Yesterday Sucked

While I know there are so many horrible things going on in the world and my pains and struggles are pretty minor a petty in the grand scheme of things, I still want to bemoan my bad day...

Something blew into North Texas on Wednesday night so my nose started running like a Kenyan marathoner. I woke up with a terrible sinus pressure headache, which even made my teeth hurt.

Driving into the office I managed to hit every single red light, which made me late for my first meeting, since I also ended up in a school zone due to the red lights and timing and was unable to dial into the meeting since I do not have a hands free device in my car.

True, the majority of the day was not horrendous, just a fairly regular Thursday.

The day started to look up when I made plans for dinner with Sara. However, I needed to run home and let Leo out of his crate and feed him before I met up with her.

As I leave my house to meet Sara, I get in my car and turn on the air conditioner and nothing but hot air blows out of it. I turn it off and then back on and still nothing but hot air. So, I drive to dinner trying to calculate how much it might cost to get the AC fixed (this will be the second time in 3 years that I've had to address this) and hoping that maybe it just needs some coolant and there is a minor leak. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that this is all it will require as I also need to get new tires for the beast. I've decided that I'm just going to keep driving this car until it gives up the ghost and just dies completely.

I get home and all is well. I watch a little television and then head off to bed to read. At 11:40 PM, Leo jumps off the bed, which means he needs to go outside, even though I had warned him when he didn't go potty before bedtime that he would just have to hold it until morning....totally empty threats, but I like to think I have some control. So, 11:40, I turn on the light and roll out of bed. I get to the bedroom door and open it just as he vomits on the bedroom carpet....he couldn't make it another 3 inches and vomit on the tile floor. We then rush to the backdoor and he starts to vomit again on the living room carpet, but I get him rearranged so that this round actually does make it to the tile. I then put him outside while I go and clean up the messes. We come back inside and he decides that he wants to sleep on the couch, so I go and get my pillow and a blanket and curl up on the couch as I don't want to go sleep in my bed and not hear him if he gets sick again.

So, this morning. Leo is still on the couch. He sounds so terrible and looks so pitiful. However, he is drinking water and his ears and groin are not hot, which tells me he isn't running a fever. I wish I could do something for my baby, but to be totally selfish, I don't want to take him to the vet because I really can't afford to do that....if I'm also going to get tires and the AC fixed...

Are we about done with this month....

YUMMMY!

I have no idea where they came from, but I just came across a small bag of Sahale Snacks Tuscan Almonds in my bowl of snacks that I keep around for when I get the munchies.

For some reason this afternoon I've been craving salty and knew that I didn't want to pop a big ol' bag of popcorn, nor did I trust myself to go to the grocery store to pick up a bag of chips because, let's be honest....I would not have gotten a single bag of chips and I really don't NEED to go get any chips.  Therefore, I went rummaging in my pantry stores to see what I could find and lo and behold I found some nuts. I may have picked them up on a flight to or from somewhere, because they are about the size of airplane nuts, but I can't think what airlines would have gone with something so fancy...

This particular bag o' nuts has the following description:

Enjoy the harmony of classic Italian tastes with an all-natural twist. Grated Parmesan cheese and sun dried tomato are partnered with a blend of Tuscan herbs, then oven roasted with whole almonds to create a bold, savory snack.

Now, the nuts are a little chewy, but I can easily get beyond that and focus on the mmm goodness of the flavor combination. I may have to do some research on where I can acquire this snacks in the future. 

Mill River Recluse

I finished reading The Mill River Recluse last night and was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this 99 cent Kindle book. Quick synopsis of the story: 

Disfigured by the blow of an abusive husband, and suffering her entire life with severe social anxiety disorder, the widow Mary McAllister spends almost sixty years secluded in a white marble mansion overlooking the town of Mill River, Vermont. Her links to the outside world are few: the mail, the media, an elderly priest with a guilty habit of pilfering spoons, and a bedroom window with a view of the town below.  

Most longtime residents of Mill River consider the marble house and its occupant peculiar, though insignificant, fixtures. An arsonist, a covetous nurse and the endearing village idiot are among the few who have ever seen Mary. Newcomers to Mill River - a police officer and his daughter a anew fourth grade teacher - are also curious about the reclusive old woman. But only Father Michael O'Brien knows Mary and the secret she keeps - on that, once revealed, will change all of their lives forever. 

Okay, so when I first read that, I was thinking this might be a good mystery of psychological thriller. It turns out it isn't. Instead, it is a really touching story of learning to accept people, flaws and all. Nobody is perfect. Nobody will ever be perfect. Everybody has their own uniqueness that deserves love and acceptance and we need to start with finding that within ourselves first. 

This is a quick and easy read, though as I said, so not what I was expecting, that I think would be great for anybody to read through on a cold, rainy weekend...when there is no football on.