Ladybug Studio

Some of this, some of that…

Another weekend has flown by. Those two days move much faster than any two days of the work week for sure. It was a mixed bag sort of weekend. Not terrible, but not spectacular either. The weekend also started late, as I had to work overtime on Friday afternoon. We are crazy with work right now and need the overtime just to catch up a little. Between the two people we lost last year and one person currently out on medical, we are all spread a bit too thin.

I spent some of the weekend watching new shows that I've recorded. Most have been pretty good. This is not really welcome news because I watch far too much television as it is these days. That's the downside of Tivo. I don't have to worry about missing anything, so I record everything.

Let's see… I liked Eastwick. It's based on the movie, which I saw so long ago I basically don't remember much. While it didn't get the best reviews, I found it enjoyable. Mercy is another show that I liked. I didn't expect to though. It has a lot in common with HawthoRNe - the brash main character, speaking her mind and getting in trouble, the pretty sidekick and the new, naive girl. I thought it was going to be a cheap imitation, but it was different enough from the first series that I think I'll keep watching. The Forgotten is the one that I might ditch. It seems like it's trying to be Cold Case's cousin. All the characters seem to have dark, hidden secrets, which I find more annoying than intriguing.

Saturday morning I skipped tennis. Between playing Tuesday (doubles), Wednesday (clinic) and Thursday (sub for singles), I was really tired. Combined with not getting enough sleep during the week, I just couldn't stand even the thought of getting up early. Once I did get up, I puttered around the house and did some computer work. After lunch I went outside and washed my car. I spied a weed in a flower bed, which led to another and before I knew it I was trimming bushes and clipping the jasmine. As a result, I got pretty far into my current audiobook.

Sunday morning I did get up early for bike riding. But poor Tom wasn't able to go. He had awoken at 5:00 with a very bad headache and couldn't make it get any better. So he stayed home to nurse his head while I met the bike gang at Cocoa Village.

Instead of doing both sides of River Road, we altered our route quite a bit. From the Village, we headed east over the Indian River, went south on S. Tropical Trail, then Crooked Mile, which dumped us out onto S. Tropical again. We continued south until we reached Pineda, then headed west back over the river and across US 1 to Wickham. Next we headed north, then turned right onto Pinehurst, another right onto Holiday Springs, which ended at Viera Blvd. That took us back to US 1 and we rode just about a half mile before turning onto the south end of River Road (technically Rockledge Drive) and heading back to the Village. The whole trip was just over 27 miles. That's not even our usual average, but there was a fairly strong wind from the west which made it all seem quite a bit harder.

The rest of Sunday was pretty laid back, involving more TV watching and a nap. Also a trip to Publix and Arby's.

Remember me?…

Well darn. I've been pretty negligent lately, haven't I. The Savannah trip deserved a good write up, but I didn't have time, then kept putting it off, then forgot to do it at all. Plus it's been crazy busy around here and there hasn't been much time to write. So for now I will move ahead with the present and eventually get around to describing our trip.

So what's on my mind today? Tonsil stones. Yep, still getting one. But while it used to be on a three week schedule, now it shows up more frequently. In fact, I had one on Sunday, dislodged it and then had one again on Monday. If it was just annoying, I could deal with it, but I swear the darn thing is making me feel sick. I feel like I'm coming down with something nearly constantly. My throat is generally irritated, my sinuses are a wreck, my head feels funky and there's a feeling, not quite a pain, in my right ear.

I did a little internet research yesterday to see if anyone else experienced sickness along with their tonsil stones and did find a few people mentioning similar symptoms. Previously, I had only read that they were annoying. It's nice to know I'm not alone.

But I'm not sure how much of this I can take. Feeling slightly sick most of the time is no way to live. Not if there is an alternative. Which, of course, is having my tonsils removed. I'm not really wild about that idea either. I have an appointment with my ENT in two weeks so I'll see what happens between now and then and have a discussion with him. He's the one who brought up a tonsillectomy in the first place, during my first visit, but he didn't mention it during the second visit. So obviously, he's not pushing unnecessary surgeries.

Sadly, I've gotten out of the workout habit. I eased up the week before Savannah, then haven't resumed my workout schedule. Not feeling well has played a big role in that for sure. My workout partner hasn't been feeling well either. The motivation just isn't there. But I need to find it quick. Tom and I will be heading up to North Carolina for our annual fall mountain biking trip in three weeks and I want to be in the best shape possible. It's not too late, if I can get my butt moving.

