I'm Moving!

I'm finally making the move to Wordpress. The blog title is staying the same, my new address is http://throughthepriszm.wordpress.com/.

There's pretty much only one major reason why I'm moving to Wordpress. Many years ago when Gmail was still invite only, I had set up an account but I hadn't started using it. When I decided to join the blogging world, that's the account information that I used, since that's what I already had. Shortly after that I got fed up with Yahoo Mail since the new update kept giving me problems. I got the bright idea to create a new email persona when I switched services. It was a little strange, I've been Priszm for so long. And I still am, anything that requires a username for posting, that's who I am. But I wanted a change for my email address.

So CraftyCritter was born. Only one problem. While Blogger will allow me to use ANY other email address I may have, it will not change the associated account from whichever form of Priszm I used to my brand new account with gmail. Not only will blogger not let me change the account association, it doesn't maintain a list of usernames and passwords. So I can't just click on the Username field and then select the username I want. So I'm moving!

Wordpress did all of the hard work for me, for the most part. They have a handy dandy import/export tool that let me move all existing posts over. It didn't let me move my blog roll though. So I am officially moved into Wordpress! Come visit me at my new home http://throughthepriszm.wordpress.com/ I'll see you there!

Hugs and kisses,
Priszm

Stem Cell Research

Hey guys! I'm sharing this from the blog I'm an MS Activist. This something that can not only help those suffering from MS; it can help those suffering from many many other things.

"Press Release: First-Ever Stem Cell Hearing in the House
Energy and Commerce Committee Vice Chair Diana DeGette (D-CO), the chief architect of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, today applauded the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee for scheduling the first-ever Congressional hearing in the House of Representatives on stem cell research. The hearing entitled, “Stem Cell Science: The Foundation for Future Cures,” will be held on Thursday, May 8th. Click here for more information.

Weyman Johnson, National Multiple Sclerosis Society chairman of the baord, who lives with multiple sclerosis will testify. At the same time, MS activists will be on Capitol Hill talking with their legislators about the need to advance medical research."

Clarification

I need to clarify Mom's role in my decision to ride in the MS 150. When I wrote posts one and two it was pretty much right as I had gotten home Sunday after the ride. I was very tired and it's been brought to my attention that some things can be and were taken in a way I totally didn't intend and never occurred to me that it could be taken that way.

Mom is one of my best friends. She is someone that I can go to with any problem, any story or any time I need her. When I first told her I planned on doing the MS 150 she told me she was concerned about my ability to actually do the ride and finish. NOT that this was something I couldn't do. But something she was concerned about my ability to do and not have my body get wore out or give up on me.

Mom's concern was actually a good thing for me. It made me more determined to do what I could to complete the entire 150 miles. Her concern made me want to "prove Mom wrong" and, in a sense, prove me wrong. Although I can go to Mom anytime I have a problem or concern, this was something I didn't share with her. I didn't share with John, or anyone else. It's not even something I really admitted to myself. After all, I was the one who's legs felt like they were wrapped with saran wrap after getting off the stationary bike, the one who can no longer do a simple cardio class because my legs get too tired. The one who occasionally gives in and cries in the shower because my body won't let me do those things anymore.

I didn't want to admit to anyone that maybe this was going to be too much for me. So I clung to Mom's concern. I let it drive my determination. And no matter how concerned Mom was, she still was behind me every step of the way. She has supported me through everything in my life. And I'm very very thankful that she's not only my mom, but also my friend.

Oh the irony...

Actually, I'm not sure if this can be considered ironic or not. But, since this is my blog and therefore my little world, we're gonna say it is :)

Everyone everywhere is getting hit with the high price of gas. Many people are cutting down on extra trips and expenses because they're having problems affording gas and other necessaties. I'm no different when it comes to the cost of gas. But I finally put my money where my mouth is so to speak and started doing what I've been saying I'm going to do. Last Thursday I rode my bike to work. For me, it makes a ton of sense. I live less than 5 miles from work and I belong to the gym at work so I have access to the on site showers. It takes me only slightly longer to bike than it does to drive.

Not only am I so close to work, but I'm also very very centrally located to everything else. Within probably no more than 2 miles I have at least one of: Super Walmart, Sam's Club (ok, that's actually only a block away!), Costco, Target, Mall, bookstore (3 within the same distance!), Public and various other stores and restaurants. With everything so close, it really doesn't make sense to drive every place all the time. Except for the summer heat and the storms. So I'm working on getting some panniers for my bike so I can do my shopping by bike. And I'm trying to ride to work more on days I'm not working my part time job.

That's how I started out today actually. I got up, packed my work clothes, put on my bike clothes and headed out. And made it less than two miles. This is my irony part. When we did the MS 150 we were kinda laughing at all the uber bikers with the super skinny tires. Those tires tend to blow out a lot quicker and easier than our fatter tires. So neither of us had to have a tire replaced at all during the ride. This morning however, my front tire went flatter than a pancake. And I couldn't get the cap off of my valve stem to try and fill it up with air to at least ride home. I guess when my chain was being repaired and the guy put some air in my tires, the sealent glued the valve cap in place. So there went my good intentions for today.

Gifts

I can finally post pictures of some recent gifts. Everything has been shipped and opened. I didn't want to show anything before then since the recipient reads this :-)

Sarah was one of my college roommates and a wonderful woman. She's getting married this fall to someone who seems like a perfect match for her. So their wedding present is this (all pictures are clickable):




Not only does she have the excitement of a wedding to prepare for, she is also expecting her first child with her fiance very shortly (within a month). So of course I had to send a gift for Tot. There is a little matching bunny hanging out on the blanket.



Tot will be joining big sister Paige. Growing up my Great Aunt Eleanor would always make sure the non-birthday child had a little something to open, usually it was cheese puffs or something like that. With this in mind, and knowing that there's going to be a lot of attention on Tot when she arrives, Paige got her own presents.

bike MS 150 - Day 2

Welcome to day 2 of the bike MS 150!

Day 2 started almost as early as day 1. The four of us (John, me, Mom and Dad) stayed at the host hotel, The Rosen Center, in Orlando rather than make the sometimes hour drive back to Lakeland. Breakfast started at 5:30, so today we got to sleep in to 5. Yes, again this is AM, while it's still dark out. I did get a lot of sleep last night. I think I was asleep by 8:30, but try telling that to my body, it doesn't like mornings. Especially when it's still dark out.

