Not the Post I Intended to Write Today

Warning: This post will contain some ranting and sentences that may not make a whole lot of sense and loads of sarcasm.

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Last night Jon informed me that a relative of his would be having a birthday celebration Friday evening at a local Mexican restaurant. I told him to double check that Leo's presence would be no biggie, figuring it wouldn't, but, I didn't want anyone to be surprised that I brought him. A little background info before I continue: Jon has had mega weirdness when it comes to taking Leo to restaurants when it involves joining members of his family. His father to be exact is the source of this; he's old and tends to be predictably unpredictable. He can be fine one minute, the next he'll be cranky. Jon's concern about his father's behavior has been a sore spot, especially in regards to Leo going to restaurants. That has really drove me crazy and only recently has Jon has begun to get over it.

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Now this relative has met Leo, knows he has worked with me at the elementary school, has heard many stories of his accomplishments while working in public, etc, etc. So imagine my surprise when said kinfolk texted back say they were concerned about Leo being at this restaurant because of a) Jon's father (shocker I know!) and b) that this particular Mexican restaurant, with it's more 'authentic' staff if you will wouldn't understand that Leo is okay to be in the restaurant, so they'd rather me not bring him.

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SAY WHAAA???

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Jon explained that Leo has been out to many restaurants including Mexican ones without a problem, but, no dice. They are too hung up about those assumptions and so I've decided I'm not going to even bother going tonight. I realize how b*tchy that is of me, but, I'm really tired of Jon's family, and/or concerns they have, prohibiting Leo's training. The assumptions are prejudice and unfounded- like really have any of them been in public training a service dog?? You'd think my personal experiences working with Leo would have some weight here, but, apparently not. To be quite frank, Leo and other service dogs (in training or partnered) would be better behaved and not nearly as loud nor messy as most kids. I know, because I was one of those kids who was loud and not so neat about eating my food. Leo on the other hand settles in his spot, leaves food alone (even if it is on the floor), and takes a long nap. Yes, it'd be SO horrible and unnerving to have such a dog around in a restaurant!

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I'm in a grouchy mood because of this. I have worked really hard with Leo and I feel that this is a slap in the face. No acknowledgement of Leo's need for experience and our work together; just baseless assumptions. The restaurant would likely be fine about a service dog being there, and if they were to cause trouble a simple call to Therapetics would bring down calls from lawyers and even a visit from the police. I seriously doubt it would EVER get that far with though. Oh, and let's not get started on how that a Mexican owned restaurant wouldn't understand is kinda racist. I mean COME ON! In regards to Jon's father, well, he's never been given the chance to show if he's okay with Leo or not- Jon's paranoia has caused me to leave Leo at home on several occasions. Quite frankly, I'm sick of it now! I have six months left with Leo and I refuse to leave Leo at home based on these fears! He needs the experience and it is my responsibility to him and to his partner to get him these experiences and train him the best I can.

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So I say screw 'em. I'll stay home, surf the Internet, pour myself some tequila, and keep Leo and Louie company. Seems like a better way to spend my time!

Travel Tips- As In I Need Them!

So my dear, wonderful, blogging friends I am in need of your help, advice, or just plain encouragement. I will take whatever I can get. I was planning on a trip to Europe in June. I'm thinking I can still manage to make this trip happen. Things depend on the tax refund. Anywho, I have friends all through France, one in Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Germany. I'd like to visit as many of these fabulous people as possible of course, but, how in the world do I plan for a trip like this?

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I should give you all some background here. Though I have traveled some I am practically a virgin when it comes to planning a trip, especially one that could potentially involve train trips after landing. If I am to go, who would want to see me? Where would I buy the train tickets for a reasonable price? How in the world do I go about seeing my friends, but, not burdening them with my inexperience?

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So if any of you have some advice to when is a good time to hop over the pond and go to Europe please share. Any information as far as what to expect cost wise (hostels and/or food), where to stay, what train(s) to take, and how to book all of this stuff please pass that my way. I think I can figure out how to get the plane ticket (looks like I'll be landing in Paris) it's just getting those other details figured out that I'm at a loss for. Oh and did I mention I don't even know how to make an itenerary?? Though, I'm sure you all had it figured out by now.

