brooks & Dunn.
Guilty pleasures like Def Leppard, Journey, Air Supply, Ray Stevens, and Aqua.
They all find a happy little place on my iPod.
(But no 'pop'. Because standards)
But my all time favorite is Led Zeppelin.
So, so, SO many of my favorite songs are Zeppelin songs. There's one for every mood, situation, feeling, and thought process. There's slinky, sexy songs. Loud, crazy songs. Beautiful, melodic songs.
And they're all amazing.
John Bonham on the drums? No one compares.
Jimmy Page's guitar? Epic.
Robert Plant singing? Sexy, slinky, daring, screeching, amazing.
I won't even bother trying to list my favorite Zeppelin songs, because there are simply way too many.
Suffice it to say, my day revolves around music, and a large portion of that music is Led Zeppelin. And I'm good with that!
When I'm not listening to my iPod or a CD, the radio stations I tend to stick to are 102.5 KZOK, 99.9 KISW, 107.7 The End, and 103.7 The Mountain (although I almost broke up with The Mountain recently on account of them playing a Nickleback song... an unforgivable sin against music).
Between these four stations, pretty much all of my musical needs are met, and with such a wide variety in my tastes, that's not an easy accomplishment!
Music, in my world, equals happiness. Music is my zen. Music is my meditation, my I Ching, my Dao.
Music is my sanity.
Music is my everything.
Second, I'm a little bitter because I have that new Daft Punk song stuck in my head and it's really annoying me. I can't say that I've ever been the biggest fan of Daft Punk (nor have I particularly disliked them... I've been mostly apathetic to their musical stylings), but this song has crawled under my skin and proceeded to irritate me worse than a week-old splinter.
Which leads me into my topic de jour- music.
I am a total music junkie. I have it playing pretty much constantly throughout my day (apart from when I am doing school work, as I have the attention span of a gnat).
It has largely been agreed that I was born in the wrong decade, as the majority of my musical tastes are from the late '60s through the late '70s. I do however (contrary to some opinions) make room for newer stuff.
Occasionally.
(Loving the folksy indie trend happening in new music right now!)
I have a pretty varied musical collection, and my tastes are... eclectic, to put it nicely.
Metallica.
Traveling Wilbury's.
Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young. ('Helpless' is probably my favorite!)
Fleet Foxes.
Mumford & Sons.
Buck Cherry.
Cake.
The Who.
Pink Floyd.
Rolling Stones.
Tom Petty.
Fleetwood Mac.
Ray LaMontagne.
Queen.
The Lumineers.
Supertramp.
Stone Temple Pilots.
Bob Seger.
John Cougar Mellencamp.
George Thorogood.
Plain White T's.
Random country like Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw, and Brooks & Dunn.
Guilty pleasures like Def Leppard, Journey, Air Supply, Ray Stevens, and Aqua.
They all find a happy little place on my iPod.
(But no 'pop'. Because standards)
But my all time favorite is Led Zeppelin.
So, so, SO many of my favorite songs are Zeppelin songs. There's one for every mood, situation, feeling, and thought process. There's slinky, sexy songs. Loud, crazy songs. Beautiful, melodic songs.
And they're all amazing.
John Bonham on the drums? No one compares.
Jimmy Page's guitar? Epic.
Robert Plant singing? Sexy, slinky, daring, screeching, amazing.
I won't even bother trying to list my favorite Zeppelin songs, because there are simply way too many.
Suffice it to say, my day revolves around music, and a large portion of that music is Led Zeppelin. And I'm good with that!
When I'm not listening to my iPod or a CD, the radio stations I tend to stick to are 102.5 KZOK, 99.9 KISW, 107.7 The End, and 103.7 The Mountain (although I almost broke up with The Mountain recently on account of them playing a Nickleback song... an unforgivable sin against music).
Between these four stations, pretty much all of my musical needs are met, and with such a wide variety in my tastes, that's not an easy accomplishment!
Music, in my world, equals happiness. Music is my zen. Music is my meditation, my I Ching, my Dao.
Music is my sanity.
Music is my everything.
Friday, May 17, 2013
My gene pool is closed for maintenance
Okay, so the other day I referenced something about genetics and how they suck. Let's discuss that further, shall we?
So as you know I went in for a colonscopy/endoscopy a couple of weeks ago, and everything looked okay. I still needed to wait for the biopsy results regarding Celiac's and colitis, but I wasn't too worried because I was highly certain I did not have colitis (since it's a pretty severe and obvious illness), and if I did end up having Celiac's I would just alter my diet. No biggie.