John and I tossed around the idea of just hopping SAGs all the way to Cypress Gardens. And since I forgot to mention it, SAG is Support and Gear, it's the people driving the route to pass out water/gatorade, minor first aid supplies and to pick up riders when needed. Some riders were just wore out, some were a little sore and needed a little rest, some blew out their tires and needed a ride to the next stop and the bike mechanics. I have a hybrid bike, so unlike all those very skinny bike tire peoples, I had no tire problems at all.

While we were at breakfast Mom and Dad started talking to one of the other volunteers. She said her name was Shannon and that she had ridden twice previously. Her husband and a friend were riding while she was a SAG driver. As we were talking, her husband mentioned being dropped last year when they had stopped at a gas station to get more water because the last SAG had gone buy and not looked in the parking lot of the store to see if any bikes were there. This clicked something for me (forgive the side trip here).

Last year after the ride I was on the Weight Watcher messenger boards and was a little bored. I headed to the 30 year old board, since I'm soon going to be in that category, to see what people were saying. I noticed one poster had listed in her signature line almost completing the 2007 MS 150 ride. I had gotten in contact with her to get an idea of what the ride was like, what to expect (guess I should have asked about the course!), and she had also told me about being dropped on the ride. So when Shannon's husband mentioned this, I asked her if she had been on the WW message boards. Imagine our very pleasant surprise!

Anyway, John and I decided to head out and go as far as we could. When I woke up this morning the muscles behind my left knee were very sore, and the joint area on my right knee hurt. My legs other wise felt pretty good. That helped us decide to keep going. I pulled on my bike shorts (uh, bike store people, those of us with wider loads need wider padding!) and we headed to our bikes, and headed out with everyone. No, my butt wasn't happy to be back on my bike again so soon after so many miles. Like yesterday we did pretty good. Our average to the first two rest stops was 14.4 miles. I even passed people today! On my bike without being in a SAG. Although I did start to develop a hatred for the "Uber Bikers" (Shannon's very apt phrase), the bikers who average 20-25 miles an hour and who finished the century (100 mile ride) on Saturday in about 4, 4 1/2 hours!

When we got to rest stop two, my left knee was doing better, but my right was still hurting a little when I bent my knee. That was livable and no big deal. But getting off my bike I noticed that the muscles in my thighs felt a little weak. I walked around a little bit to try and keep those muscles loose, then joined the line at the porta-pottys. We did get a good laugh while waiting. One lady in front of John mentioned the handicap one being open since the indicator was green. So John went and opened the door, on some poor lady using the toilet! No, the lady in front of John was not aware someone was in there.

Heading back out, I made sure to tell John about my thigh muscles so he would know how I was doing, and we agreed to continue on. He said we'll take it slow and get your muscles warmed up again. As we continued on I actually started to slow down and it was getting harder to push on. At stop three, I got off my bike (after climbing a small hill biking into the rest stop!) and headed to the snack table. My legs were weaker this time and I don't know if I could have crossed the street back to my bike without support. I truly felt like my thighs were going to give out on me. So back onto the SAG wagon for me. John headed off into the hills (literally) on bike and I got to rest and relax in AC.

We got back together at the lunch stop and we both hopped Shannon's SAG to rest stop seven (final rest stop). John's back was very sore heading into the lunch, so we decided to bypass the rest of the ride. John did ride the last leg into Cypress Gardens and I hopped another SAG (this is starting to sound like bus or metro transfers). The driver let me out into the parking lot. He would have taken me to John's truck, but I told him that I said I was going to cross the finish line on my bike. I did end the tour riding about 2 blocks, my thigh muscles were still feeling very weak while on my bike. But I said if I was dragging my feet or if John was pushing me, I was going to cross that finish line on my bike.

I don't know if it was being so tired (remember, we were up while it was still dark out both days), or just the fact I managed to do as much as I did. But crossing that finish line was, and still is, a very emotional moment for me. I collected my medal while on my bike and with tears coming out of my eyes. Yes, I proved Mom right and my legs were not able to do the entire ride, but dammit, I did half of it. I did about 80 miles in all and I hauled my body, wide load and poor tired legs and all, up all those damn hills. I DID IT!

Day 1 I did about 53 miles and today I did about 26-27 miles. John did around 116 miles total. And while I did develope a slight hatred (ok, resentment?) towards the Uber Bikers, I have the utmost respect for everyone involved, from the organizers, to the bikers and all the way to the volunteers. Trust me, those volunteers worked just as hard as we bikers did. Check this poor tired volunteer out. I know that I've said I can pretty much sleep anywhere, but this person takes the cake, sleeping the way s/he is in the DJ tent with the speakers right there.



And I thank everyone for supporting me, both with financial support as a donation to the MS Society and emotional support. It means so much to me and Dad that so many believed I could do this. However, next year, John and I think we'll be one of the SAG vehicles instead. I think I'll stick to the MS walk, it's only 3 miles.

bike MS 150 - Day 1

Honestly I don't know if I have enough to write about, but I'm going to split it into two posts anyway. After all, it is my blog :-) And just so you know, all images are clickable to larger sizes.

Anyone who has spent time with me knows I am not a morning person. Never have been and probably never will be. Mom is the same way. However, Mom and Dad had to be at Cypress Gardens by 5:45 AM at the latest to get the details of their volunteer assignment. So, John and I got our butts out of bed at the crack of dawn and headed with them. We were at Cypress Gardens by 5:30, and guess what?, it was still dark out.

After getting in, we roamed around until about 7am, that's when everyone loosely lined up to head out on the actual ride. There was a rumored 1600 people registered to ride! That's a lot of people! Keep that number in mind...

Send off was supposed to be at 7, but we didn't get going until about 7:10, by that time the natives were all getting restless. John and I did snap pictures of each other while waiting. We were both VIB's, that means we were able to raise the minimum $1000 needed for jerseys. Given all the hard work that went into getting the jerseys, we wore them proudly on Saturday.



After taking off I thought we were doing pretty well. We were averaging about 15 mph to start and things were going pretty well. However, I was surprised when I came up onto the first direction sign with the milage. The ride was split into the option of 50mph, 75 mph or on Saturday 100 mph. John and I had decided we'd do the 75 each day. Well, it really wasn't 50, 75 or 100 miles. It was 53, 83 or 103. They lied to us! But oh well, we're on the way, we're doing good. And if you're interested in the route, here ya go!