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Also, if you wouldn't mind seeing me then please let me know. I'd love to arrange some meet ups!! Go ahead and email me if you're more comfortable with that and be prepared for questions on where to meet up, stay and cost. I'm kinda on a 'shoestring' budget so I want to make sure I have my p's and q's lined up. But, hey, if you are willing to put up with that then have at it. I will bring pretty things from the states too. I promise.

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As you can plainly see, I need some serious help! Please give me some input if you are so inclined. I mainly need a starting point to build an outline of what to do and then I'll probably have some questions after that. I'm sorry to bother you with my naievity, but, anything will be a great help. Thanks so much!

Loosing Sight... Literally

This is one of those entries where I don't know how or where to begin. Forgive me if this entry seems a bit all over the place and long.

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During the nasty blizzard and snow storms we had two weeks ago I noticed something strange going on in the inside of my right eye. It looked like my glasses were somehow 'in the way' like around my nose. I didn't pay much attention at first, but, after a couple of days I took my glasses off and that dark 'spot' was still there. I then thought maybe congestion and pressure were causing this blackish-ness to happen. However, after a few more days and decongestants that dark spot still remained.

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Keep in mind I had no other symptoms going with this, so a trip to the ER didn't seem warranted and I couldn't even get my car out of the bottom of the driveway as the street was covered with snow so high it would've caused problems with my old tank, so, no trip to the doctor. When school began I was so busy getting back into the groove and ready for a weekend of Irish dance competition I put off calling my optometrist.

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The feises were difficult to say the least because of extreme fatigue and my depth perception being so wonky because of this eye thing. I managed good placements, but, not great dancing. In fact, at the second feis last Sunday, I sprained my ankle when I slipped on stage before I went into a turn. I managed to finish,and placed first, but, understandably I had to drop out of the rest of my competitions. I took the following Tuesday off of work due to the swelling in my ankle and since I had a moment to breathe I called my optometrist to arrange an appointment and get some drops or something so I could regain my full field of vision in my right eye.

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Well, no appointment with the eye doc was made. They told me I had to go to an opthamologist as it could be a variety of issues that only an opthamologist could test for. Oh and vision insurance doesn't cover this type of deal, I have to use my medical insurance. Great. Of course, that means I had to go through my PCP to get a referral as I have an HMO. Keep in mind, I am beyond grateful to have insurance! That said, I am beyond over this whole referral approval business. It took my doctors office 24 hours to get my referral approved and that was being listed as an urgent case. The opthamologist wants to do a vision screen as well and that has to get approved. Any tests outside his office will probably have to get approved as well. I hate the thought that finding answers to this problem may drag on and on waiting for approval.

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My PCP believes I have lost about half the vision in my right eye. Nothing looks wrong on the surface which means something funky monkey is going on behind it. It maybe optic nerve damage (bad, bad stuff), it could be a retinal issues, etc. I will need tests, maybe a MRI, and surgery maybe an option. Of course, this all depends on what the opthamologist finds tomorrow.

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To be honest, I'm freaked out. I'm trying very, very hard not to look anything up online and not to obsess over the what ifs going through my brain. The sprained ankle doesn't bother me that much because I KNOW what to do with it. I KNOW the prognosis is good as long I do such and such. I don't know anything about this eye issue and the thought of it being permanent freaks me out. It's hard to type on my phone, stare at comp screens (hence the major slow down in blog posts) for a period of time, music, text in a book, etc. I don't want to live my life not seeing correctly- I get a little nauseated sometimes, pressure headaches, and tired from having to constantly adjust my focus and perception. I just can't imagine going on in this manner. I'm hoping for a diagnosis and solution(s) tomorrow. I just need to know this can be dealt with.

Overload

My gawd, it has been ten days since my last post! Egads (I've always wanted to use that word in a blog post) that's too long. I'm sorry my awesome blog friends I promise I haven't forgotten you. I also promise that there has been MORE than enough stories for me to blog about. So what's my deal you ask? Exhaustion. Pure and simple

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I don't know how children manage to collectively go nuts, but, they do it and at my school they do it with a dash extra crazy topped with loony. Yes, I realize they all mean virtually the same thing, but, that is the best description my fried brain can conjure up right now. Last night I went to bed around 9pm. The extra sleep did me a world of good as today I've had one child throw a fit for a solid twenty minutes during lunch, I had to break up two near fights in another class, watch another employee show off a students teeth marks on his arm, and at the end of the day I discover that my friend and co-worker has to have a brain scan to rule out an aneurysm. To top it all off Leo was hyper and Louie's having explosive diarrhea all over the house and I must get him to the vet pronto. Oh not to mention there's the concern that what Louie has Leo may get so I gotta keep an eye on both of them and keep Therapetics informed of what my vet says Louie has.

