12.26.2005

Verizon has annoyed me for the last time. We were supposed to have a technician come out today between 8 a.m. and noon to check our phones; the line is so full of static ever since that ice storm a couple of weeks ago that we can't even use our phone. So I check the Verizon website this morning, and it shows no appointment. Huh? So I call, and I'm informed that a technician checked our network interface device on the 21st, and that everything was fine. I was NOT happy with that answer; no one called to check to make sure that it was fine on our end. So this morning, after several conversations with different repair "service" people, I'm told to change my batteries in our cordless phones and everything will be swell. So I unplug all the cordless phones and leave only our standard phone plugged in — still full of static. So I unplug the standard phone and try each of the cordless ones — same thing. I call back and I'm told that the problem is with our equipment, not with the wiring outside the house. I mention that I pay for that guardian plan that covers inside wiring, and she tells me that if it's NOT the inside wiring that's the problem, I'll be charged for the visit. And did I mention that the only people who ever call our home phone anyway are my mother and our friend Chris? Why the hell am I paying Verizon for a phone service I can't even use, and which we rarely use anyway? They were so completely unhelpful, it was ridiculous. No one could tell me why I wasn't contacted when my scheduled appointment was cancelled, and the only thing they had open soon was tomorrow from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Like I'm supposed to sit home and wait all day?!

I'm so done with Verizon. I hate telephones anyway. But I still want a home phone, even though we do have cellphones. So I just signed us up for Earthlink TrueVoice. We'll save $30/month this way, too. And we'll keep the same number.

In other news, our day in the ER yesterday was pretty quiet ... about one-half to one-third of our normal census. Nice! And we had a ton of food, too. Michael made two big salads for me to take, and I brought home about half of one — everyone loved the salad! :)

Plans for today: cleaning out my closet and dressers! I have way too much clothing that I never wear, especially now that I only wear scrubs for work. It's getting a little ridiculous. Time to cut back!

So yeah, that's my babble and I'm sticking to it. And if you have or have tried a VoIP phone service, please email me and let me know if you liked it, how well it worked, etc. Thanks. :)

pixie.dust sprinkled at 11:27:00 AM • 0 witty remark(s)

12.12.2005

Now that my bangs have calmed down a little ... new hair picture!

So there it is. :)

pixie.dust sprinkled at 10:35:00 PM • 0 witty remark(s)

12.07.2005

So much for waiting 7-10 days ... my glasses were ready yesterday! Wooo hooo! :D

Oh, and I got my hair cut yesterday ... I haven't had bangs since 1985 or so, ha ha! :D I figured this would be the easiest way to grow out the black, but I actually kind of like it! So here we have the new hair and glasses:

And now I need coffeeeeeeee.

pixie.dust sprinkled at 12:01:00 PM • 0 witty remark(s)

12.05.2005

All about my eyeballs ...

Some of you might remember the corneal puncture and subsequent corneal edema (swelling) I suffered back in 2002 that took me out of contacts for months, allowing me to only wear my glasses. My left eye was a nightmare to prescribe lenses for because the prescription kept changing with the edema; nothing was accurate. I finally told my eye doc that I didn't care if it changed later, that I needed something that worked now so that I could just get by with my day-to-day life! In any case, after a time, I'd noticed (by way of headache and squinting) that my left glasses lens is a little too strong, and my right is a little too weak. The doctor confirmed that today, and also said that he didn't see any scars on my left cornea (that is GREAT news!!!). And, in fact, the vision in my left eye has improved, so the lens is too strong. My right eye has gotten a tiny smidge worse, so that one is a little weak. The doctor laughed when I told him I was trying to figure out a way to flip the lenses around, ha ha.

So how funny is it that I find out I have excellent vision benefits with my health insurance, now that it's changing in just 25 days? Ha ha ha! Oh well ... at least I got to use it before we changed providers (going from Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield to Aetna on January 1). My eye exam cost only $10, and I got $174 in discounts on the glasses! My glasses would have been $369.95 without the insurance. Sheesh!!