We got to the first rest stop pretty quickly, took a quick break and headed on to the next. Somewhere between the first and second or second and third rest stop (pretty sure second and third) I discovered someone else had lied. I'd really like to find the person (persons?) who said Florida is a flat state. I want to know where they went that it's flat and why we couldn't be there too! This is the first hill section that we encountered. The picture is from the top. The downhill that is seen in the distance, we went up the other side of that, down the hill and then I hauled my butt up the hill I'm standing at the top of. That was not fun, but it wasn't as bad as to come.



Rest stop three was the last stop before lunch. At this time it's around 11 or so, we'd gone roughly 30-something miles or so. So we head out to lunch and discover a ton more hills. Lots of hills. I felt like I was biking in Duluth! Except we did have some down portions, just not as much as I would have liked. Or maybe it just felt that way. I honestly don't know at this point. The trip from rest stop 3 to 4 was the longest one we had, it was roughly 14 1/2 miles, all of it hills. Leaving rest stop 3 I actually walked my bike up a hill because I needed to work a different set of muscles for a while.

On our way to lunch Mom and Dad called twice. The first time they said we didn't have too much farther to go (yeah, it goes quicker in a motor vehicle!) and that when we came around the bend a photographer would be there. We kept saying "oh, there's a bend, this must be it." The second time they called, Mom asked where we were. My very testy response was "On another damn hill!" And besides, we were in the middle of the flippin' state, how did I know where we were? We FINALLY got to lunch, about 12:30 I think. It meant a nice long trip down a hill (Oh thank god!). We were served pb&j's or Bubba Burgers. The burgers smelled really good, but by this time I didn't know if I was hungry or wanted to throw up (we've decided it was the gatorade doing that), so I stuck with the sandwiches.

Heading out of lunch I had a problem with my bike, my chain got jammed. A SAG driver had some lubricant, so we lubed up my chain and decided to SAG to the next rest stop looking for one of the bike mechanics. When we left in the truck I commented that "I finally get to pass people." Remember the 1600 people that were registered? Yeah, about 1/2 probably passed me. I passed no one except John. When we went into lunch maybe a dozen tops came in after us.

The mechanic looked at my chain (since it was "stuttering" when I switched gears) and found out my cable was loose. After getting that tightened, John headed to the next rest stop on bike and I caught a ride. We hung out at the next stop before trying to head to the final rest stop. We made it 8 miles I'm sorry to say before catching a ride to the end.

Dinner would have been much more enjoyable if the sound system was turned down. When the singer started to sing Mom and I actually had to shout to hear each other, and we were sitting right next to each other. So we didn't stay to listen to the speaker, which I was a bit disappointed at. But, it's probably a good thing, what do you guys think?

MS Ride

This time tomorrow J and I will be well into our first day of the bike MS 150. It seems like just yesterday I was signing up for the ride and setting my goal of $1000. Now, about 6 months later, I've meet my goal and I'm trying to believe that the ride is actually tomorrow.

I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I'm nervous because I've never ridden this many miles at a time. I'm excited to join the thousands fighting to help get rid of MS. It's amazing how many people are willing to go to the lengths that they do to help me, Dad and thousands others like us. I know some people are out there just to ride, they enjoy the idea of doing a brisk 150 miles total. But they are there, and they did the necessary fundraising to be there. Scientists are making such huge strides these days and hopefully one day soon a cure will be found.

So that is what I'll be doing this weekend. To get ready for having to get up at the crack of dawn Saturday and Sunday, I took today and Monday off of work. I think it's going to be needed.

Mom and Dad (ok, right now it's pretty much just dad) have joined the blogging world! They are cruise travel agents for Cruises Inc and started The Cruisin' Fools to share their experiences at different vacation spots. It just got started so there isn't a lot on there yet. But if you're interested in reading a personalized account of some of the places the cruise ships go, check it out!

Survey Says...

Thanks for thinking of me Court. She tagged me on the ABC's so here ya go guys.

Do you know your ABCs?

A: Attached or Single? Attached

B: Best Friend? John, Dru, Linda

C: Cake or Pie? Depends on what kind (flavor) is offered

D: Day of Choice? Saturday

E; Essential Item? Book or crochet items

F: Favorite Color? Purple

G: Gummy Bears or Worms? Gummy bears

H: Hometown? I was born in Redwood City, CA, but spent the most time to date in Fridley, MN

I: Indulgence? chocolate and peanut butter

J: January or July? Either, I'm in FL, depending on the year and Ma Nature, they can be pretty close to the same

K: Kids? Nah, the older I get, the less I want them

L: Life isn’t complete without? pets

M: Marriage date? Will let ya know if there is one

N: Number of brothers and sisters? 1 brother

O: Oranges or apples? both

P: Phobias and fears? Snakes!

Q: Quote? Don't have one

R: Reason to smile? Love, goofy pets

S: Season of choice? I really miss spring and fall

T: Tag three people? Dad and Mom, DuJane, Sarah

U: Unknown fact about me? I don't know

V: Vegetable? Corn or peas

W: Worst habit? I can be very anal about some things

X: X-ray or Ultrasound? X-ray I guess, I've never had an ultrasound

Y: Your favorite food? Cheese chicken! Or if we're going out, Giordano's, Oh so yummy!

Z: Zodiac sign? Scorpio

Ok Mom/Dad, DuJane and Sarah, you're up!

Co-Pay Issues for certain medications

One of the blogs I read is I'm an MS Activist, for obvious reassons. I don't always read all of the posts, but there was one today that caught my attention. Today's post contained this article from The New York Times, an article that is important not just for those with MS, but anyone taking specialized medications for rheumatoid arthritis, hemophilia, hepatitis C and some cancers. Please please read the article.

I'm currently on Rebif, it's one of the most recent medications approved by the FDA to help slow the progression of MS. My medication costs my insurance company approximately $1900 a month. When I was first started on Rebif at my previous job my co-pay was $100 a month, or $250 for a 90 day supply. When I changed to my current company my co-pay dropped dramaticly. In 2007 I had a co-pay of $16.90, and insurance was paying $1700 something. This year due my co-pay is $30. I'm greatful that I'm not paying more, I know many many are. This is one of many reasons why this weekend I'm riding 150 miles to help fight MS.

