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November 28, 2005
What The Heck Is A Holiday Tree?
This is the sign you would see if you visit a Lowe's Home Improvement store, at least here in Texas. I have to say that this has taken Politcal Correctness way too far. And I guess they are only worried about offending English-speaking Non-Christians... cause although I didn't learn much in my high school Spanish class... (my teacher was too busy making telephone noises)... I do know that Navidad means CHRISTMAS. They are Christmas Trees... if you don't like it.... move to Iran.
Posted by FutureFoodTVStar at 03:41 PM | Comments (7)
November 26, 2005
I Hate Holiday Bugs
Well Tuesday I woke up with a little bit of a sore throat. Wednesday I was coughing a bit but not enough to really bother me. We got to leave work early on Wednesday and I drove straight home to "TheArmpitOfHell".
I fell asleep on my parents couch before my dad even went to bed at 8pm. I slept until about 11:30 and then I went to bed about 12:30 and slept till 9am Thanksgiving morning. I spent most of Thanksgiving either playing games online or sleeping. After my dad got home from work, we bummed around a while before we went over to my grandparents' about 5pm and got back home about 8pm... in time for my dad to go to bed. Poor guy has to be at work at 3:45am every morning.
My mom and I both slept till about 10am Friday morning. I woke up just in time to see the first half of the UT/A&M game until halftime when I passed out on the couch again. By the time I woke up from that nap I was feeling pretty crappy. After my dad came home from work, we ate dinner and then my mother and I went back to my grandparents' house to visit them after dad went to bed. We stayed there until about midnight and then we stayed up way too late last night watching a movie.
I woke up this morning about 5am attempting to cough up a lung. I coughed for hours and hours. About 10am when my mother finally woke up she found some medicine for me and I sat in front of her computer and played games all morning. About 3pm I left to come back to Dallas, still coughing and feeling like crap. I got back about 5:30pm and I packed up a few boxes.
Right now I'm eating a tub of mashed potatoes from Popeye's and popping antibiotics and praying I am feeling better tomorrow. I have to go apartment hunting and hopefully sign a lease tomorrow. I have 22 days to get out of my apartment... I'm running out of time and I'm trying to run off the Holiday Bug.
Posted by FutureFoodTVStar at 11:03 PM | Comments (2)
November 24, 2005
Stuffed Portrait Friday - A Chef's LetDown
Without going into the long boring story... my dysfunctional family has not been big on holidays in the past few years. One cousin had to work, the other two were hunting with their dad, their mom was who-knows-where. My dad had to work that morning and after all my doctors bills lately, we just didn't have the funds to cook up a big meal that wouldn't get eaten anyway.
So, as I promised last week... I'm participating in SPF as much as I possibly can. And I'm late again as usual... my camera has a big dock to upload pictures and let me just say, its a pain in the butt to try to transport from location to location.
Something/one/(s) that make Thanksgiving
Yes, I know I'm in culinary school. Yes, I know I'm supposed to be cooking on days like this, but the lack of family togetherness and lack of funds... this year... the thing who made our Thanksgiving was:
My mom and dad had turkey and dressing, I had fried fish and my grandparents had liver and onions. We bought a whole bunch of sides and all shared them. We also bought a pecan pie and it didn't last long at all.
The Dinner
I didn't think about taking pictures of our five styrofoam boxes, either coming in the front door or leaving in a trash bag. I did however get a lot of "before" pictures from the Thanksgiving PotLuck lunch we had at my work on Wednesday.
The Aftermath
This holiday stuff is hard work.
Bonus * The Centerpiece
Well I completely forgot to do the extra credit but I can certainly tell you about it. For the Potluck lunch I made Butternut Squash Soup. My mother had never had butternut squash and I took the extra squash and 2 granny smith apples home with me to make soup for Thanksgiving. There was about 1 bowl left of the soup from the lunch that I also took home with me. My mother is picky and didn't care for the soup at all.. so I didn't bother making any more.
But... she thought that the butternut squash was the cutest thing she had seen. She took the squash and the two apples and sat them in the middle of our kitchen table. Yep, she's nuts. My dad was embarassed that she would actually admit that she had never seen a butternut squash before, especially since her husband has been in the grocery business for 40 years. So... this is what is still sitting in the middle of my parents kitchen table...
Posted by FutureFoodTVStar at 10:37 PM | Comments (1)
November 23, 2005
Potluck Thanksgiving Lunch at Work
I am officially miserable.
I work with a bunch of good cooks. The company paid for a turkey and a honeybaked ham, and one of the guys made a RoadKill Chili. The rest of us signed up to bring stuff and there is so much food left over, if you are in the area, come on and get some.
There were two different types of deviled eggs, one normal and the other had dijon mustard, basil and sundried tomatoes in the stuffing. The veggie and cheese tray was in a picnic basket and was beautiful, until we messed it up. The shrimp cocktail was good. The chili cheese squares were basically a cheddar cheese and green chilie quiche. I'm sure it was probably good, I just dont care for quiches... but I did try a piece since my friend made them.