So here I am thinking all is well and the ordeal was over until my next colonoscopy (as of right now my doctor wants me to do them every two years).
Wrong.
Last Monday I get a phone call from the Providence Comprehensive Breast Center informing me that my gastroenterologist referred me to them as a "potential high risk patient". Because of my family medical history, I may or may not have the mutated genes linked to certain cancers, upping my overall cancer risk substantially.
(Much like Angelina Jolie, her positive BRCA-1 result, and her preventative double mastectomy. Her cancer risk went from 87% to under 5%, which is awesome)
So the gal at the Breast Center informed me that I need to fill out a comprehensive family history form and bring that in to my appointment. Once there, one of the geneticist's nurse practitioners will plug my information into a computer and get a risk percentage. If my risk turns out to be high, they will then take a DNA sample to be sent off for genetic testing.
7-10% of breast/ovarian cancers and colon/uterine cancers are from a hereditary mutated gene, and 30% of all cancers are familial. Based on my dad's incredibly early and aggressive colon cancer, my doctor suspects his cancer may have been because of a mutated gene, rather than bad luck, and that I therefore would carry this gene as well.
They would be testing me for the BRCA or HNPCC genes, the so-called "cancer genes" that would... well, ruin my day, quite frankly!
(Of course, were I to test positive for the HNPCC gene, I can't really have a preventative colon removal... it's not like taking off your boobies and replacing them with new ones!)
However, the caveat to all this is that the gene testing is very expensive (and let's face it, I'm not exactly in Angelina Jolie's income bracket!) so they only do it if it is deemed absolutely necessary, and only if insurance covers it fully, or if I'm willing to cough up the dough to cover the remainder myself.
BUT, even if I end up in the low-risk category, or if I can't have the test done because insurance says no, I will still leave there with a very detailed and personally specific plan on preventing cancer, as well as early detection signs.
Because I'm not even 30 yet, I have young children, and I have a lot of living left to do. I'm not going down without a fight, dammit!
So as you know I went in for a colonscopy/endoscopy a couple of weeks ago, and everything looked okay. I still needed to wait for the biopsy results regarding Celiac's and colitis, but I wasn't too worried because I was highly certain I did not have colitis (since it's a pretty severe and obvious illness), and if I did end up having Celiac's I would just alter my diet. No biggie.
So here I am thinking all is well and the ordeal was over until my next colonoscopy (as of right now my doctor wants me to do them every two years).
Wrong.
Last Monday I get a phone call from the Providence Comprehensive Breast Center informing me that my gastroenterologist referred me to them as a "potential high risk patient". Because of my family medical history, I may or may not have the mutated genes linked to certain cancers, upping my overall cancer risk substantially.
(Much like Angelina Jolie, her positive BRCA-1 result, and her preventative double mastectomy. Her cancer risk went from 87% to under 5%, which is awesome)
So the gal at the Breast Center informed me that I need to fill out a comprehensive family history form and bring that in to my appointment. Once there, one of the geneticist's nurse practitioners will plug my information into a computer and get a risk percentage. If my risk turns out to be high, they will then take a DNA sample to be sent off for genetic testing.
7-10% of breast/ovarian cancers and colon/uterine cancers are from a hereditary mutated gene, and 30% of all cancers are familial. Based on my dad's incredibly early and aggressive colon cancer, my doctor suspects his cancer may have been because of a mutated gene, rather than bad luck, and that I therefore would carry this gene as well.
They would be testing me for the BRCA or HNPCC genes, the so-called "cancer genes" that would... well, ruin my day, quite frankly!
(Of course, were I to test positive for the HNPCC gene, I can't really have a preventative colon removal... it's not like taking off your boobies and replacing them with new ones!)
However, the caveat to all this is that the gene testing is very expensive (and let's face it, I'm not exactly in Angelina Jolie's income bracket!) so they only do it if it is deemed absolutely necessary, and only if insurance covers it fully, or if I'm willing to cough up the dough to cover the remainder myself.
BUT, even if I end up in the low-risk category, or if I can't have the test done because insurance says no, I will still leave there with a very detailed and personally specific plan on preventing cancer, as well as early detection signs.
Because I'm not even 30 yet, I have young children, and I have a lot of living left to do. I'm not going down without a fight, dammit!
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Ooops
So you know that saying "Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it"?
Yeeeeaaaahhhh....
Clearly I didn't take it seriously enough!
I can't really get into specifics, because nothing has actually come of it yet, so until something more firm is in place and decisions are made, there really isn't any point in getting people all riled up.