What a way to live!

My apartment complex is not the greatest. But, it's very affordable, I have my own washer and dryer and I don't have to pay water. It's also larger and cheaper than several of the other nicer complexs around, most of which don't provide a washer and dryer and the tenant pays water. So financially, I've got a pretty good deal going. Plus, move in was super easy! Mine is the only building with parking in the front and back, and since I'm on the ground floor, we literally backed the vehicles up to my patio door.

Another great thing about where I live, it's very centrally located. The mall is about 2 blocks away, I'm about 4-5 miles from work. I have 3 grocery stores within about 6 blocks, including Sam's club a block away. There's also several restuarants in the vicinity as well. I suppose technically I wouldn't need to worry about having a car to go places. Except for the rain and the unbelievable heat that we get in the summer.

Today wasn't one of those days. Today was absolutely beautiful! J asked if I wanted to go to dinner and we settled on Old Chicago, about 2 blocks away. We decided to enjoy the weather and walked to the restaurant. Within the last year or so Florida passed this wonderful bill that says the restaurant can decide if dogs will be allowed on their outside patios. Old Chicago happens to allow dogs. Since it's so nice out, a wonderful breeze to keep the heat away, we brough Ciera with and ate outside today. This was the first time I've done that and she was such a good girl.

One funny moment did happen. I had the loop of her leash under the table lag, J had gone inside and Ciera was sitting in the spot between our seats. Another couple decided to move from the high top (with no chairs) to the table by us. The guy looked at me and, while passing behind our seats to get to his, said "Don't worry, I have an affinity with dogs". Just as he said this, Ciera backed herself away from him by going under my chair. Guess he didn't have an affinity with C :)

A Few Pictures

These are from my phone, which doesn't always take the best pictures. So please forgive me :)

Tasha and Boris are showing off their favorite positions

Tasha and Ciera showing that cats and dogs really do get along

Brian and Dad as smurfs :D This is one of those fun features on my phone camera

John and I were out riding one day and saw this guy under a dock.

I know this can't be seen all that well, but the blob on the right is a gator and all the 4 or so blogs to the left are turtles. I guess the gator really wasn't that hungry. This was taken while leaving work one day, and that is a pond our glassed in walkway passes.

In Memory

Mom and Dad moved to Florida in 2000. They chose to live in a retirement community, someplace that would help keep Grandpa entertained. The location they decided on for their house was chock full of midwesterners. Their neighbors on one side were from Michigan; the couple across the street, Minnesota; the couple at the end of the street, Wisconsin; another couple at the end of the street, Minnesota (and I think she used to teach and taught one of my uncles); Grandpa's girlfriend, Michigan. There are many others from that area, including Pete and Yvonne on the other side of Mom and Dad. They were from Wisconsin.

With so many people from Minnesota and Wisconsin around, my parents quickly developed a new tradition. Every year when the Packers play the Vikings at home (Metrodome) they have a party, the border battle. Green and Gold usually outnumbers Purple and Gold, but there isn't a lack of good natured ribbing taking place. Pete and Yvonne have been at the Border Battle since it's inception. Sadly Pete won't be joining us this year.

Sunday, after an amazing 59 years married with Yvonne, Pete passed away. Within the last couple of years he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He had also recently fallen and broken his hip, requiring a stay in a nursing rehab facility. Sadly for us his time has come to an end. My family and I were blessed and very privilaged to be allowed to attend his funeral. At his request this was a private, family only event. While it was a very sad occasion, it was also probably one of the most lighthearted funerals I have ever attended. The priest was excellant and keeping just the right tone and reminding us of all the laughs Pete brought into our lives. So today's post is in memory of Pete.

It's Done!

The auction was held Saturday April 5th, 2008. And while we didn't raise as much as I was hoping, we still did a very good job. The grand total raised was $808.00! Half of this will actually be matched by my part time job. So I guess that means the eventual total raised will be about $1200. Not too bad.

I think we had two major issues that contributed to not raising as much as we would have liked. One was location. Yes, it's true what they say in real estate. Location is very important. Plant City's bike fest is set up like a T, and we were the last space at the end of the left hand arm of the top of the T. Right next to us was a group from Gibsonton, the winter and retirement home of many many circus folks. So we had a gentleman swallowing a sword, amongst other little tricks. Most people would wander down, watch the show and then wander back.

The other issue we had was another fundraiser event, this one an auction and raffle to benefit breast cancer and cancer awareness. Now, I know cancer is another important disease to fight, it's something that has affected my family and the family of a very close friend of mine. But did they have to fight cancer on the same night I wanted to fight MS?

The ladies fighting cancer had put together around 30 baskets of different items and they raffled those off. They also had a live auction of various items. So even though we had some really cool items to offer, it seemed like an uphill battle.

But we did have a very good time and I'm very thankful for everyone who bid on an item or donated a little bit to us. And I thank everyone else for their support!

It's been awhile

So I thought I'd do a quick post and run today. First off, my bike MS goal. I set my goal at $1000 for two reasons. One I thought it'd be fairly easy to get to that goal and two, that's the amount needed for a jersey. And I want a jersey. As of yesterday, my goal has been met!! One of my parents neighbors very generously donated a whopping $500!!!!! Yay!

Tonight is the silent auction. I'm hoping, wishing, praying and whatever else there is to whatever powers that be there are that it doesn't rain. Or at least only rains very very early on. Granted that doesn't usually stop the bikers, they're pretty dedicated. But no rain equals more people. And since I have some seriously awesome stuff, more people will equal more money raised. Most everything can be seen at my auction preview site. A couple things not added include: 2 adult tickets for the dinner train out of Ft. Myers, they usually do a mystery dinner; 2 tickets for lunch or brunch aboard the StarShip Yacht, they do meal cruises around Tampa Bay; 2 gift certificates for Partylite. I really think I'll be able to raise a very decent amount of money tonight, money that will go to the MS Society to help fight this stupid disease.

So that's my Saturday night. We need to be at Plant City by 3 to set up, so before heading there I need to run to Walmart and pick up some snacks for us and some thank you notes. That way all the notes can be writting for the winners in advance! Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Afghans

These two afghans I made for myself. The cream colored one is currently my primary bedspread since I don't really need anything heavier at the moment. And if I do need added warmth, I just throw on a couple other blankets, including the whte and multi colored one.

