Category: BlahBlahBabble

I was in the living room, reading my lovely Biology book. My hands were getting very cold. (Not my feet though – handknit socks are fabulous!) I was cold. I started to wonder why the furnace wasn’t kicking in. Where, oh where is my heat?

I discovered that my thermostat has decided, “No heat for you!”

There is no heat downstairs right now, thanks to a flashing “change battery” message. It won’t respond to anything. I don’t have batteries for it, so Mike is going to hook us up with some. Meanwhile, I’m hoping that is all that it is – we were warned last year that this thermostat wasn’t going to last for long, and when they replaced the battery last year it didn’t seem like it was going to come back online for us at first.

WHY does this stuff *always* happen right before it is going to get really cold? It will be a low of 34 tomorrow morning. My hands are already frosty, but they will be icicles at 34. Our fireplace is gas with faux wood, and while it is pretty it puts out no heat at all. None. You can sit directly in front of it while it burns on a toasty summer day and feel nothing.

I have a feeling we will be sleeping upstairs in the guest bedroom tonight. Brrr…

Update: I’m not sure what I did, but I must have pushed the right buttons or said the right words (a long string of swear words can be effective), but now the thermostat is on and the heat is working. Yeah! I’ll replace the battery when it isn’t heading towards temps in the 30s – for now, I’ll enjoy being warm!

I noticed that I had e-mail from Lenox and looked at it, hoping to see what the new snowflake ornament is for 2005 so I could decide if I wanted to add it to my list for Santa. Instead, I saw the Cookie Monster Ornament! Coooooooookie! Does that rock or what? I was just saying yesterday that we really don’t need any new ornaments this year aside from my annual snowflake, but I seriously want a Cookie Monster!

Ah, the childhood memories. I think I had a Cookie Monster birthday cake in either Kindergarten or first grade. I love the Cookie Monster.

I survived the MRI. I got there, they took my vitals (bp 110/84 – whoo hoo!) and then they had me take the super happy fun pills. I sat in a chair and read a magazine for about 30 minutes, and I thought I didn’t feel any different. Then I tried to stand up. Uh, yeah. They were definitely working!

I didn’t get nervous until I saw the MRI machine. I got to have a special cage thing around my head with things in there to keep my head VERY STILL for 40 minutes. I thought it would be ok, I kept telling myself that I could do it. I laid down and closed my eyes. They started to zoom me back into the machine. Then it happened. The walls were touching my arms and it started to freak me out, so I started squeezing the “get me out” button they gave me. They pulled me back out, I told them I would be ok, I just had to make sure I had my arms crossed on my chest so they didn’t touch the sides. I shook it off, laid back down, closed my eyes – I did not want to see the thing around my head – and they zoomed me back in. I did fine.

Towards the end they had to bring me out to put an IV in my arm for the contrast. I have no veins, and had said it was ok to use a butterfly beforehand. Instead the tech tried to use my arm, then my wrist (which I told her had also been used before for IVs.) Her first attempt on my right wrist ended up being very painful, and I now have a lovely raised up hematoma there. The other nurse came in and did the IV in my left hand and then it was back into the tube for me for the last 5 minutes worth of tests.

I still feel funky from the combination of the super happy fun pills and the contrast. It hurts to bend my right wrist at the moment too. I have a lot more to say, but I’ll save it for later when I’m up to writing more. For now, we’ll just say it is a small world. A very, very small world. In a very good way.

I don’t know why, but it was fun to make that. Go make one too, or leave a note and/or comment on mine. Pretty please?

Next up in the medical lineup – an MRI scheduled for 12:15 on Sunday afternoon to try to help figure out why the left side of my face is still somewhat numb. I had a whole panic/anxiety episode at my last MRI, so the super happy fun pills are already in my purse for me to take 30 minutes before they zoom me into the terribly confining worst thing ever wonderful head-examining machine.

Afterwards, I’ll come home and study for my Chemistry quiz and my Algebra test. If the super happy fun pills don’t knock me out too much. No computer time for me tomorrow or Monday, because it seems like any time I sit at the computer I get sucked in for hours on end. Only 3 sessions of Algebra & Biology left, and 4 sessions of Chemistry – I have to make the most of my time. Then it is over! Over! Yeah! Happy dance, a month off on vacation! Whee!