Side Items were plentiful and delicious. Jalapeno Jelly, Scalloped Potatoes, Broccoli and Cheese, Cornbread Dressing and Sausage Stuffing, Steamed Cabbage, Broccoli Rice Casserole, Corn Casserole, Hashbrown Casserole, Wheatberry Salad, Blue Cheese Salad, Rosemary New Potatoes, Pistachio Salad, Roasted Asparagus, Sweet Potato Souffle and I made Butternut Squash Soup. We also had a large
amount of rolls and cornbread.
Now to the most important thing, Dessert. We had homemade chocolate peanut butter bon bons, Pecan Pies, Coconut Pies, Lemon Cream Pie, Pumpkin Pie, Cookies, Red Velvet Cake and Dirt & Snow Dessert.
There was a comment about "look what (my job) people can do when we put our minds to it" to which got a response, "yep, we cook, eat, drink and bitch."
Since I am still lacking in the work-that-needs-to-be-done department, I spent about an hour prior to lunch helping set everything up and about an hour afterwards helping clean up. I have a glass of tea and a small plate of the sweet potato souffle to snack on until I can leave ... sometime between 3pm and 4pm. Now I'm just hoping I don't fall asleep on the drive to "TheArmpitOfHell". Someone call me and keep me awake for that hour and 45 minutes, please.
Posted by FutureFoodTVStar at 01:04 PM | Comments (2)
Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving To All My Blogging Buddies.
I am leaving work today at 4pm and will be headed home to "TheArmpitOfHell" for the holiday. I will be back on Saturday evening, as Sunday I have to go Apartment Hunting and hopefully sign my lease. I'm running out of time.
When I return, I will have pictures from our Thanksgiving potluck lunch at work and my trip to "TheArmpitOfHell". I will probably have more pictures of my babies, Zack and Zane, than anything and you better believe I will be posting their cuteness for all to see.
I'm thankful that I am feeling better since I stopped trying to kill myself going to work and school at the same time with my health issues, I'm thankful for my parents, grandparents, aunt, uncle, cousins, and my great aunt. I'm thankful that I have a fairly new car with new tires, a place to live, a little bit on money in my pocket and food to eat. I am eternally thankful that I have changed offices at my job and no longer have to put up with "TheExcelLady."
But mostly I am thankful that I have exactly 22 days until I get to move and that my kitchen, entertainment center, outside storage shed and bookcases/cookbooks are all packed and that I have a microwave to keep me fed until moving day.
Posted by FutureFoodTVStar at 10:39 AM | Comments (0)
November 21, 2005
Its A Thanksgiving Miracle
I dont have a doctor's appointment until Wednesday of NEXT week. This, my friends, is the first week I haven't had a doctor's appointment since the first week of August. I'm not quite sure what to think about that but I know that its something...
To Be Thankful For.
Posted by FutureFoodTVStar at 10:30 AM | Comments (2)
November 20, 2005
Reason Number 628
Why I'm Doing This
(Yep, some Thug set the dumpster on fire. Smart eh?)
Posted by FutureFoodTVStar at 04:50 PM | Comments (1)
November 19, 2005
I Still Miss Him
Ok, I know I'm gonna get hate mail for this one but I had to post something.
Since I started blogging in February, I have seen many people go thru the heartbreak that is losing a pet. Sharkey, RSG.. I know how hard that was for you. I've been there. I lost my beloved Char Cole back on March 6, 2003.
My heart weeps every time I hear about a dog passing because I know how much it hurt and how regardless of how "silly" it sounds to those who have never known that kind of unconditional love from a dog...I still miss him.
What brought on this post? Well, I woke up this morning and opened up bloglines to read 22 new post notifications that were listed. One of them was for Sam and Susie's Blog, sadly announcing that Sam, The World's Ugliest Dog, has died.
As I was reading the announcement that Sam died of Kidney Failure... I had a wave of sadness come over me as that is exactly took my baby Char Cole away from me. Char Cole had been to the vet in August 2002 before he died and as we found out later, his kidney levels were elevated then and the vet didn't tell us anything.
Then in February, Char Cole started having trouble walking.. we had another vet come out and she gave him some medicine for arthritis and he seemed to get a little better. Then about a week before he died he stopped eating and drinking. He wouldn't take anything at all, it was heartbreaking to watch. The last thing that we remember him eating, was he shared a Swanson's Chicken Pot Pie with my mother.
On March 5th, we came home from work and Char Cole hadn't moved all day long. The vet came out and took some blood samples and called with the bad news. His kidney levels were off the charts. We set up an appointment for 11am on the 6th for her to come back and to end his misery and then we moved all the furniture out from the middle of the living room floor and we all laid down on the floor with him.
We always had a hand on him or were touching him, laying next to him... we wanted him to know that we were there. We all slept right there with him all night. About 1am I woke up and he was still there with us, but my dad woke up about 1:30 and he was gone.
Char Cole died on his own before we had to have the vet put him to sleep. As comforting as that was, it didn't help the hurt that we felt for months afterwards. We buried him in the local pet cemetery and we would go visit his grave every Sunday for months.
It was a ritual and it never ceased to bring tears to our eyes. We had gotten Char Cole on Mother's Day in 1988. In August 1992, I left for Baylor. In August 1999 I moved back to the Houston area, but I was still an hour away from home over in Smalltown, Tx. In October 2001, my parents moved to "TheArmpitOfHell".