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Aren't you jealous?

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That's just today people and there's still over eight hours left until the end. And just to let you know today is a pretty good example of what's been going on since last week. One thing after another. It's just nuts and I'm very run down by it all.

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So, I have to miss Leo's training, but, I'm hoping to get my dance class in as I just need something to take my mind off of all this craziness. In exactly one week I'll get to be on fall break and I'm hoping to recoop some of my energy and sanity for that matter.

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In the meanwhile, I'm working to get back into the blogging groove. I have pictures of the new kitten (yes, I kept him), Leo at the fair (no mullet pics though boo!!), stories about this that and the other all ready to be posted. Just bare with me, I'm getting there!

Moving Out, Moving In, and Other Matters (Warning- this post's a doozy!)

Oh Google Images, you've done it again!

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My blogging absence has been due to a massive influx of insanity. One part of this insanity is from yesterday when my roomie and I moved out of our cute bungalow midtown home into a slightly time-specific (think 70s) duplex in an even better midtown neighborhood. Why did we move you ask? Well.... naturally, there's a bit of a story behind that.

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Our little bungalow home, while cute, and colorful, has a multitude of issues that took us to a breaking point. Well, to be fair, my roomie hit the breaking point more than me as I took refuge at Jon's nicer house. We always knew our house was leaky, but, when we discovered that the air ducts from the heating and air unit are leaking and providing heat and air in the attic; and the wood rot is so bad on some windows one can push a finger through it (plus the lack of proper insulation in the walls, attic, and the crawlspace being open) we had an explaination to our abnormally high gas and electric bills.

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Then there was the smell and the sound of rats. This problem took us months to get our landlord to address as he kept insisting it was a 'mouse' problem and we just needed to spray. The oven since roughly November has smelled of burnt urine everytime we turned it on. Yes, that is as nasty and gross as it sounds. Later even turning the stovetop on to boil water would cause a foul smell. We mentioned this to our landlord in December, to which he said he'd replace it. Yeah, that hasn't happened. Don't even get me started on how bad things got, but, an exterminator was finally hired and confirmed we had rats. In fact, he said he could smell the urine as soon as he walked intp our house (can you blame me for being at Jon's?). So traps were laid, an attic door finally fixed (you don't want me to go into that whole expedition- you really don't), but, then came the smell of rotting dead rats and flies, and the monthly inspections we have to take time out on our schedule to take care of.

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Yeah, we were ready to move. It's a big, big shame such an adorable house has been cheaply maintained! A bit of a remodel and some upgrading to make it more insulated would go a LONG way. Ugh. So there you go, we found a nice little, though slightly dated, duplex for about the same price with a landlord who has proved to be really responsive and helpful. On top of that, the previous tenants showed us their monthly bills. Let's just say we'll be saving money. I nearly fell over when I saw the electric in the summer!

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I promise pictures to come soon. It's mass chaos over there. At least we had tons of guys to help make the move as smooth as possible. Yay for friends! Now onto the next bit of nasty business I've been dealing with....

Thanks to the cool artist who put this on deviantart.com and allowed Google to find it.

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Work. In the past three weeks work has becoming nuts, even brinking on insanity. Last week I was so frustrated and upset at the various situations I was shaking!

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Okay I should back up and explain huh? Keep in mind, I LOVE my job. I don't get paid a lot, but, I get friendly co-workers, understanding bosses, lots of flexibility in my schedule, and of course the joy of teaching kids music in turn for a modest salary. So the week before, while I was battling my infection, imgaine my surprise when I recieved an email stating, "As per your contract with MSPA you are required to work at the summer camps we are putting on". No one asked, no one talked to me, nada- just came out of the blue really. Huh???

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First off I never signed a contract. I know, I know I should've and I realize that now. We're such a small business I think some of those more technical/legal ends sometimes get overlooked. Still, I don't recall being told I would be required to work at these camps. Which, okay, I did offer to help at some if I needed to- but did I get assigned one camp? Oh no... no no that would be civilized. I have to be at three camps. Each is a week long. Back to back. Two weeks I work 8:30am-12pm roughly. Not too bad, but, it will be tiring especially since my private lesson load is remaining the same! The other camp is from 8:30am til whenever I need off to go teach. So some days I'm going to start the day with 10-30 kids to herd and teach, then going straight to private lessons which sometimes end around 6pm.

