Author: Christine

Why is it that you always think of the ultimate coolest gift you could get for someone at the last minute – when it’s way too late to make it happen? What is up with that?!? I just had a total flash of inspiration. Unfortunately it would involve a lot of time on my part, making things, having things done at a store and that sort of thing. Gah! It’s way too late now. *sigh* Maybe for the next holiday. Maybe as a New Year’s gift. We should give gifts on New Year’s Day, don’t you think? You know, after everything has been marked down at the stores and the prices are better for the budget anyways?

Damn. I can’t believe I didn’t think of this gift earlier.

On a positive note, with a few minor exceptions that I will pick up tonight, my holiday shopping is DONE. I will even be wrapping my gifts tonight. It’s like a Festivus miracle!

I finally felt “well” enough over the weekend to focus on getting some Christmas decorating done at last, along with making it a Lord of the Rings trilogy marathon weekend. Friday night we watched the extended version of the Fellowship of the Ring, Saturday afternoon we watched the extended version of The Two Towers, and yesterday we went to see Return of the King. It was quite simply wonderful. I need to see it a second time to fully process it and write up my thoughts on it – it was amazing!

While we were waiting in the HUGE line for the movie (and we got there almost an hour early!), we were talking with Jason about what he wants for Christmas. For the past two weeks, I’ve tried to get a Christmas wishlist out of him, and he’s put me off because he was busy studying for Midterms. What? Studying for midterms was more important then a Christmas list?!? I think it was a ploy to get us to think he was being extra good this year so we would get him even more gifts, because he sure does have an extravagent wishlist!

– A laptop computer
– A remote control land sea crusier
– Another remote control car
– A cell phone (Uhm, he never calls anyone?)
– Enter the Matrix for PS2

And that’s it. We started suggesting other things, and he said that he would like the LOTR Risk game (and I think I’m going to get LOTR Trivial Pursuit too.) I got him a nice wooden 7-in-1 game set with a nice wooden chess board. Obviously, I’m not getting him a laptop or a cell phone. (I’ve created a gadget junkie!) I suggested Legos and K-Nex, but he doesn’t seem to be too interested in either one anymore – I guess that is what happens when you’re almost 12.

Now I need to think of a few more things in the $10 – $20 price range. I was thinking of getting him a model car set or two – he has done one before and enjoyed it. I just don’t know what the “good” brands are. Anyone have model car tips? Or other gift ideas for an 11 year old boy?

Meanwhile, after seeing Return of the King yesterday, I want a Kung Fu Gandalf Action Figure! What’s on your wishlist?

I saw the ENT specialist, and it turns out that I have Tonsillitis – so my comment last week to the first doctor that “if I didn’t know my tonsils had been removed, I would think that I had tonsillitis” wasn’t that far off after all. There is a portion of my tonsil that is still there on the right side of my throat, and that is what is inflamed. He said that more than likely, it was never removed when I was a kid. (They can grow back, but he didn’t think that was the case.) So now it’s infected, and I get to go through yet another round of antibiotics! Turns out that Tonsillitis just doesn’t give a damn about the Z-Pack or erythromycin – it doesn’t respond to them. So I got a shot and I get to take Avelox. If it doesn’t respond to that, there is a very minor chance that it could be Epstein Barr virus, but he said that that is unlikely. (Considering I’ve had swollen glands for some time, and I’m always fatigued, I have this fear that that is what it will be – but I am trying not to be paranoid and will try not to focus on that. Not yet.) I have a follow-up appointment in 10 days just in case, but hopefully – hopefully! – this will finally go away and I will be done with it!

Most importantly, I appreciated that he took the time to see me, to listen to my concerns, and to address them. I didn’t feel brushed off, and I felt like I left there with a solution, not just a vague “I don’t know what it is, but here’s some medicine” – which is how I felt on Monday. Two thumbs up for Dr. Andrews!

They did a rapid strep test at my doctor’s appointment on Monday, told me that I didn’t have strep, wrote me a prescription for a Z-Pack and scooted me out the door. It’s bothered me all week – if I don’t have strep, why do I have these funky lumps in my throat? What is going on? They tried to explain it away by saying it was probably just from drainage. Good idea, but I didn’t have any drainage. And even after 4 days on the Z-Pack, the lumps aren’t going away and my throat is still sore.

I found an Ear, Nose & Throat specialist in downtown, and I have an appointment for 3:15 today.

Last night I decided to lay on the couch to watch Will & Grace – I would get up and do all the holiday things still looming over me afterwards. That was at 8:30 – and I woke up at midnight. I stayed awake for about an hour as I watched last night’s episode of ER (the only episode I missed last season), and then I headed back to bed. I guess I was even more tired then I thought I was – and it was so nice to finally, after 4 weeks, have a nice quiet night at home. Yes, I’m a regular Rip Van Winkle…