izzybella

It’s my Friday!!!  That is good.  The first thing I did this morning was clean up dog poop and dog pee.  That is bad.  I haven’t caught her in the act, but I know it’s our foster dog, Cella. For some reason she’s squeamish about going outside unless we take her out the front yard on the leash.  Apparently she’s too good for the backyard.  If we could just catch her in the act we could “bad dog” her, but “bad dog-ing” her after the fact does no good.  She has no idea what she’s being reprimanded for.  Ah, the joys of pet ownership…

On the plus side, today is my Friday.  As of 6:30 this evening, my weekend begins.  I have huge plans…HUGE.  I’m taking Syd to the vet on Friday and doing laundry.  I may or may not go to Six Flags on Saturday, not sure.  I’m kind of not wanting to because of the heat.  I am a it’s-too-hot wimp.  It’s supposed to be in the 100’s.  I fry in the sun.  No pretty tanning for me-nope-I get bright red like a cherry tomato.  Not pretty.

Today is my brother’s birthday.  Happy birthday, lunatic.  (I’m not insulting him…he picked that name all on his own.)

This is all the randomness for today.  Be good and have a good weekend.

My Sydney doesn’t have cancer!!!!!  Our vet said she did because of an x-ray, but we got an ultra-sound today and there is no cancer at all.  There is a blockage in her larnyx that’s been causing her to throw up and that’s still there, but it isn’t terminal.  So, we have to give her anti-nausea medication and deal with the occasional doggy puke.  It’s worth it for all the love she gives!!  Here’s some Syd pics…

My work-mom is gone today and the office is very quiet.  I’ve already done most of my daily duties and it’s not even noon yet.  I get a lot more done a lot quicker when I’m not shooting the breeze with work mom.  This is probably an argument for separating the two of us.

It has been one of those weeks.  Nothing bad has happened to me, per se, but to my family and friends, it’s been difficult.  Something happened to cg’s back and she’s barely able to move without severe back pain.  Friend’s puppy dog died, plus she’s having car trouble.  Monster having trouble with work-that’ll improve over time, but right now she’s been working some seriously long hours.  I try to help all of them, but there’s really nothing I can say that will make it all better.  It’s just one of those things where all you can do is listen and sympathize, which is nice, but makes me feel sort of helpless, and does no real good in the long run.

Hoping the weekend will bring some relief to all.  Saturday, I’m taking foster dog to a Meet N Greet, where we’re expecting a family who has already expressed interest in her to show up.  They’re bringing their dog to see if she and Cella play well together.  I’m hoping it’s a good fit.  Cella is a sweet, sweet girl.

Super cute, right?

Going on Sunday to see a movie with one of my best friends and maybe do lunch.  Depends on time and money.  She needs to laugh and have a good time ’cause this week has really kind of sucked for her.  It really has just been one of those weeks that makes you go boogity-boo.  Maybe I should write a little letter to the fates or the PTB…something like:

Dear Sirs-

My friends and family have had a tough go of it recently.  While I appreciate the adage about what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, I really think they could all use a break.  I know it isn’t my place to demand one, so therefore, I humbly request with all my heart that you cut them all a little slack and give them a brief breather.  Just out of the goodness of your heart.  Pretty please?

Thanks for your consideration,

Izzybella

I just found out that one of my co-workers was scammed.  I won’t get into the details because they’re devastating and not mine to share, but I feel so badly for her.  The thing I wanted to point out though is that she is a highly intelligent woman holding a PhD and employed as a university professor.  They scammed her, not because they were smarter than her, but because they played on her emotions–on something she wanted badly, and she was the victim of fraud.  It’s interesting to me because when you think back on it, a lot of scam victims can see, in retrospect, that the offer was too good to be true or there was just something off about it to begin with.  But the people who perpetrate them are successful because they are playing on need and emotion.  They don’t have to scam everyone-just one person is enough for them sometimes.  My coworker is devastated and my heart goes out to her.  There aren’t any words I can say to make it better.

It’s just been one of those weeks where bad things are happening to good people.  People I like.  I want to say the magic words that will make everything all better, but I don’t think those words exist.  Anyway, if you’re a praying person, please include my coworker in your prayers.  She’s a good person and thought she was doing a good thing and now she’s devastated.

I promised Sunshine I’d blog even about the lame stuff, so here’s some random lameness for you.  I had my first ever QT lunch today!!  It was only $2.39.  I had two taquitos and a 32 oz. diet Dr. Pepper.  No, it was not healthy.  Yes, it was tasty.  Yes, it was super-cheap!!!!  Gas station lunches are not for the every day, but for the every now and then, they rock!!!!  I think it’s really the cheap that knocks my socks off.  Does this mean I’m a cheapskate at heart?  If so, I’m okay with that.