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Let's not even start into how I'll manage all of that, plus Leo's training, plus dance stuff. I'm going to be dancing at OK Mozart in the midst of all of this for pete's sake! On top of all of this there are my usual duties assisting my bosses and keeping things afloat at the studio. I don't know how this will happen. Just the thought of juggling it all and my blood pressure goes up. No joke.

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That leads me to the next part of work related stress. Communications have all but broken down it seems. We rely a ton on email to communicate at my job, plus, weekly meetings with my boss so we're on the same page on a lot of things. The past three weekly meetings have been canceled for one reason or another. The emails have become inconsistent with my boss as well.

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Except to tell me what I have to do. Oh a list I was given either from an email or through another person. Last week I was in charge of basically hiring a new piano teacher, her paperwork and getting it to the proper people, calling new students, trying to get teacher's summer schedules straight, labeling envelopes, etc etc. I also ended up making decisions that are out of my realm, but, only because teachers were left without answers and as I knew some thoughts of my boss on these matters I went ahead and made the call.

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So I am extremely frustrated and stressed out. I feel completly walked over. I've tried to line up meeting with my boss to discuss the camps and the conflicts and issues it will probably cause for me, but, as you probably guessed, no dice. I am thinking that that a lot of personal stuff in her life has come up, as well as, concerns about saving money this summer have led to these decisions and the breakdown in communications. However, I would just like to talk things out, feel like someone who has value in our workplace- not just someone who will do it because I can.

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Or maybe I should talk to another boss? I dunno. I'm rather lost how to approach this situation. However, I'm getting the shaft, especially with an added 20+ hours onto my workload for three weeks, with private lessons thrown in the mix! Sorry to unload, it's probably rather confusing. I have barely been able to keep track of things to be honest!

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I am trying to make it work, but, I don't know how. I really would like to keep my sanity through June! It's a thing.

Airfare Frustration

Last year I finally got my passport with the intention on making it to France that same year. I had been searching cheap airfare sites and was encouraged- tickets ranged from about $500-600 (USD) and I figured I could save and make it work by fall.

If you've been following my blog for any period of time you would know that so didn't happen. I recieved a promotion in fall making it difficult to leave for a week as so much needed to be handled (my position was created when I recieved my promotion). At the same time I took over rent and payment on one bill as my roommate had reached a high level of frustration with keeping her account balanced as our landlord tends to deposit checks up to a month after we give him a rent check.

All of those added up to a delay of savings as I had to catch up with rent. It seems while all of that went on new fees, taxes, something were added onto airplane tickets. I've been checking out the airline prices- OMG!! Now tickets are over $800 dollars on average. I found a $710 dollar ticket on AirFrance's website, BUT, because I would be flying out of the US they had to charge me $119.00 in fees/taxes (mind you this is not near as high as US airline taxes, typically those are about twice the amount for the ticket which makes the total price over $800) so again a ticket for over $800 and that in the off-season folks!

Obviously I'm frustrated. If the price were just a couple hundred dollars less I could manage that. As of right now I am trying to figure out some creative budgeting to save up in expectation of seperating with that amount of mula. Frankly I don't know what else to do! I don't have a major credit card so that's out. And honestly, I don't want to have to rely on a credit card too much as I have a general adversion to being stuck in credit card debt. On the flip side I really want to go to Paris and see my friends who I haven't seen in so very long. I'm not too picky on when I go- Ideally I would like to go to Paris in the spring, preferably mid-March or early May as it won't be filled with so many tourists and one friend who's attending a university there won't be entangled in finals and those times agree pretty well with my schedule.

I just want to go! I would love, LOVE to travel more especially around Europe, but, I'll take a week long trip in Paris for now! Anyone have any ideas, advice, words of wisedom? Or am I just screwed?

A Theme

Car died in the parking lot at the vet clinic-seems the battery is having some issues.

Then my laptop's battery charger goes caput.

Which appliance, toy, essential everyday item is next? Nobody knows....

Say What!?!

I have a couple of really nice, thoughtful, blog posts stewing in my brain. One about my experiences with cultures, personal growth, and all that jazz and the other giving a glimpse into my new position at the studio. However, I'm going to set that all aside for now and talk about Louie my 7 month old mutant puppy.

