The Untitled Post

I can't think of a title for this post as it is mainly just ramblings. Maybe by the end I will have thought up something clever.

I spent Memorial Day weekend with my friends in NH; mostly I watched their kids while they worked but I had a good time anyway! Their youngest daughter is a semi-handful lately; she's very curious and 'busy' - my oldest son was like this when he was 4. I don't care what is said about terrible twos but I think fours are worse! They're more mobile at 4, can get into waaaay more things (both good and bad), and are old enough to verbalize the 'reason' they did whatever they did. *chuckle*

Sunday I was a roadie for my friend who is a magician. I then got to actually sit and watch his show (not for the first time, but I had no kids to watch which can be distracting!) He's really quite good! Made me laugh even though I've seen the tricks, heard the corny jokes. He's got a couple of tricks that made me go 'HUH?!' and more than a few jokes that crack me right up (corny as they are!)

Sandy and I took the girls down to the brook and taught them how to use a sling shot. WOW! They're pretty good! We waded into the brook, got a little wet, and had a nice little competition to see who could shoot the furthest. I gave it my best shot but Sandy shot just that much better. Beat me by not that much though! Then we let my daughter have a turn with my slingshot and she landed a rock pretty close to where I landed my best shot! Next it was Gladdy's turn - she did really good with her sligshot, actually shooting AND skipping her rock at the same time!

On Memorial Day proper I had a chance to go canoeing. What a great time! There were several moments to make me chuckle - including hanging my feet over each side of the canoe to cool them off, not realizing it made my partner paddle all that much harder because it was like having the brakes on! *BIG LAUGH* From behind me I hear...ahem.....excuse me..but would you please pull your feet in?? OOPS, sooooorrrry!! Then, spinning around in the middle of Salmon Pond...must have looked funny from the shore as I was taught how to spin the canoe around. It must have looked like we didn't know what we were doing at ALL! I did see a turtle swim under the boat - the water wasn't all that deep and I was supposed to be watching for hazards in the water but I was more interested in the little turtle that was swimming under me to notice the big ROCK in front of me! Again, from behind me I heard...ahem.....do you see the rock in front of us?? Looking up, I reply, YA...from behind me again I hear, could we NOT hit it? LOL I don't know if I'll be asked to go again but I sure hope so! I had way too much fun! Got a little sun too; not too much but a little pink color on both legs and arms. Next time though, a black t-shirt is NOT what you wear in the middle of an open lake in a canoe in the bright late spring sun!

Is That All There Is?!

Well it's all over now. The semester is done, the books have been sold back (at a ridiculously low price I may add) and the grades are almost in. The rains have totally soaked us here in the Northeast and the college where my Spanish class is held was evacuated, resulting in the final week being moved out by a week. So I'm still hanging on waiting for my Spanish grade. It's ok - I'm not sweating that grade as much as I did the A&P. (*UPDATE* I got a B+!!) I've also heard from LPNs that I've talked to that A&P was the most difficult of the courses. I've also talked to two HR directors about work - they both tell me that if I can complete the first year of Fundamentals of Nursing I'm eligible to sit for placement exams. Well, that's all good and fine if I pass the two classes that are required for nursing school (namely microbiology and A&P1!). I'm going to submit my application anyhow and see what happens.

There is a CNA course available for the month of June that I'm looking into and I have been approached for sponsorship by a local rehab facility. In exchange for them paying for the class I have to work for them for six months 3-11. The downside of that shift is that I miss the after school activities with my kids, as well as the obvious "who will cook them dinner at night?" because by then, my divorce will be final and I'll be raising them on my own. There's a long story in itself for another time and planet. *smile*

My friend is finally home from the hospital after battling cellulitis in his leg. I'm quite fond of him and I see my friend Jean in him (except for her unending stubbornness!) I don't want to lose him too so I'm all over him to keep going with the progress he's made so far. The kids were so happy to see Papa come home they almost knocked him down as he got out of my van. They missed him sooo much! I drove up last weekend to get him out of the hospital, bring him home, and lend a hand during the weekend. I don't mind; I truly feel appreciated when I visit.

THE GRADES ARE IN!!

My grades have finally been posted! I'm so proud to say that I managed to earn a C+ in A&P! I am so thrilled that I 'passed' enough to apply to nursing school. I'm not proud that it's only a C+ but I'm happy it's not a C! C's just don't CUT IT! Along with the C+ in A&P, I earned an A- in my Health & Disability in the Elderly class and a B+ in Abnormal Psych. My spanish for medical professionals is still outstanding, but according to the professor I'm sitting at a 91.7 pre-final (which I have just submitted after working on it for close to FOUR HOURS now!)

I know I've had my share of doubts but my friends have pushed, pulled, cajoled and in general, encouraged me all along the way. Without them, I don't think I would have made it this far. Now, on to nursing school applications!! Can I get a HOOORAY?!

Aren't grades posted YET?!