It was a hard transition for Char Cole to make. He was old, nearly blind and had never lived anywhere else. What made it even worse was that my dad was sent off for training for the first 6 months in the new house. My dad managed to come home once a week for a couple of days but that wasn't enough for Char Cole.. he missed him terribly and would pace around the new house looking for him.
In June 2002, I sold my home in Smalltown, Tx and moved to "TheArmpitOfHell" and back in with my parents. Yes, at 28 years old I was living at home, although I knew exactly what Char Cole was going thru because it wasn't anything close to the home I had always known.
From June 2002 until I moved to Dallas in January 2005, living at home was probably one of the hardest things I have ever done. Don't get me wrong, I love my parents, but that old saying... "you can never go home," is true. It drove me nuts, I prayed and cried to get out of there and out of "TheArmpitOfHell". But I will never regret moving there because I was there for the last 9 months of Char Cole's life.
In November 2003, Zack and Zane came into our lives. It was a hard transition... still missing Char Cole and his laid back nearly 15 yr old ways of doing things... and all of a sudden we had not one but two puppies. It took about 30 seconds for them to capture my heart, but, I am probably the biggest dog lover in the world.
My parents weren't so quick to jump in but I think that they are finally at least part way hooked. In January 2005, I did another hard thing... I left Zack and Zane. I miss them so much I cant stand it. My mother tells me nearly every night about the funny things that they do and I get sad that I'm missing it.
Back a few weekends ago, I went with CricketYank went with me apartment hunting, and I know that I stopped and talked to every dog that we came across. It was almost sad, even to me, to realize that I may need to find a rehabilitation clinic for addiction to dogs. It is Saturday, November 19th and I have 5 days before I go home for Thanksgiving.
I am so excited, I can not wait. Is it because of the turkey? No. The dressing? Blech. The eewy gooey Cranberry Sauce? Yuck. The butternut squash soup I'm going to make? Maybe, but not really. What is it then... its the anticipation of getting to sit down on my parent's lazyboy, and have Zack jump up in my lap and play Patty-Cake with me, while Zane jumps up and falls asleep on my feet. That, my friends, is the closest thing to heaven I can think of right now.
Posted by FutureFoodTVStar at 10:12 AM | Comments (6)
November 18, 2005
I Hate Floor Mats And Thieves
I walked into work this morning.. the day was going fine. I walked to the time clock and clocked in. Then I started talking to our mail clerk who was piling some boxes by the trash. I started inquiring about the boxes, since in case you haven't heard... I'm moving. He told me he had some paper boxes (yeah boxes that hold a case of reems of paper, not boxes made out of paper).
I turned around and the next thing I saw was the carpet. Yep, I fell. Again. And you know where I landed? You got it... my left knee that was already going to be cut open on December 29th. Now, let me calm your mind a little. I'm not drunk and I'm not on drugs, well, you know what I mean. Although I am not usually this clumsy, my neurologist said that losing your balance and falling can be a part of the sensorimotor polyneuropathy that she diagnosed me with back in October.
Unfortunately, this time I can't blame my fall on my medical condition... I'm gonna blame it on those dumb plastic floor mats that are used to help chairs roll better. For some dumb reason, there were two of those mats on the floor by the time clock. They weren't stacked, but they were overlapping. I must have stepped right in the middle of them because I felt the mats move as I started to fall. I have no clue why the floor mats where in the kitchen next to the time clock but apparently they had been moved, by someone... I don't know who.
After a few minutes of sitting on the floor biting my tongue, I got up and walked to my office. Yes, I have an office now...sorta. My desk, along with three other desks are open in a small room off of the main hallway that is filled with cubicles. The neat thing about this is... this office is going to be for the new department they are creating and by which I am the first member... so as of right now, I have the office to myself. I'm really not looking forward to the hiring of the other people and them moving into my office, as I will probably not be able to blog and email and chat as much as I do now.
When I got to my office I noticed that my door was open and my light was on. I thought that was kinda weird because I had turned everything off and closed the door when I left last night, but I didn't think much of it. The next thing I noticed was that my new clock radio had been moved from the back of my desk near the wall to up front in front of my keyboard and the CD loading part was half open. I put my purse in the drawer and not thinking much of anything, I walked to my new boss's office to tell him about my little incident by the time clock.
When I got there, another man was talking to him. I stood there in the hallway and waited for my turn and my boss, from here on known as "MrMercy" (since he got me away from the ExcelLady), asked me if my computer was ok this morning. Still, not grasping the situation (it must be the drugs), I said yes its fine and then he noticed me limping. Before I could tell him about my fall... he then tells me that a good number of laptops had been stolen last night.
"MrMercy" and I walked towards the time clock so that I could show him where I fell and then I told him about my radio being moved. Interesting ain't it? After I was able to get back to my desk and not standing on my knee, I remembered that this isn't the first time. This is a very nice office building but you would never know by looking that this is the third time since July that some thief has come in and stolen laptops.
Now I know to lock up everything every night and to pay more attention in the mornings to see if things have been moved... especially floor mats.
Posted by FutureFoodTVStar at 09:10 AM | Comments (3)
November 17, 2005
It Takes Drugs To Be In School
Believe it or not, I'm actually playing SPF this week, and I'm actually playing early. Kristine thought up a good assignment and I was intriqued when she said this was gonna be hard.
