07.23.08
Posted at 1:48 pm by rueyn
1. Had to buy a new cell phone. My contract isn’t up until August, but I got water all over my phone from the Kid’s sippy cup being in my purse, and now the keypad doesn’t work. The only low-cost phone they had for upgrade was a POS Nokia that doesn’t have a camera on it. Plus I had to re-sign the two-year agreement. Fskers.
2. More nightmares than I know what to do with. Would I rather be not sleeping at all? I don’t know, but I’ve felt tired all day anyway. My neck is knotted tighter than I ever thought possible and no amount of Tylenol or Advil is helping. The dreams are so stupid and relate to nothing I’ve actually been thinking about lately. Last night’s included one where my mom was still alive, and I was going through boxes of old books that my stepmom gave me. My mom talked trash about my stepmom, and I had to put her in her place, reminding her what an amazing woman my stepmom really was/is. I remember feeling very upset that my mom even dared to try to compare herself…the limited amount of talking I’ve done with my stepmom is still more than my mom and I ever did.
3. I’m trying positive reinforcement to counter the Kid’s absolute bull-headedness. I know he only acts this way around me, and that’s because everyone else gives him free reign, where I have to kill his fun by telling him it’s time for dinner or to brush his teeth, and that pisses him off. He takes back control the only way he knows how at 2.4 years of age — through refusing to move from his fixed position until I physically pick him up and make him do what he is balking about. Then, of course, I took the control away *again*, which pisses him off even more, and he starts hitting himself: not hard or to actually cause himself harm, but rather to get a rise out of me. I’ve tried time-outs and raising my voice. Time-outs work, but who wants to punish continually? Raising my voice scares the holy hell out of him, and that’s almost worse than hitting, which I refuse, refuse, refuse to even consider. So I brought in Sticker Power ™. If he is helpful and nice (i.e. doesn’t hit, kick or yell), then he gets a sticker for each chunk of the day. He got one this morning. At naptime, though, he didn’t get to read the book he wanted, because he wouldn’t come to the changing table to get his diaper changed. It will come in stages, I think. I hope.
4. Stopped eating dairy and soy products, along with meat. I had oatmeal with rice milk and honey for breakfast, and a large chef salad for lunch, with some Baked BBQ Lays. Oddly enough I’m not hungry, and YAY! my stomach isn’t bloated like normal.
5. Got my new bite plate. I had to graduate to a full upper plate, and it’s taking some getting used to (not to mention the $400 price tag), but I can tell that my jaw is *much* more relaxed when I wake up. The dentist said to try it when studying, using the computer and reading, too. Good thing he doesn’t know about the trashy romance novels…
6. Mike has to get a colonoscopy. I hope that will finally allow his doctor to figure out Mike’s stomach weirdness. It’s been going on since February of this year (if you don’t count the physical soreness, which started late in 2005), and I know Mike is absolutely tired of it. I hope whatever it is isn’t too serious. I kind of like him, weird sense of humor and all.
7. Really, really wanted to take horseback riding lessons. Found some places local, too. Then read about hernias, hernia surgery and horseback riding. Bad idea, apparently.
07.21.08
Posted at 2:07 pm by rueyn
Cutting out all dairy and soy products to finally get to the bottom of the daily stomach aches. Rice milk really isn’t all that bad, just kind of like watery milk. But it works in tea just fine.
UPDATE: Woah 
Looks like the soy was the culprit. Color me stunned!
07.20.08
Posted at 3:47 pm by rueyn
Several things about this bother me; I can’t put my finger on which one bothers me the most.
07.18.08
Posted at 11:01 am by rueyn
MA1710: Equations and inequalities, functions and graphs, linear and quadratic functions, equation systems, polynomial and rational functions, exponential and logarithmic functions.
I’ve studied most of that already, so I think my main learning will occur during the functions and graphing.
07.17.08
Posted at 3:20 pm by rueyn
I registered for the online version of the pre-calculus class I have to take for my BSN degree. It starts the 23rd of August and lasts through the 13th of December. It was either that or drive 30 minutes two nights a week for a one-hour class, which just seems silly, taking into account the amount of time it would take to drive, get the Kid dinner, get myself ready and get home (we won’t even mention the current cost of gas). If for some reason I seriously screw up, I can drop this class and just take the normal version next semester — that’s the benefit of having so long before nursing school starts.
07.15.08
Posted at 4:34 pm by rueyn
Here’s my score.
Now find out your own.
07.11.08
Posted at 3:32 pm by rueyn
…but I woke up thinking of this book today. It’s the first adult book I ever read. My mom had a very old, very early copy of it, and I remember feeling quite amazed that I could make it through the language barrier without much trouble. I was 12 or 13 at the time. I wish I still had the book.
07.10.08
Posted at 12:28 pm by rueyn
I’ve been having a bad problem since December with extremely itchy scalp. I though I had somehow gotten dry scalp/dandruff, so I purchased some Head and Shoulders a few months back. It did nothing. Two weeks ago it occurred to me that the H&S might be too harsh for my skin, as I’m very sensitive to many products, including certain kinds of make-up, lotion, face wash, et cetera. So I started using Burt’s Bees shampoo and conditioner, alternating every three or four nights with a round of Selsun Blue to get the itch to die down. The Selsun Blue worked immediately on the itch, though it stinks to high heaven and takes a little of the hair color out each time. A small price to pay. That, coupled with the sulfate-free shampoo/conditioner, seems to really be doing the trick. My scalp is almost totally healed, and I’m not spending my days and nights scratching myself to death.
Just wanted to put this out there, in case anyone else had the same issue.
07.07.08
Posted at 3:46 pm by rueyn
First — the Kid did astoundingly well at his eye appointment. And the doctor was obviously very comfortable with children. Those two things in and of themselves made the day MUCH more tolerable.
The doctor said that, after measuring with machines and other things, the Kid was a tiny bit farsighted, but that the level was very normal for his age. He didn’t know why the Kid’s eye would be turning in just these past two weeks, but he said:
1. Play “pirate” at home — put a patch over one eye and play a game, color or read with him a couple of times. There might be one eye the Kid absolutely refuses to have the patch on, because he wouldn’t be able to see out of the other, which would mean lazy eye. For the record, I don’t think he has that. I’ve covered each eye separately in the past, and he was able to see with both. If it is present, however, they will have caught it early enough to prevent permanent vision loss (probably dealt with through patching and/or glasses).
2. Don’t make any acknowledgment when he crosses his eyes on purpose. It’s perfectly possible he’s doing the eye turn on purpose, as well, because he thinks it’s funny. Contrary to popular belief, crossing the eyes on purpose — even just one — is possible.
3. There is nothing to suggest accommodative esotropia, which is what he and I both originally suspected.
4. Bring him back in two months for a more thorough exam, or sooner if the eye gets stuck.
I’m happy with all of that, and I agree with him. So I guess we wait and see. And try not to worry 
07.02.08
Posted at 5:30 pm by rueyn
It finally dawned on me today why this project I’m working on feels so different:
1. It’s the first piece I’ve written that has absolutely nothing to do with me.
2. I am willing to take my time, because I feel so passionately about the story, rather than just getting it down on paper.
3. I could care less if it ever crosses a publisher’s desk.
4. I am learning how to deal with dialog and descriptions that aren’t based on the need to sound pretentious.
5. My age gives me a better ability to understand the motivations of my characters and relay them with more truth.
:D
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