And Teen Conference is over.  I’m so glad.  It’s always such a chore while I’m working on it, but worthwhile when it’s over and I can reflect back on it.  This year’s conference was pretty successful-only one minor glitch involving the movie night after the kids got back from Six Flags.  The movie kept starting itself over.  Turns out they wanted to watch the basketball game anyway, so no great shakes.  I’m sorry the movie didn’t work out, but glad they got to watch the game on the big screen television in the residence hall.  I didn’t have to stay over in the dorms this year, either, which was nice.  I don’t mind doing it, actually, but I sleep a lot better in my own bed.  So it’s over and will soon be time to start the planning process all over again for next year!

The monster and I are fostering a dog right now–her name is Marcella and she’s from the Lab Rescue.  She’s a four year old yellow labrador retriever.  Very sweet, but very stubborn.  She doesn’t mind anything I say unless she already wants to do it.  And, though the monster does everything she can to keep Cella off the furniture, Cella keeps jumping up on the ottoman anyway, looking all innocent, like “what, this is a problem?”  Well, yes, Marcella, it is a problem, just like it was yesterday and the day before that.  And she can be such an irritating beast, but then she’ll lean against you just so and put her paw on your arm and “hug” you and you melt like butter.  She’s the perfect dog about 90% of the time and the other 10% she’s … not.  Honestly, though, even with her faults, we’ll have no trouble placing her.  She’s just a young lab and they have lots of energy.  We just need to find a family that doesn’t mind dogs on furniture, ’cause that’s a losing battle.

Saw Sunshine and Pasta Man and V yesterday evening.  Sunshine and Pasta Man are moving to AZ this week and I will miss them very much.  I don’t know Pasta Man extremely well, but I like what I know.  And Sunshine is just like her name-sunshiney and joyful.  I’m sorry for me, but happy for them.  I think they will really love their new home, but I’ll still miss them.  I’m glad V is home for the summer and can I say V looks fabulous?  I think I can.  I think I just did. 

Today starts the beginning of my four-day work-weeks.  It’s a summertime flex schedule where I work four ten-hour days and take the fifth day off.  I had yesterday off this week, but I’ll be taking Fridays most weeks.  Yesterday was great.  I did a whole lot of nothing.  Slept.  Showered.  Played with dogs.  Visited V and Sunshine and Pasta Man.  Just really relaxing. 

Sunday was the monster’s birthday, so I spent much of the weekend with her.  It was a pretty quiet weekend, actually.  Just what I needed after Teen Conference.

I think I’m rambling.  I’ll end this now. Hope all of you are happy!!!

Kidding.  I’m actually a school of social work drop out.  I went to my first class this week and my stomach started churning and I was dreading the whole next 10 weeks.  I just felt miserable.  So I did it.  I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m not a social worker.  It was hard conclusion to come to because I admire social workers.  I admire their dedication and their hard work.  I admire their advocacy on behalf of their clients and communities.  They’re amazing people and they deserve more recognition than they get.  But I’m not one of them.

I have to clarify something here–it’s not specifically the hard work that got to me.  Those of you who know me, know I’m a very hard worker.  Even though I was miserable the whole way through, I made A’s in my last two classes.  So it has nothing to do with me not wanting to work hard–it’s that I have no passion for it.  It seems to me when someone goes to grad school to get a graduate degree, it should be in a subject that they find interesting–that makes the hard work worth it.  Social work is like nursing or teaching in that you must have passion for what you do to be truly effective.  I could always spot which of my teachers was there for a paycheck and which ones cared about me as a person.  I think most people intuitively know that when they’re in school.  Social work is the same way. 

Yes, I want to advance in my job, but only as a means to an end–my job is flexible and it allows me the time to do the things I do have passion for.  Writing and theatre.  It’s always been writing and theatre. 

So it was an expensive lesson to learn, but I’ve learned it.  I had a good conversation with Jehara the other day about making time for what we truly love to do.  And I haven’t been making time for it because I’ve been doing school instead.  So I think I’m going to spend Wednesday nights this summer-the nights I would have been going to class for three hours-writing.  I’m going to finish the first full draft of my play this summer and I’m putting it here on my blog in writing. 

So anyway, I’m a dropout.  But I think I might be proud of it.

It’s been a difficult week and it is only Wednesday.  I’m hoping that the worst has happened and it will only get better from here.  I have that tight feeling in my chest I used to have in high school just before an exam that I KNEW I was going to fail.  I’m trying to not cry and I’m crying a little bit anyway and I just want it to stop, for crying out loud and let me get back to my silly, goofy fart-joke lovin’ self. 

So I’m thinking pedicure?  New hairstyle?  Ben and Jerry’s?  I don’t know.  Eh, I don’t really have time.  The semester starts today and I have class from 6:00 to 9:20 p.m.  Since I work till five that doesn’t leave much time for self medicating. 

Pardon this post.  I’m feeling sorry for myself and it isn’t very attractive.