I'm sitting here on pins and needles! It's been one full week since I sat in my last A&P class. I'm chewing ny fingernails waiting for the grades to be posted. I'm praying that I'm in the high 70's because as we all know, I need a 78 to be able to even apply to the nursing program at my school. The acceptance rate is low - 400 applications for 100 slots. Even those with 4.0 GPAs aren't getting accepted. I don't know why because the need for nurses is still great.

Keep your fingers crossed and as soon as I know...I'll post the results.

The Value of Friends

As I've cruised through my day today, I find my thoughts drifting to friends and what they mean to me. I think about the times friends have called to chat and I've either put them off or not answered the phone (that hasn't happened tooo often in all honesty because I love to talk on the phone!) I've also wondered if I've been as good a friend as people have been to me.

I think about this past weekend when my dear friends invited me to Spacetacular in Concord on Saturday. I was driving up on Friday with my daughter and son to spend the weekend. We've done this kind of thing before so it's nothing new. On Friday night Cedar calls to tell me that she hates to say it but she's not feeling all that snappy and "I'm calling off this weekend". I was sad that I wouldn't get to see her and all the kids. As she listed the reasons why I couldn't come, I thought, she needs a pep talk. So I proceeded to acknowledge all her reasons and ask if she was totally sure I couldn't come up anyhow and give her a needed hand. After a few minutes, she changed her mind and said sure, c'mon up! You don't care if the dishes aren't done do you? I replied, NAAAH... You know me..if it bothers me, I'll just wash them! (which I did!).

On Friday night, after I arrived and got my kids settled for bed, I sat with her and talked about anything on her mind. I also offered to take two of her four kids with me to Spacetacular (one is only 9 months old, the other was on punishment). She gave it some thought, and said SURE as long as you don't mind. MIND?! ME? Nah! I just wanted her to have some time to chillax (my version of chilling out and relaxing).

Saturday I had a ball with the four kids while she stayed home with her other two. The baby ended up at the ER with a nice earache. It never ends with kids, does it? I tried as best I could to help her out and not make it a hardship to have three extra people in the house. We cooked together, worked together to get the kids into bed, and then shared a nice bottle of beer before we both crashed for the night.

I hope she knows how much I love coming to her house. Being around her puts a joy in my heart I can't describe. I don't know if it's because she lets me help, and doesn't get all paranoid about the condition of her house. I've told her dozens of times - I don't come to visit the house; I come to visit YOU! I've also asked if she minds my help - sometimes I know I feel insulted when someone starts picking up things at my house - she says no and I'm confident she means it. My heart is in the right place - I just want to make things easier for her. I remember what it was like to be home with small children all day, and the effort it takes to keep the house tidy and no grown up conversation. She's lucky though - because there are several days her husband is home so she has other adult conversation available.

Musings on the toilet

Now before you decide I'm going to write about toileting, let me clarify, or in the words of Indigo Montoya, let me 'splain...no, let me sum up...

I came home from a long weeekend to a severely leaking toilet. Since I have a little plumbing experience, I thought I could fix it no sweat. Well...that was SUNDAY...it's now THURSDAY and I think I can finally say the silly thing is fixed! I started off by shutting the water off (no problem! just turn the little knob on the pipe at the back of the toilet right?) and flushing the toilet. Goofy me forgot that there was residual water in the tank when I disconnected the water supply. WATER EVERYWHERE and no towels handy! I am on my knees trying to catch the water in a stupid CUP with zero success! Thankfully my dear daughter brings me a large metal bowl.

Let's just fast forward through the swearing, the knuckle busting, the THREE trips to the hardware store for parts. I replaced just about every piece possible...hooked everything up...turned on the water supply and hooray everything worked...until I looked DOWN under the toilet in time to see a nice drip start. Something was STILL leaking from somewhere! GRRRRR! Take everything apart once again (although now I know to have towels and buckets handy for excess water!) and look to see that the one part I DIDN'T replace (the gasket) was indeed cracked in not one but TWO places! OK...back to the hardware store. I'm on a first name basis by now with the plumbing guy...gimme a stinkin gasket for this GD toilet! Of course it's not exactly the same but it will fit. Back home we go...put the gasket in...put it all back together...turn on the water supply...stare for leaks...hmmm no leaks....ten minutes..twenty minutes...no leaks! Could it be possible?! Is it FIXED?! OF COURSE NOT! Now the water supply hose starts dripping...I give up...tomorrow (Friday) I will buy a short water supply hose, replace it, and if the toilet still leaks, I'm going to have a nut! Actually, I will have to call my friendly plumber friend AJ for a professional consult.

I also noticed that the flush level looks kind of crappy so I thought I'd replace that too - guess what? Bought the wrong kind (anyone want a front mount flush level?!) So now it's BACK to the hardware store to buy another flush level (along with the short water supply hose). What else can break down? I'm afraid to ask, so I won't!