"I see stupid people"

Sadly my part time job is a mecca for prank calls. I’m never sure which I dread more, the men who decide to call us as a free replacement for the 900 numbers or the kids. Either way, we’re not allowed to hang up on the caller and, in the case of the kids, we have to treat the caller as if we’re speaking to an adult. When it comes to the kids, we can usually get them off the phone pretty quickly.

Our ordering system has a form of caller id and the phone number being called from always shows up. When we get a prank call usually reading the number will get the caller to hang up. With the kids it’s kinda funny even. “I show your number as 555-1212” and there’s an “oh crude” type of silence. But that doesn’t always work, so then we resort to asking for a credit card number and that will either get them to hang up right away, or at least pretty quickly.

There’s been several times when I would love to bust the prank calls, but I bite my tongue, and never more so than tonight. I had a boy call and ask for the item being shown, a shirt. I asked him what size he wanted and had to repeat several times the size range it was available in. Reading the phone number didn’t work, he gave me his “number” and asking for the credit card number didn’t work either. Kid just kept asking why it was needed and stating I must want the number pretty badly.

We went around regarding the credit card number a few times and then Kid asks if we ship to Canada. I told him we are not able to ship items to Canada. His next question was “Do you ship to Toronto?” I then informed him Toronto is in Canada so he asked if we ship to the United Kingdom. Upon hearing that we only ship within the United States, Kid says “that doesn’t make sense since the United Kingdom and United States are the same.” Now, I was thinking before this kid needs to pay more attention in school, but when he seemed surprised that Puerto Rico is part of the United States, that confirmed it.

Oy what a week!

Thankfully not the whole week, just part of it. I live in a one bedroom apartment on the 1st floor. The apartment above me is also a one bedroom with 2 adults, 2 children and one on the way. Yeah, so not legal and yes, the owner of the complex has been made aware of this.

Wednesday I was getting ready for work when I hear drip....drip....drip. I go into the bathroom and my ceiling is leaking, along the repair line from last years leak. I put a travel mug under it and call maintenance. Then a leak starts coming down from the fan and I put my garbage can under that. Not five minutes later I have a steady stream from the vent. I put the empty litter container under that one. Within 20 minutes, it looked like this:

Within 45 minutes it was 3/4 full. The apartment above me had water coming up from their toilet and a full tub. It took the plumbers all day to find the clog and fix it. I ended up with, in addition to wet carpet in my bedroom closet:

Lovely isn't it? This morning included a call to animal control. An apartment in the building next to mine has this little dog (cocker spaniel size) that it leaves out on the balconey pretty much all day. In recent months the dog was out all night long and barking, it sounded like "hey let me in" barking. This dog was on the balconey yesterday afternoon when I took Ciera outside. I walked over and looked up at it and if it had stood still long enough I could have counted each rib. The poor dog also had spots of fur missing from it's tail and, if I remember right, it's hindquarters. Hopefully animal control was out today to investigate.

Sorry for depressing anyone. On the bright side, I got my doily from my partner at the Crochetville doily swap. It is very pretty and for some reason I didn't see the apples until this morning. I'm still trying to figure out how I missed them :-)

I have my partners complete, but I won't post pictures until she has received it, just in case :) Everyone have a good weekend, here's hoping for lots of wonderful weather all over!

P.S. I'm apparently having problems with photobucket this evening, the pictures either show up huge, or just show up as the code. So here ya go, direct from my computer!

It's Baseball Season Baby!

I'm a Twins fan, always have been and always will be. I still remember my first game ever. Dad had won tickets to the Renaissance Festival from WCCO and that's where we were going on that bright day. We get into the car and head into Downtown Minneapolis. Now, I'm between 7 and 9 years old, so I thought that was where the Fest was held at. We park and start walking, passing the HHH Metrodome as we go. Mom says why don't we go see if they'll let us look around since you're such a big fan.

So up to the enterance we go and Mom asks the ticket taker if we could go in just to look around. Being equal measures shy and embarassed I hid my face in Mom's belly. The ticket guy says no, sorry he can't allow that. Mom then asks "Not even for these?" I look up and she is holding a beautiful pair of tickets for the game. We went in and had seats on the lower level underneath the old scoreboard. I had cotton candy and watched Kirby and Herby (Kent Hrbek) work their magic. We didn't stay for that entire game and just after we left a ball was hit to our seats. But it was a wonderful first game, the first of many.

Living in Florida I have 1 chance a year to see my boys play in the regular season. Thankfully Tampa has an American League team here so I can have that opportunity. This year is going to be a little strange. Three major players are no longer with the team. Torii Hunter had free agency and I don't think the Twins persued keeping him. He's a wonderful player, bringing to mind the way Kirby used to attack center field, but Torii has had a lot of injuries in recent years. So I can understand why the Twins were happy to let him go on his merry way. The Twins organization is huge on promoting through their farm system so I'm sure there were a few outfielders they've had their eye closely on in the last year or so.

The other two players to leave were pitchers, Carlos Silva and Johann Santana, both through trades. Personally I don't think the loss of Silva is that big of a deal. His pitching hasn't really been steller and has been more, to borrow and twist Randy Jackson's phrase, pitchy. Like some of the Idol singers Silva seemed to have more hit or miss days then days and seemed to lack consistency.

Santana on the other hand is a different story. It seems that by trading him the Twins have weakend their awesome (a few players not withstanding) bullpen. Santana was up for free agency in a year or two, so I have problems understanding why the Twins would get rid of someone who has been consistantly fabulous, amazing, wonderful and all of those adjectives. He was top or near top of the league. He hasn't had any major injuries, if he's been injured in recent times it's been very minor stuff. Yet he's gone.

There are now several open spots with the Twins. The other day while in the gym ESPN was showing the Twins/Yankees Spring Training Game. I got to watch the first inning and when the announcers were going over the Twins batting order, I was surprised to see I only recognized 2 names. Now I know this is a time for young players to try and convince the managers they deserve a spot in the big show, but it was still a little jolting. What was even more so was the interview the announcers had with Derek Jeter of the Yankees regarding their new pitcher. A guy who isn't even 19 years old! I remember how strange it was when I first realized I was older than the new players, but then it was only by a few years. Now it's 10 years! I had an I feel old moment. So here's to America's favorite pastime and GO TWINS!

