Wednesday, January 27, 2010

seeing eyes

every morning on my way to work. i pass a bus stop. there is a woman. who stands patiently. every morning with her beloved black lab by her side. it sits at attention. also waiting patiently. sometimes i see them crossing the street together. or huddled under a store awning when it is raining. the dog is her seeing eye dog. i cant help but smile and gush every morning i see them. the lab's sweet yet serious face. i just want to squeeze it. i would love to meet them. but i have found when i do things like that. i freak people out. (too aggressive?) i also realize the dog is working. and i am not allowed to deter it from doing its duties. they seem to be a perfect pair. i wish i could watch them all day long. it is amazing that these dogs can help so much. there was a time. long ago. when i thought it would be awesome to help train the dogs as puppies. but. i know myself too well. i am a lover. a nurturer. i wouldnt be a good trainer. it would be hard for me to be strict. and not give them hugs and kisses after i scolded them. (this is how i am with zola and was with cory). and the biggest reason i talked myself out of it. i could never give those puppies up. i would be too attached. and instead be heartbroken. after seeing my 'friends' every morning at the bus stop. i know there are others out there. equipped to handle such tasks. its such an awesome thing. even more reason i just love dogs. i found a site below. in case any one is interested. i know there are many programs out there.

the seeing eye web site

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

pondering

what is the etiquette for taking down christmas decorations? is there really a deadline? before the next holiday, since some christmas decorations could fall into 'winter theme'. probably not my tin santa who says ho, ho, ho, to me when i watch tv. but when stores start putting the crap out in august. i like to think i can keep it up until. oh atleast valentines day or st. patty's. dont you think?

will all the snow across from my work building melt? the city has piled mounds and mounds of snow on the grassy area. i think its atleast 9 feet high. of icy. dirty. ugly. snow. i dont think it will melt anytime soon. its going to melt into a swamp. which is a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes. which then leads to west nile disease. if i live until my next birthday in june. it might be a miracle. if the giant mosquitoes have not carried me away. or worse bitten me to death.

when will spring get here? or do i want it since of what was said above.

can i in fact run a half marathon? i think i can. i think i can.

has my landlord lost her marbles? yes, years ago. i think she also turned down the tempature of the heat in the building. one good thing the radiators dont clank like they used to. but it gets chilly. so much so. i have had to use the amish space heater she provided. i know her trick. lower the gas heat. so that we pay for our own electricity. judy!

can i figure out this router issue with my home internet? yes i caved. i now have that thing they called the world wide web at my home. get out the snow shovel, i am out of the ice ages. i still have my rabbit ears though. not going back to cable for awhile.

why did they chop down the tree in front of my apartment? i will count the rings tonight. to see how old it was. it was a source of shade. it was beautiful to look down the street in the fall. but now there is a huge bare spot. it was not dead. just a few limbs that needed trimming. last week they just took branches off. yesterday its gone. only a stump. reminded me of a classic childrens' book - the giving tree. makes me cry every time!

Monday, January 11, 2010

how i spent my holiday break

cuddled up. by the fire. and zola sitting on my lap. waiting for santa. she is getting so big. 88 lbs. but i think she is done growing.

wink

happy monday. i found this picture of baby zola. when downloading others from mother's camera. i thought it was the funniest thing. helped brighten up my case of the mondays.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

new year. new face.

i thought. starting the new year with a nice day at the spa. sounded oh so delightful. untitled booked us appointments. we had gift certificates. so we "upgraded" a little. i was so excited. it had been awhile since i had pampered myself at the spa. besides a pedi and mani every once in awhile from the asian nail salons. which is normally in and out. and not very relaxing.

the day was just that. my facial was awesome. the massage was great. i felt refreshed. and ready to start 2010. until that evening. i started to feel 'off'. just weird. and then i washed my face. it burned. turned bright red. inflamed. it was so painful. when i woke the next morning it was worse. i couldnt concentrate all day at work. and still felt 'off'. a tad light headed. i knew it was an allergic reaction. day 2 bumps were more apparent. by day 3 it had calmed down. day 5, my face was almost normal, but peeling and felt raw.

trying to make a long post, from being too long. i called the salon on monday and left a message because they were closed. when i got a call back the next morning. she was somewhat apologetic but i never felt like she saw the severity in the situation. i almost died from an allergic reaction. granted it wasnt topical. but its a serious matter. she couldnt see me until the next day, late afternoon. i kept taking bendyrl and using hydro-cortisone on my face. it helped the pain. but it was more the time that seemed to help the most. after receiving another sorry and a few squirts of their product to help with the reaction. that was all they did. sent me on my way. made suggestions of what to try next time. but nothing more. no compensation. nadda.

when twojulies heard this story. she was mortified for me. and said "put on your big girl pants" and call to speak to a manager. i did. turns out it was the same gal who was helping before. i went off on a rant about being in pain for 3 days. paying for a service that didnt work. and there was nothing done to make me ever want to come back. she had the owner call back. offered a giftcard in the amount of the facial. fair enough. and it would be mailed to my house. i was content.

i have since to receive this gift card and its been a week. i dont think it takes that long. i am giving them another week. and then i will unleash again. and at that time. at that time my friends, i will release the spa name, post pictures of my face and tell as many people as i can. i want to warn people so they dont go through the same thing. but i also want the salon to take responsibility. the manager jokingly told me that she had another client that the same thing happened to her too. really? really? i dont think its funny. nor is this normal. do you want me to scratch your face for 20 minutes with long finger nails? because thats what it felt like. phew - that felt good. okay back. composed again. to be continued...