Friends are like bras; a good one never lets you down
It took us a while to get together, but it was worth it, I think. Two and a half families (one young woman was there to help the two moms and I took a few photos of her as well), all the women were lovely, and it was wonderfully cool at the beach. What more could you hope for?
Or is this rather…I dunno…inapposite?
Do you really expect to see such a thing in Alaska?
This makes perfect sense in my neck of the woods. But Fairbanks? ALASKA? Really?
Not that we were, but kind of we were…
Talking about things going on with me, that is. (See previous post. No, I’m not going to link it. You can scroll down the page. You can! I know you can.)
Physical therapy has been both awesome and brutal. I’m working harder than I thought I’d have to, but I kind of like it. Not so much the day after I do two shoots in a row with me hunkering down, crawling on the ground, and basically sweating my brains out, yet I do like it. They’ve been adding exercises, which is a good sign that I’m making progress. However, I’m not doing so well that I’m sailing through any of it without a few “you totally kicked my ass” comments thrown at my therapist. And still, I do make her work just as hard. She comes up with exercise 3a. I can’t do it. So she goes to 3b. That doesn’t work either. My knees, you know. On to 3c. Ah, yes, that’ll do the job. I make her earn my progress every bit as much as she makes me earn it.
The insurance company is proving to be a big challenge, too. I sent in my mileage form. I should have had my check already. Not so much. (If I disappear for a couple days…it’s because the cable bill hasn’t been paid since the meanies have delayed delayed delayed payment for so long. Just so you know, okay? Call if you’re really worried. Those of you who know me have my number.) They also messed with my meds. Denied me my Ambien. I know. You’d think I’d be past needing it by now, but it’s a rare night that I can fall asleep and stay asleep without it. Sure, I fall asleep, but it’s a troubled, uneasy sleep that sees me tossing and turning, trying to find the sweet spot where things hurt less. Without a good night’s sleep, I look like a freakin’ panda with the dark circles under the eyes and there’s a rather dead look to them as well. Sleep is important to healing. It’s when your body is supposed to recover and re-energize, revitalize, relax. I haven’t been doing much of that. The gals at the pharmacy said, “well, if you wanted to pay, it’s only x number of dollars. Insurance would reimburse you.” I laughed and then cried. 1) The insurance company would delay that repayment, too, and B) I don’t have x number of dollars. It was a funny exchange (I can say that now…now that I have my Ambien back).
Dealing with attorneys as the go-between isn’t that much fun either. Work comp attorneys don’t make any money anymore, so there are precious few of them around. This means I get what I get. Can’t be too picky in this situation. The one paralegal at the office that I liked most left late last year. He was the easiest to talk to and the one who made sure messages got where they needed to go. Now I call and leave multiple messages and pray the right person eventually gets them. It could be another month before I’m reimbursed for mileage. It could be three. Cable doesn’t care. Neither does AT&T. (Hey, here’s an idea, all of you click on my ads and then tell your friends to come click my ads and let’s see if adsense yields me anything more than the $0.35 it has in the year it’s been there.)
And don’t even ask me what’s up with my cracked crown. I still have no solution for that one right now.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not just bitching to bitch. Okay, I am. But there’s a point here. Despite all the crap being flung my way, I’m still kinda happy. What’s up with that?
P.S. There’s more to it than that…I promise I’ll have another post about this and why I feel so stupid about writing another piss and moan post. I’ve been humbled big time. It just deserves its own post and more thought than me babbling on.
Just in time for my 25 year high school reunion, the Zit Meister has once again taken it upon himself to re-enter my life. It’s all part of his evil plan mark my face with as many pimples as possible and remind me that high school wasn’t always the grand time and place I remember it to be.
Well, screw him and the horse he rode in on.
I’m getting sun and zapping those blemishes with massive doses of Vitamin D3. That’ll teach him. Oh, who cares about the wrinkles! That’s one of the benefits of being fat. You don’t have as many wrinkles longer than skinny people. And that. Yeah, I had Mr. Blobbo visit me and add 50 pounds just so the former cheerleaders and popular girls could feel superior about their perfect bodies. (I’m such a giver.) But back to the zits. The wrinkles and leathery skin…whatever. And the eventual skin cancer? Let’s just say I’ll likely die before that kicks in. At least I’ll be looking healthy, right?