This week's assignment is to present something that exhibits our past, our present and our future. So, here we go.
The Past:
These are two of my "faculty" shirts from the two different high schools I taught at. Teaching high school was definitely an experience. I'm glad I did it, but I'm glad its over. There are not enough drugs in the world to make me go back to teaching. And besides, had I not taught at Smalltown, Tx HS... I would have never gotten to meet the wonderful BlogFamily that is Andevine, Ness(a)Lee, and Ball-n-Chain... that, my friends was worth it all.
The Present:
Wait a minute? Did I just say there wasn't enough drugs? This is a picture of the middle drawer in this three door plastic cart I bought at Target. And believe it or not, the only thing in this drawer are PRESCRIPTIONS. I take at least one pill out of every bottle / package in that drawer. Some of them I even take 4 or 5 pills a day from each bottle. I have a call into a Pain Management Doctor to see if we can find another way of dealing with my health issues without so many damn medications.
And Finally...
The Future:
I know I have fallen down on my job of getting my other website up and running and I had these wild dreams of posting recipes along with pictures from school and the first thing I was going to post was the my menu project that I turned in during my second quarter. I know I never got to post it so, this is going to be the cover for my menu when I finally open up my restaurant, The Stolen Olive.
But, before I open my restaurant... I have to take my drugs and get back in school.
Posted by FutureFoodTVStar at 08:11 PM | Comments (11)
A Lesson For Mother Nature
Dear Mother Nature
I have attached the seasonal calendar for your review. I am under the assumption that you have forgotten about the rules here in Texas. November is supposed to be Fall. Yeah, you know.. when the leaves are supposed to change colors and we get RAIN! Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that it is finally cold enough to get out my coat and wear sweaters, but we are severely behind on rain for the year and we need it.
Now get on the ball, make it rain ... and bring me some Snow in February.
Thank you
FutureFoodTVStar
P.S. Make it rain BEFORE December because I don't want to move into my new apartment in the rain.
Posted by FutureFoodTVStar at 02:37 PM | Comments (0)
His Dreams Will Come True
The Surgical Coordinator at "ThePainInflictor's" office called a little while ago. After some discussion of when to do my surgery, I settled on Thursday, December 29th. I wanted to get it done before the end of the year so I didn't start of my year paying for my $400.00 deductible and at the bottom of my $1000.00 yearly out-of pocket maximum all in one day.
With all the appointments I have had since July, I have met my deductible for this year and once all the other appointments I have been to have been processed and billed, I am sure I will be close if not over the out-of-pocket for 2005 also. Free knee surgery? I guess if I have to have surgery, then free is the way to go.
I am going to do my darndest to work like crazy the next few weeks and get some overtime on my paychecks to make up for the week of my surgery. Since I have only been at my glorious place of employment since April, I do not have any sick time and I will be doing good to get paid for 20 hours that week. Monday is a holiday (Christmas Day Observed) and my pre-op appointment is at 2pm on Wednesday. So I will basically only be at work for Tuesday and Wednesday before 1:30. Thursday surgery will have me reporting to the hospital about 9am and surgery is scheduled for 10:30am. I will stay home and recover Friday and Monday is another holiday (New Years Day Observed).
Speaking of Holidays... the Scheduling Coordinator put me on hold for about 10 minutes and the radio station they had it on was playing nothing but Christmas Music. OMG! Am I the only person who realizes that it's not even Thanksgiving yet? And now.. that song is stuck in my head... "Do You Hear What I Hear?"
Yeah! I hear it... it's called Turkeys, not Santa!
Posted by FutureFoodTVStar at 12:24 PM | Comments (0)
November 16, 2005
Dreams Of "ThePainInflictor"
On Wednesday, October 19th I went to see "ThePainInflictor" for the first time. After my falling in the parking lot of the hospital on my way to my first sleep study, "ThePainInflictor" diagnosed me with Prepatellar Bursitis. He discussed during that appointment that he normally gave cortizone shots as the first line of defense against the pain that this condition causes, but wouldn't you know it... cortizone is one of the two medications I know for a fact that I am allergic to.
So, instead he gave me Mobic, an anti-inflammatory pill and said to come back in 4 weeks. Well, 4 weeks was today. He started mashing on my knee and I started tearing up. He found the worst spot and I had a hard time not crying. He said, so, I see this has not gotten any better. Well... since you are still allergic to cortizone then I guess our next conversation is surgery.
He said that he would make a small incision on my knee and then go in and clean out all the scar tissue from the busted and bruised bursa sac and then stitch me up. He said it was a quick surgery, in an out, go home the same night and start walking the same day. Just to keep that knee straight for a week.
When I left the surgical coordinator, who does the scheduling of surgeries, was out of the office and she was supposed to call me back. I have yet to hear from her, but I bet I will tomorrow. "ThePainInflictor" wants to do surgery... I wanted to say *in your dreams*... but I'm tired of rolling over in the middle of the night and hitting my knee on something and in turn ruining my dreams. I think he's gonna win this battle.