Rain out again…

Tennis clinic was rained out last night, but I wasn't the slightest bit surprised. This weather is supposed to stick around for another day and finally start letting up on Friday. Just in time for the weekend. Even though I won't be here, I hope the weather is nice for everyone else.

So I used the extra time yesterday to run up to the mall and buy a purse. I know, I know. I really have a love/hate relationship with purses. I'm constantly looking for one because I'm never quite satisfied with the one that I have. My latest red slouchy bag has been getting on my nerves, so I've been looking for a replacement.

My needs and wants aren't that complicated, I don't think. I prefer a small purse as I don't carry around a bunch of stuff. But it has to be able to accommodate my wallet as I really love it. I like the shorter strap, but still need to be able to carry the purse on my shoulder, tucked under my arm. I've considered why that is and have concluded that I want my purse to be out of my way. That thought led me in a new direction…

A cross body purse. One of those somewhat flat messenger bag style purses with the long strap that is worn over the shoulder and across the body. The purse sits slightly in front of the hip. I noticed a cute one by Fossil while I was at Dillard's on Sunday, so I went back to take a closer look at it.

First, I "wore" the purse while I checked out the entire purse department; bending, moving and reaching to see how that went. The purse stayed out of the way and it was nice to have both arms entirely free. Sometimes my current purse will slide off of my shoulder and down my arm in an irritating fashion. Next, I loaded it with my main items (wallet, cell phone, keys) and walked around with the extra weight. I pretended I was doing things, like answering my cell phone or pulling out my wallet, just to simulate actual activities I will perform with the purse. That seemed to go well, so I bought it. In fact, I put my old purse in the bag and continued shopping with the new one.

 

The one I bought is black and I'm keeping the strap longer.

I went to JC Penney's because I didn't visit there on Sunday in my quest to find a few outfits for this weekend. I was really hoping for a casual summer dress, but if they were ever out there, they aren't any longer. All the fall stuff is stocked up already, dagnabbit.

I failed in that quest, but did find some underwear that met another set of complicated requirements. I know, I know. I wish I were more normal, I really do.

On the way home I stopped at Target for a few things. In addition to Tom's vitamins and the Disney Earth DVD, I couldn't stop myself from buying a bag of Cheetos and a mango smoothie. I'm absolutely addicted to those two right now. Particularly the Cheetos. They are so finger licking good.

Fun fact: the orange dust is called Cheetle.

Rain out…

Crossing my fingers didn't work. Tennis was rained out yesterday. The radar was looking really iffy, but the administrator thought it was worth trying to play. The skies looked mighty threatening to me as I drove to the court and a couple of raindrops found their way to my windshield. Quite a number of people were already on the courts warming up, so I went ahead and joined my group. We managed to play for about a half an hour and finished one set before we had to quit. It had been raining a little, which actually felt really good, but once the ground got slippery, we were done.

It was sort of aggravating to have to go home and shower, without much exercise to show for it. That's one problem with being so physically active lately; I'm getting waterlogged from all of the showering!

By the way, I have added my Twitter Updates to the sidebar on the left. I actually signed up for Twitter so that I could follow other Twitterers, but don't tweet very often myself. Though I have a Twitter app on my iPhone so I might jot down a thought or two, if I think of anything worth tweeting.

Energy deficit…

That weekend went by much too quickly. I'm so glad we have a long one coming up. Though it promises to be a super busy weekend, but in a good way. Ann, Joy and I are going to Savannah! For the most part, I'm letting them make the plans. Having never been to Savannah, I'm up for anything. (the views of Memorial Hospital when Tom crashed while racing at Roebling Road do not count)

I think perhaps my workouts last week were a bit too ambitious. I went to the gym nearly every day, played tennis for four hours on Saturday and biked for two hours on Sunday. This week I don't want to do a darned thing. I think part of my problem is that vacation mode has set in. I just want to plan and pack and get to the weekend. But I'm also really tired. I need at least one day a week to sleep in and I didn't get one this past weekend. Nor did I take any naps. So I'm dragging.

But if it doesn't rain (fingers crossed) I will be playing tennis this afternoon. I'm looking forward to it, mostly. But I did somehow end up on the upper courts before the summer break and I'll be starting out with the better players. Their game is much more intense than on the lower courts. Matter of fact, the warm up is more intense too. I'm so glad I kept playing and didn't take two months off. I'm going to need every bit of skill I possess.

Worth knowing: Our server at Red Lobster told us that they will accept expired coupons. I imagine that Olive Garden will do the same, as they are both Darden restaurants.