Now I know you all have had a whole lotta Louie. It's hard not to constantly post pictures of his cuteness. Fortunatly, this entry is not about Louie's cuteness, but, rather his ancestry. About three weeks ago I bought a DNA breed identification kit, swabed the inside of Louie's cheek, and sent it off in hopes that we could uncover the mystery that is my Heinz 57 special puppy.

Originally we were told Louie is a Corgi/Collie mix. I had some doubts those were the only breeds in Louie as he has rather webbed feet and floppy ears. The trainers at the training school I took Louie said he had Golden Retriever, even a Duck Tolling Retriever was thrown out there. So, when I recieved the big envelope with Louie's results in the mail yesterday I was eager to see what it said.

Drumroll please....

A chow chow, chihuahua mix!?!?!? Are you effin' kidding me? Now the American Eskimo and Sheltie I can wrap my head around. Though level 4 means he has only 20-40% of that in him. However, that means the chow chow and chihuahua should be the dominant breeds within Loulou.

According to these papers Louie's DNA is at minimum 65% ish acounted for. There was also the caveat that not all breeds are on their records and IF by chance there is an unidentifiable breed they would then find the nearest ancient breed(s) within your doggie's DNA. Both chow-chow and chihuahua are ancient breeds. So, maybe, just maybe Louie has an unusual breed within him?

I ask you.... does he look like a chow chow/chihuahua mix to you? Where did his floppy ears come from, the webbed feet? Is Louie in that 8% of the mix breed population that has DNA in them that this company BioPet doesn't have listed? I have no flippin' idea. Instead of answers I now have even more questions. Ah life's little loopdie-loops- apparently they can seep in anywhere- even your dog's 'questionable' lineage.

We Have a What?!

My roomie's parents came down from Iowa this holiday weekend for a brief visit. We've been having little house problems here and there, so, her folks swung by the house to look at them. Her father inspected a couple of places and told us what was up and what we needed to do. He also took a closer look at the massive tree in our front yard and declared it to be a pecan tree. Of course, I googled it, compared the leaves (which you don't see in the pic) and the green 'pods' (my term) in it and sure enough we do!

Now we get to figure out if we want to collect pecans or not. And then if we do what to cook? I know there's the classics such as pecan pie and sugar coated pecans. Is there anything else I'm not thinking of?

Days Like This

Despite the sunshine making a rare appearance, despite the house looking better and better, I feel very chaotic. You'd think that there would be a way to feel at peace with what's going on in my life when the world is so pretty. However it's not the case today. Little frustrations, busy schedule, loose ends, and current life circumstances all equate to a seemingly heavy burden. Surely it is not as bad as it seems and all will be well soon enough. To be honest today is one of those days when all I want to do is curl up, hideaway, and in some magical moment of life all will be taken care of.

HA! Like that's going to happen...

So, instead I will leave this vague overtly emotional, okay flat out weird, blog entry and get my butt in gear and take care what I can today. At least that way something feels somewhat done. Surely that will help in someway! Funks are not something I like to be in for an extended period of time.

Take A Deep Breath

I work for a studio, technically as a contract employee. This means that my taxes are not taken out for me, so, when tax season comes along I've gotta do it myself. Hasn't been an issue, as I barely made squat- until last year. Last year, much to my delight I had a veritable student boom and made more last year than I had in previous years working for the studio.

Now while all of this is just grand, the having to do my taxes because I'm in a new tax bracket ain't so grand. In fact it's mind numbing. I'm one of those people who WANT to understand what the hell I'm doing! And when I look at deductions, brackets, tax credit, rules and regulations and I feel my soul weeping as my brain starts to short circuit.

Add that with trying to figure out what federal student loan consolidation program I should sign up for and I feel a nervous breakdown slowly edging its way in. I am trying to tell myself, 'Just breathe, one day and one thing at a time... you can do it...'

After I say that the booze begins to really, REALLY look yummy. That's normal... right?

A Game

Can you figure out what's going on in these pictures?
Obviously these would be cat feet, easy. But where these feet are, is where the fun's at.

Figure it out yet?

One last chance....

Stumped or got it?

Okay here's the answer: Mina was up in the chimney today. How she was able to thrust herself through a narrow angled hole and land on that narrow strip where she could sit I have no clue. I'm just going to file this one away under crazy cat manuvers, take another sip of wine, and have a good giggle.