Posted by FutureFoodTVStar at 05:03 PM | Comments (0)
November 15, 2005
Attack of "TheDrugDealer"
Well Sunday extended my streak of having a migraine every single Sunday for 4 weeks now. These migraines over the past month were the main instigator of me taking a medical leave from school. When I called "TheDrugDealer" to get a medical excuse for school she said she wanted me to come in before my other scheduled appointment on December 8th... so I went today.
My appointment was at 12:30. I got there at 12:20. Well when I arrived at the doctor's office they told me I had an outstanding balance of $233.60. I first said that I hadn't received any statements for it and without an itemized statement I didn't pay anything. Then they old me that I had 5 days where I didn't pay my co-pay... um NO! First of all my co-pay is $35.00 and I don't know where you learned math but $35.00 * 5 does not equal $233.60. Not only does it not equal $233.60, there is no way that any number of days of missed co-pays would equal a balance ending in $0.60. They finally printed out an itemized statement and I went and sat down.
They called me back and put me in a room about 12:45. I looked over the statements and realized that the charges that they showed that I owed were for my E-stem treatments, otherwise known as my bi-weekly nap. These are treatments that I have been going to twice a week for the past 8 weeks. I was told when they scheduled them that my insurance covered 20 of them per year and they never mentioned anything about a co-pay. My migraine was getting worse so I told myself I would deal with it when I got back to work and then I turned off the light and laid down on the table and I woke up at 1:26 and she still hadn't come in to see me. I started asking the office manager how much longer because I needed to get back to work I was going to have to stay at work until at least 6:15 every day this week to keep up with my 40 hours anyway. I also showed her the bill that I was handed when I walked in. She said that since the E-stem treatments are handled thru a different company that she would call them and get it taken care of. And she did, whew!.
At 1:45 she finally came in and at 2:00 I was at the counter getting my receipts, prescriptions and a doctor's note. Then I had to go sit in the waiting room for another 5 minutes and wait for the lab tech to call me back. I had to have another blood test to see if my Folic Acid and B12 levels had come up since the last time. I then went and got lunch at Potbelly and then headed back to work. 2 hours and 22 minutes later I clock back in.
So, what did I accomplish in the 15 minutes she was in with me? I told her that the Lyrica she had me on for the numbness and polyneuropathy was helping but something was causing my migraines to get worse. I also said that the most current migraine medicine taken for the actual attacks, not the daily preventatives, Zomig, was useless. Excedrin Migraine, a Diet Mountain Dew and a Zinger worked better than Zomig did. Not only were my migraines getting worse, they were also taking on a life of their own and setting up a permanent schedule that consisted of ice picks in my temples every Sunday, and then moving behind my left eye and causing nausea on Mondays and Tuesdays.
She gave me a new prescription for Axert, a new medicine to try on my migraine attacks, a new daily medicine for Keppra that will hopefully help prevent migraine attacks, and three days of Vicodin to hopefully knock out this current migraine and to see if it will help break the cycle. I'm gonna go get this stuff filled tonight and start taking it. Hopefully the migraines will realize that I'm sending them an eviction notice, and unlike the "TheFlamingDonkey" and "DaHood".. I DONT have to give them 30-days notice.
Posted by FutureFoodTVStar at 03:08 PM | Comments (1)
November 13, 2005
The Dark Side Of Culinary School
Well, as it turns out.. I picked a good time to take my medical leave of absence from school. A classmate instant messaged me Friday night to ask where I was and if I had heard about the rumors. I explained the medical leave and she completely understood, as she had taken one herself last quarter.
Then I said... well, what rumors have I not heard... and this is what she told me...
Two of the Chef-Instructors Got Fired.
She told me the rumors behind this mind-boggling sentence and needless to say I was quite shocked. I am wondering what they are going to do with the classes those two chefs were teaching. Up until a week ago, I was actually in one of these classes. They barely have enough chefs to teach the classes they offer and most of the chefs work something crazy like 6am - 11pm 4 days a week.
I am not going to divulge the reasons for the firings on my blog in case someone from the school sees it, but lets just say I don't agree with it one bit. There comes a time in this world that once someone hits a certain age, it is nobody's business what they do... kinda like the fact that I'm 31 years old and I have spent most of the day cleaning my apartment for a dumb inspection and that I'm not even allowed to have alcohol in my apartment to make Beer Cheese Soup or Amaretto Cheesecake.
One of the chefs in question has sent out the contact information for the head of human resources for the corporate side of my school and nonchalantly said... "in case you would like to voice your opinions." I am not too sure I would say anything but if I do, I will wait until I have moved out of this apartment and completely away from the school scene.
Like I mentioned here, this school obviously has some problems. During my medical leave and hiatus from school... I can honestly say that I am now thinking about applying to one of the other 14 culinary schools in the Dallas area. I have enough problems of my own, I don't need any more coming in from outside sources.
Posted by FutureFoodTVStar at 04:15 PM | Comments (3)
November 12, 2005
Does 16 Minutes Even Count...
As A Cat Nap?
Well today was my second sleep study ordered by "TheDrugDealer." All I can say is that it would have been really nice to know what to expect instead of her just saying go to this test. I went to bed early last night, since I was supposed to be at the hospital at 6am this morning... but from what I know now.. I didn't go to bed early enough.