In any case, I hope this eye doc carries Aetna, because he seemed good. I'm going to make sure Michael goes for an eye exam before we lose our Anthem insurance, too!

And here's a (crappy phone) picture of my new glasses, which should be ready for pick-up in 7 to 10 days:

Please pardon that horrible picture ... it really is bad, ha ha! But the frames are dark green with some little spiral designs on them ... how totally me! :D I love them!!

pixie.dust sprinkled at 5:23:00 PM • 0 witty remark(s)

12.04.2005

I forgot to mention this in today's earlier update: we got our tub/walls redone in our bathroom! It looks fabulous. :) We went through a ReBath franchise in Winchester. Before and after pictures are here: clickie! It makes our bathroom look so new!! :)

pixie.dust sprinkled at 4:33:00 PM • 0 witty remark(s)

Let's see, what's been going on here ...

Generally speaking, life is great. :) We love our jobs, we love our house, and we love each other. The cats are all happy and healthy, the snake is well fed! :)

The roof leak turned out to not be much of anything, thank goodness! We came home from grocery shopping last Tuesday to find the explanation for a "mystery puddle" that has been appearing on the kitchen counter next to the coffee maker ... the roof was leaking in our office closet right at the door to the crawlspace in the back of the closet, which is right above that kitchen counter. The water has been seeping down through the floor and dripping through the kitchen ceiling. Eeep! (I thought we just had a psycho coffee maker that was spewing water in the night.) We had heavy rain that day, which was the first time we've actually SEEN the source of the water on the counter. It was just dripping down through the ceiling, and there wasn't much of a crack in the plaster at all. I was thinking, worst case scenario: new roof. But I went outside and looked up to where I thought the leak was, and I discovered it was right where our furnace chimney/flue is. So it turned out that it cost only $169 to repair — the seals/flashing around the chimney needed to be redone and re-caulked. And the repair guy also told Michael that our roof is generally in very good shape. Whew!!! Our roof is metal, and I discovered that yes, a metal roof is pricier than the normal shingle stuff, because it can last forever.

In other great news ... I've been accepted to nursing school! Yep, more school for me. I love it. :) I'm going to be attending Excelsior, which used to be Regents College. Their nursing program is a distance education program, and totally self-paced. Perfect! I'll have to go to testing centers in Fairfax to take tests at the end of courses, and at the very end of the core nursing curriculum I'll have to travel to a regional center for a rigorous clinical exam. But first, I need to take some Anatomy & Physiology, Development Psych, and Microbiology. And at the end, I'll have yet another Associates Degree, ha ha! My third. I find that a little silly, but whatever. Our hospital also has a two-year RN to MSN program ... wouldn't it be funny to skip the Bachelors altogether and go straight to a Masters? Ha ha ha!! But hey, I just want to work in an ER; no management for me, please! Been there, done that. In any case, Excelsior also has an RN to BSN program I can do once I'm finished; I'm guesstimating I'll finish in less than two years. :)

Excelsior's ADN is only for people who are already healthcare professionals — paramedics, respiratory therapists, etc. So I'll get a lot of credit for the knowledge I already have, which is nice! I didn't want to start from scratch. And yes, I'm still going to be a paramedic ... I enjoy that too much to quit once I become an RN. :) And no, I don't want to be a Paramedic/RN so I can go fly on helicopters; I want to stay on the ground, thanks! :D Ha ha!

Also, the hospital will help pay for my education. :) I need to find out the particulars, as in how much they'll reimburse, and what the terms are (like if I need to work for the hospital for a set amount of time after I finish my RN). I think they'll reimburse me $2,000 a year, but I need to verify it.

We recently attended the Richmond Tattoo Convention, and had a fabulous time! Michael did a lot of work there, and had his picture taken numerous times (as usual). It was fun being around a lot of like-minded folks, and getting to see many great tattoo artists at work. Fun fun fun! :D

Four days off for me, and we're expecting snow tomorrow! YAY!!! (I'm only happy about it because I don't have to drive to work in it, ha ha!) I'm off to enjoy some downtime ...

pixie.dust sprinkled at 12:04:00 PM • 0 witty remark(s)