It's just weird how things work out. The timing, the unexpectedness, the fact that when you want something to happen, it won't, and when you truly believe something isn't going to happen, it does.
It's like Alanis said. Life has a funny way...
So I suddenly find myself with a lot of information to wade through, a lot of potential decisions to make, and a lot of unknowns. And in case you missed that memo: I don't like unknowns!
Predicability is good for me. Routine and normalcy are my friends. And I'm about to throw all that down the drain willingly!
Yeeeeaaaahhhh....
Clearly I didn't take it seriously enough!
I can't really get into specifics, because nothing has actually come of it yet, so until something more firm is in place and decisions are made, there really isn't any point in getting people all riled up.
It's just weird how things work out. The timing, the unexpectedness, the fact that when you want something to happen, it won't, and when you truly believe something isn't going to happen, it does.
It's like Alanis said. Life has a funny way...
So I suddenly find myself with a lot of information to wade through, a lot of potential decisions to make, and a lot of unknowns. And in case you missed that memo: I don't like unknowns!
Predicability is good for me. Routine and normalcy are my friends. And I'm about to throw all that down the drain willingly!
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Raining men at Le Faux
First of all, Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!
Okay.
So the drag show.
Suffice it to say the evening did not go as planned.
The show was entertaining, and the host, Isaac Scott, was fabulous.
I would probably go again, but I would change a few variables.
So let's break this down, shall we?
The original plan was to take my mom down there for her birthday. We would pay for her ticket and her meal, watch the show, all that good stuff. Well, it turns out that, for one, the gal that I spoke with when I made the reservations gave me some misinformation (like, you know, pricing, seating, all that somewhat important nonsense), and two, I had misguided expectations of the evening.
The misinformation snafu meant that I didn't bring enough cash with me, and the girl specifically said to bring cash. Strike one.
The misguided expectations were a big strike two and strike three.
Strike two: in my mind I was expecting a Cage Aux Folles kind of situation, where you sit at the same table for your dinner and to watch the show.
But no.
We were shuffled around like cattle by a fairly rude German man. And ended up sitting in these horribly uncomfortable wooden chairs where we had to wait for over an hour for the show itself to even start.
Strike three? Was the ridiculously drunk women next to us who, for one, are way too old to act like that and drink that much, and two, were horribly disruptive and disrespectful to the audience and the performers. They were a bunch of hot messes... minus the hotness.
There was also the awkwardness of my sister's friend who decided at the last minute to come with us, only she refuses to speak to me.
Like, literally.
She and my sister have been friends for... oh... over ten years now? And this chick has literally never said a word to me. Apparently she is afraid of me because she thinks I'm super pretty and therefore scary, and I guess her natural reaction is to just be Frosty the Snow Bitch to me.
Whatever. I tried to talk with her and engage her in the conversation, but to no avail. It was awkward, to say the least. Especially considering I planned the entire thing. But yeah. Ignore me. Not that I'm annoyed or anything...
Overall, the experience was... alright. The food was alright. The performers were pretty good. The host was awesome. My mom had fun, which was the important part.
So like I said, I think I would go again, only this time with my friends. You know, people who will actually acknowledge my existence!
Okay.
So the drag show.
Suffice it to say the evening did not go as planned.
The show was entertaining, and the host, Isaac Scott, was fabulous.
I would probably go again, but I would change a few variables.
So let's break this down, shall we?
The original plan was to take my mom down there for her birthday. We would pay for her ticket and her meal, watch the show, all that good stuff. Well, it turns out that, for one, the gal that I spoke with when I made the reservations gave me some misinformation (like, you know, pricing, seating, all that somewhat important nonsense), and two, I had misguided expectations of the evening.
The misinformation snafu meant that I didn't bring enough cash with me, and the girl specifically said to bring cash. Strike one.
The misguided expectations were a big strike two and strike three.
Strike two: in my mind I was expecting a Cage Aux Folles kind of situation, where you sit at the same table for your dinner and to watch the show.
But no.
We were shuffled around like cattle by a fairly rude German man. And ended up sitting in these horribly uncomfortable wooden chairs where we had to wait for over an hour for the show itself to even start.
Strike three? Was the ridiculously drunk women next to us who, for one, are way too old to act like that and drink that much, and two, were horribly disruptive and disrespectful to the audience and the performers. They were a bunch of hot messes... minus the hotness.
There was also the awkwardness of my sister's friend who decided at the last minute to come with us, only she refuses to speak to me.
Like, literally.
She and my sister have been friends for... oh... over ten years now? And this chick has literally never said a word to me. Apparently she is afraid of me because she thinks I'm super pretty and therefore scary, and I guess her natural reaction is to just be Frosty the Snow Bitch to me.