I got there about 5:45 and she asked me what time I had woken up. I said about 4:45 and she said ok.. you can start your nap at 7:00. She hooked all the monitors and stuff up to me and it was only 6:20, I had to sit there for 40 minutes and wait until I could go to sleep. At 7:00 the lady told me I could go to sleep.
So, I turn over and close my eyes and go to sleep and then WTH? 7:16 she woke me up. I was like excuse me? She said your only going to take 4 15-minute naps. I was flabbergasted and exhausted... "you are kidding right? how come I wasn't told this? I thought I was coming to sleep all day"
So I had to wake up at 7:16 and she said I had to stay wide awake until 9:00am. Can you say miserable? Watching TV and the clock waiting for time to go back to sleep. At 9:00am she said.. ok, time for your next nap. This time she woke me up at 9:22am. Ok, this is getting really annoying.
After rolling around in the bed, sitting up, laying down, walking around, sitting up, holding my head in my hands and thinking what in the world have I gotten myself into.. I finally got to take another nap... you guessed it... at 11:00am. Actually she came in a little early and I think I laid down at 10:51... and she was waking me up at 11:02.
Again at 12:52 I took one last nap and at 1:13pm I was woken up for the last time. They took the monitors off of me and I drove home.
Apparently this test was to see if I have narcolepsy. I was given 20 minutes to fall asleep, if you don't fall asleep within those 20 minutes you have to get up and try again in two hours. If you do fall asleep you get to sleep for 15 mintues... IF you DO NOT make it to REM (dream) sleep. If you go into REM sleep, they wake you up immediately.
Once I got home... I took a nap... a real nap. No more of this 16 minute crap.
Posted by FutureFoodTVStar at 11:38 PM | Comments (2)
A Bloody-Eye Frustrating Day
See that busted blood vessel on my eye? Yeah, that's what I woke up to this morning. Isn't it pretty?
Yesterday was so frustrating I worried myself into a good stress headache by 5:00. I had made phone calls Thursday night about the "Letter to Vacate" that was left on my front door and waiting for me when I got home. What a way to end what had started out to be a great day at my new office. The office is nice, the people are friendly, they talk to you when you walk by instead of looking at you like you feel off yesterday's turnip truck and most of all... "the ExcelLady" isn't there.
I started making phone calls when I left work at 11:25 to go to my E-stem treatment, my bi-weekly hour nap in the middle of the day. I left a message with the lady that I had talked to Thursday night and then I called back again after picking up lunch at my new favorite lunch spot, Baja Fresh. No return calls.
I got back to work and there was a flashing light on my work phone. Great a voice mail, hopefully someone from the school calling to discuss "TheFlamingDonkey" and how they couldn't just evict me with 3 days notice when I was paid up thru December 23rd. I hit the button to call voice mail, put in my extension and then it asked for a password. Password? What? I've been here a day and a half and I hadn't put a password on the phone yet. Just Great.
I called our company HELP desk and they told me who to contact for phone problems. Then I called that guy and he, of course, was in a meeting. I'm sitting there nervous and frustrated watching the little red light on my phone flashing at me and not being able to do a darn thing about it.
About 2:45, I finally got the message. It was "TheFlamingDonkey's" boss's boss. I had also found out that the boss who I had talked to a few months ago regarding problems with "TheFlamingDonkey" is no longer employed at the school. There is obviously problems going on in this school and are beginning to really worry me. I called her back and all I got was her voice mail. I waited an hour and called her back again, again, voice mail.
At 4:25, I was getting really nervous and starting to call friends to see if I could stay with them until December until I could get an apartment. At 4:30, I called the receptionist at the school and started asking for other people in the boss's boss department. I found out she was in a meeting. Wheew, at least she hadn't left for the day.
At 4:45, she finally called me back. I had emailed her the list from Thursday night's post and she said she was confused... "If I hated the place so much and was scared to live there, why was I fighting the vacate notice?" She apparently was under a complete denial. I quickly told her.. I do want out, I do want to move, I am going to move... but physically it was just impossible for me to move out by Sunday at 5pm. It was now nearly 5pm on Friday and I was scheduled for an all day Sleep Study at the hospital on Saturday. In reality... if I had started packing the minute I got the letter Thursday night... I couldn't have even gotten my KITCHEN packed by 5:00pm on Sunday.
She said one of the major problems was that my apartment hadn't been "inspected" since April. Well, to explain this nonsense... my school actually has a corporate lease at this Nazi run complex and those of us that live here are supposed to be considered as living in "student housing." No matter how old you are, we are not allowed to have alcohol, and the Resident Advisors are supposed to come into our apartment every other week to make sure we aren't trashing the place.
Hello! I'm 31 years old. I bought my own home in SillyNessa's home... smalltown, Texas at the age of 24 and these inspections are a little more than annoying. Not to mention they even write it down if your bed isn't made or there is a single dish in the sink. OMG.
Anyway, I dealt with the assinine bull the first quarter. I had an RA who knew I had an alarm system and would set up a time to come by when I was home. When he graduated "TheFlamingDonkey" basically told my new RA to walk right on into my apartment and inspect it, regardless of the alarm. Not only did they cause the first of the bright orange "FalseAlarmNotice" stickers from the Dallas Police, they even left my front door unlocked. I had a fit, I called "TheFlamingDonkey's" boss and I threatened legal action. They did not have the right to come in when I wasn't here. I wasn't telling them they couldn't inspect my apartment, I just said I had to be home when they did it.