Hahahahaha! Silly Zit Meister thought he had me in his clutches. Wrong wrong wrong! Nope. Got it covered. If my other method for blemish healing doesn’t work, I’m going to the toothpaste plan. (Get this, if you put a teeny dab of toothpaste on a zit overnight for a couple of days, it goes away. Mostly.) ZM had no idea who he was dealing with. I’m gonna kick his ass from here to the moon (and all its craters…get it?). I’ll dispense Proactiv, Oxy-10, Noxema, and toothpaste to all the over-18 crowd. No more adult acne! I’ll create a legion of acne-fighting moms! We’ll be armed with Buf-Pufs and masks. We’ll share our secrets in underground cafes in the dead of night (or just after we send the kids to school since that’s, more realistically, the only time we have free). It’ll be big, I tell ya. HUGE! (Definitely larger than the three pimples I’m sporting.)
Viva la benzoyl peroxide!
So, who’s evil and taking over the world now, eh, Zit Meister? You picked the wrong woman to piss off this time. Mwahahahahahahahaha!
(Did that work out okay for prompt, Deb?)
I know, I know…more? Yes. More. Haven’t even posted representative photos of half the families I photographed on the 3rd.
Heard this on the radio the other day and couldn’t help but crank it up. I bopped along in the car, thoroughly enjoying the music. Made my therapy session a good one. Oh, and by the way, they added new exercises to my session, which means I’m progressing well. On the other hand, the insurance company sucks; they’re already pushing for an evaluation. Whatever. Time to rock this one out, people!
Happy Monday, everyone!
These kids really cracked me up. And the expression on big brother’s face? Priceless!
My physical therapist didn’t believe me when I said I was sometimes lying on the ground to get certain shots. Well, this was one set in which I had to be lower to get what I wanted to get. I paid for it after the shoot, but it was worth it, I think.
And then there was this couple. He wasn’t sure he wanted to have photographs made. Add to that my camera trouble (battery issues, then I had to borrow someone else’s camera and I had card errors — yikes!) and it looked like this was going to be a wash. Yet, when we discovered this shopping cart, suddenly everything took on a new level of fun.
As I make my way through all the photos — and there are a lot of them! — it’s as if I’m there enjoying every moment all over again.
Yeah, this is how it’s supposed to be. I’m supposed to be excited about the photos and I’m totally lovin’ these.
Dear Mr. Wheely-Poppin’ Motorcycle Guy,
You were in a 40mph zone. At rush hour. Poppin’ a wheely and racing out in front of the cars, cutting off other cars, and swerving into my lane at about 70mph is about as stupid an act as I can recall in recent memory. I thought you were going to come through the windshield. I don’t like feeling as though I’m about to be killed because someone needs to prove his “manhood” through random public assholery.
I know, you’re just trying to show everyone you have balls. They’re huge, too. Huge from being slammed repeatedly against the seat of your rice-burnin’ crotch rocket after every wheely. Better you should go home, apply some ice, and Google “motorcycle safety” than to pull a stunt like that in front of me again. For if you do so, I will not make an effort to avoid a collision.
Think about it, dude. You’re putting others at risk. And why? Because you’re a moron? I think not.
You pissed me off. I don’t like to be pissed off. Next time, I will let you smash into the car and then you can work out your issues in the hospital.
That is all.
It’s hard for families to be apart, but when there are little ones involved, sometimes it’s even more difficult to help them understand why mommy or daddy isn’t at home. Spending the morning with this family, I was reminded of just how arduous it is for the spouse on the homefront. It’s a delicate balance in reminding the children of the parent who’s off serving and, at the same time, not upsetting the kids. What amazes me, time and time again, is how well these parents handle the pressure and walk that fine line. Military service is more than just a commitment made by one person; it’s a whole family that serves.
God bless them all.
My “okay” purse, which I thought was cool not too long ago, is there in the background. It’s still nice. Still functional. Still in keeping with my overall “wild” theme. But…
The cool purse? My friend made that! Yep. She made an awesome dragon purse and I’m really envious. It’s so much prettier in real life. She’s, like, a magician with knitting needles.
On my way back to San Diego, I saw the awesome sight of the “breakup” occurring far below. If you can imagine being way up above the earth and seeing all these little white flecks, which, in all likelihood, are really quite big, it sort of takes your breath away. And don’t forget, this was all at the end of June. In just another two months, the whole cycle starts anew. In the second photo, upper right corner, you get a hint of the mountains.
I loved the lines and curves here. Frozen rivers of snow and ice wending their way through the mountains created the most beautiful waves of white. Somewhere in there, water courses toward the sea. The earth is so amazing, isn’t it?
Thematic Photographic 57 –
Reworked (overworked?) version of a photo of the kids. I submitted a simpler version to Magazine and then decided to keep playing with it while waiting for my meds to kick in.
Have to be up early so being up late isn’t helping. Neither is my crown, which I think I broke. That’ll be a disaster. Can’t worry it now. Have to get this posted and get to sleep.
Did I mention I submitted this to JPG? Where you can VOTE FOR IT (and I highly recommend it)? Did I? Okay. Just checking to see if you were paying attention.