Whatever. I tried to talk with her and engage her in the conversation, but to no avail. It was awkward, to say the least. Especially considering I planned the entire thing. But yeah. Ignore me. Not that I'm annoyed or anything...
Overall, the experience was... alright. The food was alright. The performers were pretty good. The host was awesome. My mom had fun, which was the important part.
So like I said, I think I would go again, only this time with my friends. You know, people who will actually acknowledge my existence!
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Men in glam makeup and women's clothes impersonating celebrities? Yes please!
Don't have time for a full post right now, as I am in the middle of writing a paper for my Race and Ethnic Issues class. However, I just wanted to get on here really quick to say...
GOING TO LE FAUX TONIGHT!!!!!!!!!
I have much to share, including how genetics suck, how bonfires and gasoline are not a good combo, and how my friend wound up sleeping in my driveway, but it all must wait until tomorrow...
GOING TO LE FAUX TONIGHT!!!!!!!!!
I have much to share, including how genetics suck, how bonfires and gasoline are not a good combo, and how my friend wound up sleeping in my driveway, but it all must wait until tomorrow...
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
I know you can be overwhelmed, and you can be underwhelmed, but can you ever just be whelmed?
(I think you can in Europe...)
(If you don't get that reference, then we are never going to be friends)
You know those days when you feel like all of this "stuff" is being dumped in your lap and you are supposed to just find some way to fit it into your already full schedule?
Yeah.
That's where I'm at.
In the last two days, every weekend, and I mean literally every weekend, from now until the end of June has been booked. Solid.
Never mind the fact that I also have school, and the kids have school, and The Husband has work, and our gigantic yard needs constant, never ending, unyielding attention...
Sigh.
I'm tired just thinking about it!
This week for my Race and Ethnic Issues class, I have to watch a movie or read a book that addresses the issues of racial or ethnic diversity, and then write a paper on it using other researched sources to substantiate my point.
After much deliberation, I have decided to watch American History X.
Let me be clear... I HATE that movie.
I mean, it's a really good, well done movie. Don't get me wrong. It's amazing.
I also hate it. It breaks my heart. It makes me angry. It makes me cry (and I hate crying).
(I also dislike Edward Furlong. I find him creepy... in everything... always)
So suffice it to say, I'm not looking forward to watching it again. It's been... I'd say a good 14 years or so since I last watched it... This is going to be tough.
But first, I need to finish my World Religion readings on Buddhism and the printout for the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings in order to do my discussion questions for that class. Then I need to read the two chapters on African American history from slavery to the Civil Rights Movement (a total of about 90 pages...oy vey) for my Race and Ethnic Issues class in order to do my discussion questions and take my quiz.
And I have to find the time to do all of that while also having friends over for a bonfire on Friday, and going down to Le Faux in Seattle for my mom's birthday on Saturday.
Suddenly I have a headache...
(If you don't get that reference, then we are never going to be friends)
You know those days when you feel like all of this "stuff" is being dumped in your lap and you are supposed to just find some way to fit it into your already full schedule?
Yeah.
That's where I'm at.
In the last two days, every weekend, and I mean literally every weekend, from now until the end of June has been booked. Solid.
Never mind the fact that I also have school, and the kids have school, and The Husband has work, and our gigantic yard needs constant, never ending, unyielding attention...
Sigh.
I'm tired just thinking about it!
This week for my Race and Ethnic Issues class, I have to watch a movie or read a book that addresses the issues of racial or ethnic diversity, and then write a paper on it using other researched sources to substantiate my point.
After much deliberation, I have decided to watch American History X.
Let me be clear... I HATE that movie.
I mean, it's a really good, well done movie. Don't get me wrong. It's amazing.
I also hate it. It breaks my heart. It makes me angry. It makes me cry (and I hate crying).
(I also dislike Edward Furlong. I find him creepy... in everything... always)
So suffice it to say, I'm not looking forward to watching it again. It's been... I'd say a good 14 years or so since I last watched it... This is going to be tough.
But first, I need to finish my World Religion readings on Buddhism and the printout for the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings in order to do my discussion questions for that class. Then I need to read the two chapters on African American history from slavery to the Civil Rights Movement (a total of about 90 pages...oy vey) for my Race and Ethnic Issues class in order to do my discussion questions and take my quiz.
And I have to find the time to do all of that while also having friends over for a bonfire on Friday, and going down to Le Faux in Seattle for my mom's birthday on Saturday.
Suddenly I have a headache...
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