At the beginning of this quarter, I got another new RA. She left a note saying she would be inspecting between 5pm - 7pm on Thursday evenings. I immediately called and told her that I didn't get off of work until 6:45 or so on Thursdays but if she would call me and find out how far away I was... I would let her inspect it as soon as I got home. She never called. What she did do is leave to more rude notes on my door saying she was going to fail my inspections if I didn't call her to set up an inspection. Hello! This is not my responsibility it is hers. The last failure threat note was left on my door the night before the "Notice to Vacate."
She said she was going to be at the complex inspecting the apartments between 8am and 5pm on Tuesday. Hello! I work! I have a job. And no I cant take my lunch hour to come home for that. Unfortunately, it basically came down to the fact that either she inspected my apartment or she was going to stand behind the ridiculous get out by 5pm crap letter. So, I wrote an email to my new boss and told him that I had some things I had to take care of Tuesday morning and I would be in by 8:45. I told the lady she needed to inspect my place first and she agreed.
This apartment has been the biggest disaster I have ever seen. If you even read half of the list from my previous post you will know I'm not kidding. I finally got it worked out, I have until 10am Monday morning, December 19th to hand deliver my key to this lady that I will be dealing with for the next 5 weeks. I told her that I refused to deal with "TheFlamingDonkey" again and I wanted her to tell him not to call me. I could go the rest of my life and never hear that guy's voice and it wouldn't be too soon.
Last Saturday, I had gone looking for apartments with a friend and I had told all the places we visited that I was looking to move December 15th. I think I've decided which complex I want to move to, I just gotta sit down and figure out the financial part of it. The 15th is a Thursday and I can maybe take a day off of work on Friday and move that weekend. Turn in my key on Monday morning and be done with this disaster.
33 days and I am OUT OF HERE.
Posted by FutureFoodTVStar at 10:39 PM | Comments (0)
November 10, 2005
Frustrated With Da Flaming Hood
Well, I came home tonight to find a "Notice to Vacate" on my front door. Apparently the Nazi-butthead who is the director of Housing (aka "TheFlamingDonkey") for school found out that I dropped my classes for this quarter and demands that I vacate the apartment by 5:00pm on Sunday. This is just another thing to the list of frustrations I have dealt with while dealing with this vindictive SOB.
I called my school advisor and she said she would contact some people tomorrow and get this straighted out. I just didn't drop out of school, I'm taking a medical leave. My lease is up December 23rd and I am already paid up thru then.
So... I spent most of tonight typing out a list of things I have dealt with since I decided to come to culinary school in regards to housing. Here is the list.
1. I was promised a one bedroom with a sunroom the day I put down my deposit in November.
2. I was not given notice that I wasn't going to have a sunroom until after U-Haul was already loaded in Waco to move up here.
3. I was not given notice of my apartment number within a reasonable amount of time. Could not call and order cable, internet, phone and alarm services until day before moving. Had to wait for cable, phone and internet services for up to a week. Had to wait a month and a half for alarm system because I had to get a permit first. This permit could have been attained within plenty of time had apartment number been given in a timely manner.
4. Orientation Day, meetings scheduled in morning, Housing Orientation not scheduled until late in the afternoon. For students moving from out of town, they have no where to go for the 4 hours between. Creates an unsafe environment since cars are most likely full of stuff and thus more apt to break-ins.
5. When I arrived, apartment was even smaller than the apartment that "DaHood" employees showed me in November when my mother and I told them I would be in a one bedroom. They claim that they were told by "TheFlamingDonkey" to show the larger apartment even though not everyone gets that one. "TheFlamingDonkey"'s Boss then turned around and claimed that "DaHood" employees were lying about this. Pointing fingers and no one accepting responsibility.
6. Not given a copy of the lease that I signed at orientation.
7. Apartment was not cleaned or inspected prior to my arrival.
Knee high pile of trash (including molded cups, food, eggs) in patio storage unit.
Heater didn't work. Called for 4 days before complex came to fix it.
Charged fine for leaving box on my own patio when dumpsters were overflowing.
Flower pot of cigarette butts left from previous resident.
Christmas lights left from previous resident.
Refrigerator and pantry was left full of food from previous resident.
Numerous carpet stains and stuff stuck in the carpet.
NOT given a punch list to notate damage to apartment prior to moving in.
There is something in the air ducts that causes allergic reactions and migraines
for me & my occasional guests who come to visit.
9. Sliding glass door didn't lock for at least three weeks.
10. List of stuff needed to be fixed didn't get done for a week.
11. Had to spend over $100 to have out of date washer/dryer connections fixed.
12. Bathroom sink still leaks (as of 11/10/05) and I have reported this numerous times.
13. Electrical boxes outside not labeled for TXU. TXU therefore turned off electricity for my apartment instead of neighbors.
14. Indoor electrical problems. Both my neighbor and my apartments suffer from random electricity outages for no reason (i.e. weather, etc). This causes alarm clocks to be reset and residents late to work and class.
