Friday's Bins

I don't know why Cara finds this story funny, but she said to write this one down.

Today when I was coming home from dropping off the kids and buying Japanese bread for my mother, I noticed the green trash bins were lined up by the side of the road and they were still full. So I rushed out of the car, grabbed the vines that are taking over our front yard and pulled out at least half a trash bin-ful of those heart shaped vines and threw them in the bin, wheeled it down the driveway to the bottom so I could make my own contribution. Now...I know we don't get credit for this, but I felt the need to participate. :P

Williams Sonoma Adventure

I love Williams Sonoma. It's for that very reason I rarely go there. But I had to get a gift, so I ended up there, at the Ala Moana store. It's not very convenient to go there, but it's always a wonderful experience. When I die, I want to be buried there.

I bought veal demi glace for my mom, who makes the most wonderful gravy out of it for hamburgers and meatloaf.

At the last minute I decided to bake some cupcakes for Mother's Day, and a friend of Cara's had sent her a box of the most delicious cupcakes from Sprinkles Bakery in Los Angeles, and I knew they had the mix here. So I got a canister (cute packaging!) of this mix and some yellow sanding sugar. I rang up and was waiting for my friend to make her purchase. While I was waiting, I had a tiny sample of Apple Brown Betty bars. OMG, SO GOOD! Good thing I had already made my purchase. I still think about these, occasionally.

What's up lately

Since I haven't written for awhile, thought I'd update with what's been going on with me, doctor-wise. Today I went to the doctor; I've been going once a month after a bloodtest the week before. They've decided my thyroid is the problem, and my blood pressure is also fairly high (110/90 today). I'm on 13 pills a day; 4 different kinds of medicine for my blood pressure and thyroid. The good news is every month I go in, it's a little bit better, and he's been lowering my thyroid medication a little at a time. Last time I was taking 15 pills, after today I'm down to 12. Docs have decided that for now anyway, the benign tumor on my adrenal gland is going to stay put, and they don't think I'll have to have surgery to take it out unless it seems like the reason my blood pressure stays high. Meanwhile they'll try to regulate everything with meds. In a couple of weeks I have to have a test that involves me sitting with an IV for 4 hours dripping salt solution to see how my body handles it. I think I'd rather have Korean food for 4 hours, or the pulehu ribs from Helena's Hawaiian Food. :) Maybe I should suggest that to him.

B&BW Childproof Wet Wipes

For you, D.

Yesterday as I was leaving work, I was walking to my car, and a jogger woman brushed by me, and wet my left hand with sweat. Yuck! So I walked back to the car, thinking the entire time I HOPE I HAVE WET WIPES IN THE CAR! I get to the car, and I do! Hooray! So I pull it out with one hand, and I pull too hard, and three come out, so I wipe my left hand thoroughly while starting the engine and taking out $8 for parking, driving out of the parking space slowly. While driving, I push all the rest of the wet wipes back in the container w/the index finger of my right hand while driving up to the booth to pay. My finger gets STUCK in the Bath and Body Works container and it REALLY HURTS. I try to pull it out, it doesn't come out! By now, I’ve reached the booth, and have to pay. So my finger is stuck in the little container, I pay the woman with my other hand, try to drive out, still trying to pull out my finger, it's REALLY STUCK and it really hurts! I have to keep driving because now someone is behind me. I figure I’ll reach the traffic light and I’ll pull it out. Just as I reach the light, it turns green. I drive to the next light, IT turns green. Green lights all the way to the freeway. After like 5 minutes of thinking...is this container going to b filled with blood, am I going to have to live my life with this thing stuck to my hand, I finally get it off. It hurts the rest of the night. I tell the story at dinner to Wendy and Cara. EVERYBODY says I DID THAT TOO!! Cara informs me that Bath and Body Works has CHANGED the container since that one to one that breaks into two pieces and pulls apart so your finger doesn’t get trapped. I wonder how many people had done that before they changed the design. It was like those traps that they catch varmints with.

KCC Open Market

We keep saying we're going to revisit here but on Saturdays we're usually sleeping until late or off to the races doing other things. Casey and I found ourselves in Kaimuki this morning, so we checked this out. Went for kale. Came back with: kale (thankfully), 3 furikake corns on the cob, 2 containers sea asparagus, a bunch of flowers, a huge bag of kettle corn, strawberry an mochi, macadamia nut brittle and candied pecans, a jar of cherry jam, berry bread pudding and locally grown chocolate brownie, 4 warm and crispy powdered sugared beignets, and two cans of juice. It was packed! But still fun.

When will I ever get well?

I guess this is my life's lesson on "How I am Not Invincible."  Still dizzy, still no energy, still on 2-3 meds, depending upon how bad the chest pain and pounding heart are. I have 2 scans next week, 2-3 hours each which I have to get a shot before and take medicine for 15 days to protect my thyroid.  The scan is to discover whether something is wrong with my adrenal gland.  Guess I'll find that out next week.

Greg is helping out a lot; so are the kids, and my mom and sisters and aunt.  It's wonderful to have family, and I appreciate them more than ever.

I hope to have an answer before Christmas, otherwise it'll be a very different holiday season for us.

Where have I been?

In the hospital.  I went early Monday morning, and stayed for 4 days.  My blood pressure has been really high, and I'd been having chest pains, nosebleeds and a racing heart.   They found some weird enzymes in my blood that they thought might be because I had a heart attack, so they did a cardiac catheterization (including bikini wax, yargh) and they found there was nothing wrong with my heart.   Yea!  But after many, many different kinds of hbp meds through IV and pills, they still don't know what's causing the racing heart and hbp.  So they sent me home with different meds, which sort of seem to work (today is Day One).  I hope to be back to work on Monday, but I'll have to see how it goes this weekend.  My arms are all black and blue from the IV and unsuccessful IV-attempts made, though.  Sad to find out I am NOT invincible and I really can't just do what I want to do with this body anymore.

You know what I was thinking?  I'd rather give up junk food than give up exercise.  I guess that's a good realization.