Happy Saturday Morning

I'm sitting here multitasking as usual. I'm working on the doily for my partner at the Crochetville doily swap. Since I don't have the pattern I'm currently using printed out, I have to sit here at my computer. I'm also scanning through a new blog, CraftyCarolinaGirl, mostly looking at the pictures of some pretty cool stuff. She does several differenty types of crafts and it's pretty cool seeing the different projects she has posted.

J and I watched a new tv show this week, New Amsterdam. I remember seeing the previews for this show (Tuesday was it's series premier) last summer with all the other previews. But I never saw it on the tv schedules for fall. I couldn't remember the name or channel it was supposed to be on, and since I don't have cable I knew it had to be on ABC, NBC, FOX or CW. During the superbowl I saw a commercial for the show and was excited to see it would start on March 4th.

If you haven't seen the show, Amsterdam is the main character, he is about 400 years old and cannot die until he finds his soulmate. I keep thinking of Highlander while watching, but there are differences. For one, the Highlander never had to find his true love. And there were several immortials, as far as I can tell there's only one with New Amsterdam. Amsterdam has apparently done several things during his long life, but is currently a NYPD detective. So each show has him solving a mystery while trying to find his true love, in New York ('cause there's just so few women for him to encounter there alone).

The first episode had him having a heart attack on a subway platform. He's convined his true love was on the platform and was even the doctor who tried to save him. J agrees with him. Me, I think it could have been any of the women he ran past while chasing down a guy to question. It could even be his new partner. After all, there has only been two episodes and previews for next week shows Amsterdam finding and meeting up with the beautiful doctor. That would be too easy for a show this new.

All right, back to doing laundry (since it's so perfectly windy I can let my clothes dry outside today!) and crocheting. I really need to finish the two I'm working on so I can start the next couple, all deadline projects. Oh, and a co-worker (V) is found out Thursday what her first baby is going to be, so another co-worker and I will be coordinating on baby gifts to make once V shares the news with us this coming week. Happy weekend everyone!

Life's Little Pleasures

Sadly I am back to my part time job, I started back last night after roughly a week and a half off. So this evening I am working (no, not one of life's little pleasures), feeling the slight breeze coming in and listening to the rain. The forecast last night called for a cold front to move through and bring rain. This morning was cool, but pleasently so. It stayed pretty consistent through the afternoon and there was a very noticable drop in temperature when I left work this afternoon. And now the rain is here.

Listening to the rain makes me want to get some candles going, put on some soft music, curl up under a blanket in my fabulous chair that's by the door and read. I'm in a chair right now, just not the one I want to be in. And I can read, but I'm busy working a doily for my doily swap partner. Priorities here people, the doily has to be mailed out by the end of the month, and I have other deadlines as well. So finances being what they are and because I'm being responsible, I guess I'll just continue to dream about my book and chair. Unless the power goes out like it's threatening to do right now.

What is your life's little pleasure right now?

I officially do not miss winters!

Hey everyone! J and I got home yesterday from visiting friends in Virginia. I can I definitely do not miss the winter season. Yesterday was nice and I was able to not have my jacket on between the restaurant and the car. Friday was better than Thursday, which was in the 30's and very very windy. J was laughing at me because I was cold, but he had to put a hat on!

We had a very good time. My friends live about 30 miles from downtown DC, so they dropped us off at the metro station Thursday and Friday so we could go play tourist. Thursday we went to the Natural History Museum and the Air and Space Musuem. The Air and Space also had some of the items from the American History Musuem since that building is under renovation. J also got to see the outside of the Library of Congress, plus the lobby area. We got there 15 minutes after they closed, but I can tell you the lobby area is beautiful!

Friday we walked from the metro station to the Washinton Monument, around the Reflecting pool to the Lincoln Memorial and then back up to the Holocast Museum. We did A LOT of walking those two days! The Holocaust Musuem was the one I wanted to do since it wasn't there when I did the class trip in 8th grade. J calls it depressing, which in a way it is. But it's also very poignant and heartbreaking. The biggest issue I had was there was too much reading, a problem when there are a bunch of people moving through an area. The pictures all had small plaques describing what they were and the only way those could be read was up close. Other than that, the museum was amazingly well done. It's one of the quietest I've ever been in. People didn't feel right speaking in normal tones, so there were a lot of whispers and hushed tones. Most people had rubber soled shoes on and it was very jarring when a couple went through and they were not in rubber soles shoes.

The museum has a lot of actual articles from the victims of the camps, several uniforms and personal objects. There were even actual pieces from some of the ghettos and camps, cobblestones from Warsaw and bunks from Auschwitz just to name a couple. But what really got me was seeing the shoes. People entering the camps had to give up their shoes and one of the displays was just shoe upon shoe upon shoe. It was also heartbreaking to read and hear about how the different countries first responded to the rising problem.

Ok, I'm going to stop depressing everyone. We did have a very good time and are very thankful to our friends for letting us crash on their guest bed. We got an amazing cost for air up to DC, $129 round trip, so going back again won't break the bank! Hopefully we'll have a much better landing the next time we head up there. For once the approach was so bumpy that my stomach felt rocky. And when we landed, we were tilted to the right, the left side tires were not on the ground at the same time as the right. But we made it safely and had a very good short vacation! And pictures can be seen at Photobucket.

MS Training Ride

Our local MS Society chapter held the first training ride for the Tampa area today. So J and I joined in since we really do need to start doing longer rides. The ride took place at the Suncoast Parkway trail and the email I received said we had the choice of 40, 45 or 55 miles. When we got there (at 10 to 8 this morning!) it turned out the 40 mile one was changed to 32. Which was ok, we had previously only done 28 miles.

The coordinators said heading out should be pretty good, we were to have a tailwind. But coming back they were anticipating rain. So J and I join the slow riders for the 32 miles and head out. We went 10 (from State Road 54 to State Road 52), took a short break, then headed back 6 miles to Jay Starkey Wilderness Park. Our next rest was at the restrooms in the park, at mile 22 (we did a very short rest just before entering the park). Heading back out of the park it started to rain. It was coming down steady, not really heavy thankfully. However I decided I don't like riding in the rain. I couldn't see, I had to wear sunglasses because of my contacts. And the rain on my bare arms and legs started feeling a little too pricky.

By the time we completed the ride we were soaked through. I took my shoes off in the parking lot because it truly felt like I had a small pond in each toe. Although my shoes gained water weight (they were retaining water, is there a water pill for that?) not all that much water came out. I think it's going to take a few days for them to dry. J carries an older blanket in his truck and we sat on it for the drive home. The blanket was just to keep the dirt that had kicked up onto us off of the seats. When he left my place about 5 hours after getting back, his seats were still very wet.

We enjoyed the ride overall. It was nice riding with a group of people and surprisingly the headwinds were a little easier for me because of the group. I'm very proud to say that the "slow riders" was the only group of the 3 to actually complete their intended milage. The other two groups wimped out because of the gray clouds. We did our 32.something miles in about 2 hours 40 minutes and I honestly felt like I could continue riding for awhile at the end. So bring on the 150 miles!

Oh, and I have to mention the two animals we saw! The first one had the tail of a squirrel, but the face/body of I don't know what! Some of the group members were thinking it looked like a lemur. The second was a white tailed doe as it bounded across the trail just feet in front of the group leaders. I didn't bring my camera, and I'm glad I left it home because of the rain, so I sadly have no pictures. There was no way I could have taken pictures of the deer anyway, it was in too much of a hurry to get away from us :-)

Things to make you go Hmmm!

Well, only one is. But that's coming up. First is two videos that I took a few weeks ago and I am just now getting around to getting them off of my camera card. Again, there is no sound (my birthday is in November if anyone wants to get me a digital camcorder, or at least a camera with sound as part of the camcorder option), but for this it really isn't needed. As can be seen it was laundry day. I was standing in my ki (that would be kitchen if there was more to it), turned around and this is what I saw.

Tampa has an event each year called Gasparilla. The events I'm aware of are the Invasion of Tampa Bay (I'm only aware that it takes place, no idea what it is), the Kids Parade, an all ages parade on a Saturday afternoon, the Knight Parade - the parades resemble Mardi Gras but with pirates - and the running events. The running events involve a 5k and 15k on one day and a half and full marathon the next day. J signed up for the 5k and I was very proud of him when he finished. Especially since my lazy butt was sitting on the bleachers.

Now, the thing that made me go Hmmm. I was heading to my parents today and saw a bumber sticker that caused a random thought. No offense is meant to anyone by this. The bumper sticker said "We Vote for Pro Life." Now, nobody can escape that this is an election year and the war is a very very hot topic. Also, I don't hide the fact I am pro-choice because I don't believe the government should be telling women what to do with their bodies. I also have huge concerns about what would happen to the young girls and women of our country should abortion be made illegal and what steps those women and girls would then decide to take.

That being said, when I saw the bumper sticker it occurred to me that in general those of the leaders who are pro-life are also the very same leaders advocating for a continued stay in the war that has supposedly ended. Which means more men and women going overseas to possibly come home in a wooden box. And if they don't come home in a wooden box, for their safety they may be sending someone else's loved one home in a wooden box. Given the amount of death that has occurred as a result of this war, my random thought was that this doesn't seem very pro-life.

Happy Belated Valentine's Day!

I hope everyone had a good Valentine's Day. I was stuck working that night, so J and I saw each other very briefly. It didn't bother me that I was working since I've never really been all that big on Valentine's Day, J isn't either which is nice. We kept things very low key, got each other a card. He got me a Peanut Butter Twix (since I had been craving one lately) and I got him a smallish Reese's heart and a little picture frame. Nothing major, nothing break the bank expensive. Our anniversary is coming up at the end of this month and that to me is more of a celebration.

It's sometimes hard to believe we've been together two years already. On one hand the time seems to have flown by at the speed of light. On the other hand, because we are so comfortable with each other (in a good way, I promise!) it feels like it's been longer. I still thank my lucky stars everyday for him. And I'm very thankful to L for thinking he'd be a great match for me. So L, thank you so very much from the bottom of my heart :)

I haven't been up to a whole lot of anything exciting. I've been busy crocheting as usual. I three current projects going, one of which is a very pretty doily. I signed up for the doily swap at Crochetville and I might give this to my swap partner. It depends on what s/he requests for colors and shapes. And as usual I will post pictures once I am able to.

I've also been busy sending out letters and making contacts for the auction. I stopped at my local Best Buy yesterday and spoke with the manager on duty. I am very excited to say that from the words he used and the impression I got, I should be able to get something from them to auction off. He asked what I wanted and I told him "I'll be honest, I would love to have a tv or digital camera. It doesn't have to be a high end expensive item either. But, I'll take what I can get." I don't want to be greedy after all ;) I received confirmation regarding another item the other day too. Mom works for the travel company for Great Escapes Vacation Club and they donated a certificate regarding one of their condos in the area. This is good for a week and has a value of up to $1500! I am really thrilled that they were so generous in doing this. I'll get the paperwork tomorrow so I'll be able to see what they are defining as area. As J pointed out since this event is taking place at a bike (motorcycle) fest, if GEVC counts Daytona as an area then this certificate will be a huge hit!

I'm still hustling my butt off to get donations. I've been very excited about the responses I've received and the generosity shown. If any of you knows anyone who would be willing to donate a service or product please let me know or send them to my Silent Auction website. Hugs and Kisses to all! I need to get ready for the day so that J and I can go find me some nice padded bike shorts. I tried on a pair recently to see what size I would need and they felt a little like wearing a diaper. However, if it'll keep my butt nice and cushioned for those 150 miles, I'll take it! Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Sea Snail!

I found Crochetville a few months ago and I love this site! The creativity of everyone is mind blowing! I recently got to test a pattern by one of the designers, KirstieMN and I want to show everyone. Please forgive the lips, they look a little funky. The facial features were left up to the crocheter, and I'm still working on how to make these look good. So here's Lucy the Sea Snail.

Found!

Would whoever lost this junk that sits in the chest please come claim it? I seemed to have found your cold and while I appreciate the sentiment of sharing, I really don't need it. I woke up last Saturday to occasional coughing, the kind that you just know means something is sitting in the chest. It was very occasional, to point I thought it had gone. At least until early afternoon yesterday. The previous coughing was just a teaser. Within the last 8 - 12 hours it has developed and my chest and throat are sore from coughing. So, again, would whoever lost their cold please please come retrieve it! Thanks!

It's your special day!

Two posts in one day. But I had to share this picture that was posted on Dana's myspace blog

Random Musings (or things to make you go hmmm)

After posting my last entry, I had an idea of something to write. Sadly I wasn't anywhere near my computer, so I completely forgot what it was. That happens somedays (ok, most days :) )

I was recently commenting to J about my ability to hold crochet hooks. The hooks that I regularly use for afghans are 5-5.55 mm and the one I use for thread is 1.8 mm. Those are pretty small. It somewhat amazes me that I have no problems holding my crochet hooks, yet I now have to use "fat" pens to write with. The conclusion: it's how I hold my crochet hooks. Which is a relief, I'm not ready to put them down yet, there's still too much for me to do :)

The Giants beat the Packers!!!! This is fabulous for me since I'm a Vikings fan. Now, they just need to beat the Pats at the Superbowl. That or something needs to happen to make Randy Moss ineligible to a) play and b) not receive a ring if his team does. I say this because of the comments he made when traded to Oakland, about how he is now playing for a team that can win the Superbowl.

That's it for random musings, but let me leave you with two new pictures.

I made this afghan to auction off on April 5th.


This afghan was made using leftover purple from the auction 'ghan, and the blue and black from J's. This is the one we've been calling The Bruise.

Quick Update

Courtenay sent me a message complaining I haven't posted anything lately. So, let me give you a quick update on what's been going on in my life lately.

Working two jobs
Working two jobs still
Oh yeah, still working two jobs
Buying more yarn to support my addiction
Sarasota for a bike thing
Plant City's Bike Fest
Gibtown's yearly bike thing
Soliciting for and getting items for auction
Finishing the bruise afghan
Starting, taking apart and re-starting a doily
Starting an afghan
Starting another afghan
Sleeping!

I'm sure I've missed a few things here and there. But that's the main highlight of what's been happening lately :-) I do have to share a huge donation that has been offered for the auction.

I have been offered a set of 4 tickets to an upcoming Tampa Bay Bucs 2008 home game! The person who offered these is a season ticket holder and once the schedule is out, I get to choose which game to put in the auction. I'm really excited about these and I hope that they raise a lot of money for the National MS Society! Oh, and I would greatly appreciate if those reading this could do me a favor. Could you please share the silent auction preview site with those you know living in Florida? It's www.freewebs.com/ridetoerasems/ I thank you!

Rules for Being a Customer

As most people know, I work a part time job in a call sales call center. I don't do outbound calls, I receive them and place the order the customer wants. In past years the standard has been "the customer is always right", something that most people know isn't completely true. So, to help people be better customers and better, more considerate people, here's some rules to consider. And please feel free to add any of your own.

1) When you want to order something, know EXACTLY what you want to order. Calling and saying "I want the kit that was on this afternoon that had the three bottles" but you don't know what time it was on, what the name of the product or brand is doesn't help you get the item you want. I'm sorry, my crystal ball is broken and "outlook does not look good" on repairs.

2) The telephone number to call is NOT going to change in the next 5 minutes. Your item will. Get the item information written down first, then get the number and call.

3) There are 50 states that we sell items to. Each state has their own sales tax laws. Not only do tax laws very from state to state, but sometimes counties and/or cities decide they need to get into the mix. Telling me what state you live does not mean I can tell you what your tax is going to be. Especially when states vary what can and cannot be taxed in regards to the items AND shipping costs. All the tax information is loaded into the order system and will calculations will be finalized at the summary screen.

4) Do not ask me what your total cost is/will be when you have just given me the item number or are just creating a customer account. That information has not yet been calculated. And when you are told "I will be happy to tell you that information just as soon as I have it", that means you will be told as soon as everything is calculated. I'm sorry, I did not create the ordering program. If I had, I would have tried to figure out a way to have a running total of all taxable items. Since I didn't and I don't, please do not continously ask me what the total is.

5) Don't forget about sales tax. Just because an item has free shipping, does not mean it will still be the same price that you see on the screen.

6) PAY ATTENTION TO ME! Hmm, maybe this should be number one. I know that the food in the restuarant commercial looks very tasty, or your attention is caught by the trailer for a new movie. I promise, if you pay attention to me and what I'm asking you, you can get back to your commercials or whatever else that much sooner. And turn down your tv. I understand you may need the volume up higher to hear your show, but that also means I have to talk louder so you can hear me. So please, turn it down for 2 minutes. And remember, you called me. You want to buy an item from me. Which leads to 7.

7) You called me. I am not the one wasting your time. I am trying to do what I am supposed to do in the process of ordering something for you. If you don't have time to be calling and answering the questions I am required to ask, then write down the item number and/or name and call back! Don't continually interrupt, give me more than I need and complain about how you're in a hurry.

8) Shut up! I don't need to know anything other than what I'm asking you. That means if you're ordering health items, I don't need to know why you think this item will help you and the problems you've been having. Especially when you keep telling me you're in a hurry. So if you answer the questions I'm asking you, you'll get to go back to whatever or take off for wherever that much sooner.

9) Let me ask my questions and proceed as I need to. I promise, I will tell you how much the total is, when you'll get it and what your payment amounts will be. That's all at the summary. If I ask you something and you don't answer, I still have to ask again and again until you answer what I asked.

10) Read Emily Post or Ms. Manners. And start remembering the lessons your parents taught on regarding interrupting. Not only is it rude, but it may mean I miss the answer to the question. That happens because as I'm asking, you decide to answer. And because I'm still talking and you start, I don't hear what you're telling me. That could be a bad thing, especially if I'm obtaining pertinent information. Plus, it's just rude.

There, I think that's all for now. I'm pretty sure I have a few others floating around, but they've decided to hide behind other neurons for now. So, please feel free to share any other rules or vents you may have. And have a good night everyone.

Correction Needed

I need to make a correction to a recent post. I was talking about Christmas and the wonderful food mom makes. Dad is now a little upset because I praised Mom's cooking and didn't mention him at all. See, growing up Dad was always gone from the house for work before we ever got up, and therefore was home before mom. Mom always called when she left work, Dad would start or ramp up the cooking and shortly after Mom walked in the door, we were eating. Dad is also a good cook. Mom, however, through the years has been the primary creator of our holiday dinners with Dad mostly doing the meat.

As the years passed, the holiday dinner preperation has become a team effort between my parents. So, to correct my previous post, it was Mom and Dad's fabulous foods that we had. Love you Daddy! :)