15. Account #s not given to residents so we can call when we have problems with TXU, etc.
16. Electricity was turned off accidentally by TXU. I called the receptionist, "DaHood" office, RA, and "TheFlamingDonkey". Did not receive any response until my mother called the President of "TheSchool". Did not have electricity for over 5 hours and was late to class and homework was unable to be completed.
17. "TheFlamingDonkey" called and claimed he was going to charge my student account because my electricity bills were too high. I informed him that "DaHood" had not fixed my air conditioner and heater correctly. Let's use some common sense; one person in an apartment of this size could not possibly run up $300+ electricity bills per month if everything was working correctly.
18. Oven hasn't baked correctly since I moved in; Baking anything over 350 degrees F causes the smoke alarm to go off.
19. Thermostat was still not working after living here for 3 months. Unit would heat to 90 degrees F or chill to 50 degrees F because the thermostat would not cut off the unit. This was not fixed until April.
20. "DaHood" office signs for packages without notifying tenant. Signing means they take responsibility for getting the packages to the tenant. They claim we should know when we are going to have something delivered, which is ridiculous. I had a present from my grandmother held hostage for over 3 months because I didn't know it was there.
21. The apartment office keeps sporadic hours and is never there when I can pick up said packages held hostage. When you do arrive to pick up packages, they can not find them. Had two packages that were completely lost.
22. "DaHood" employees routinely do not allow FedEx, UPS, DHL and other courier services in the gate so that those couriers are able to leave notices on our door.
23. "DaHood" offices close without notice, yet they can serve notice to residents about "drunken parties" at Pubs.
24. "DaHood" employees call "TheFlamingDonkey" every time I go to pick up packages. "TheFlamingDonkey" then has the gall to call my cell phone and tell me that he "heard thru the grapevine that you were in the office" when I had sat there and watched the lady call him.
25. Maintenance walked into "DaHood" without making sure I was not at home. I was in the shower.
26. Water leak in linen closet... claimed it was from my washing machine, no where near said closet.
27. Charged $50.00 in damages to account... no damages present.
28. Charged another $80.00 in damages to account... no damages present.
29. "DaHood" wanted me to remove my couch from my patio. The patio is completely covered by plants and couch is not visible from parking lot. Couch has been treated for outside use. Had I been given the correct apartment I was promised, or even the apartment I was shown... there would have been room for it inside.
30. "DaHood" wanted me to remove my plants from patio, as they claimed they were dead... they are not dead, they are herbs.
31. Smoke alarm continues to go off every time I bake or wash / dry clothes.
32. "DaHood" office too lazy to send monthly statements for alarm system. By law, I do not have to pay for a bill that I have not received a statement for.
33. I come home at night after class and no parking spaces available. The lease said they would tow cars without parking permits, but they do not.
34. Security Access Gates at "DaHood" not kept in working condition on a regular basis.
35. Upstairs neighbors (also students of "TheSchool") were lighting fireworks inside their apartment and throwing them out the windows at our cars. The gun powder smell would infiltrate into my apartment.
36. Upstairs neighbors constantly drop cigarette butts onto my patio.
37. I agreed, by signing my lease that I would allow my apartment to be inspected. NO where in the lease did it say that said inspections would take place while I wasn't home. RAs continued to enter my apartment when I wasn't home and set off alarm, until I threatened legal action. I routinely came home to bright orange "False Alarm Notice" stickers on my front door.
38. "DaHood" employee told me to call a tow truck when I was changing a flat tire. That is ludicrous.
39. September 1st. Intruder entered complex, shot security guard. Security Guard returned fire and killed intruder. The following week, "DaHood" management disarmed our security officers.
40. October 16th. Dead body pulled out of apartment around the corner. Deceased had been dead for over a week from heroine overdose. No one knew until she started smelling, although there were newspapers and notes and stuff piled up at her front door.
41. October 31st. Next door neighbor was drugged by a resident, LSD slipped into drink. I had to take him to the emergency room.
42. Drug deals are rampant and visible from bedroom window and complex is home to many drug dealers. Not a safe location for students.
43. Apartments are inspected for alcohol; regardless of age... but the very distinctive smell of marijuana smoke is overlooked.
44. RA left threatening note on door, "if you do not call I will be forced to fail you on inspection." When I was given notice of the new RA I immediately called and told her that I would not be home during her scheduled time and for her to call and make an appointment. Inspections are the RAs responsibility to set up, not mine.
45. On three different occasions, "DaHood" maintenance workers entered my apartment, set off my alarm system and the employees in "DaHood" offices did not bother to answer the phone when Network Multifamily called to check on the alarm. Thus, Network Multifamily sent Dallas Police Department to my apartment and I returned home to three different bright orange "False Alarm Notice" stickers on my front door.
46. When I called "DaHood" to have them come remove the stickers from my front door, they just painted over them
47. Came home at 6:30pm on Thursday, November 10, 2005. There was a letter from "TheFlamingDonkey" stating that I had until Sunday, November 13, 2005 at 5pm to vacate the apartment. Legally, 30-days notice must be given. Lease is already paid for thru the end of the quarter. This is just another attempt by "TheFlamingDonkey" to be vindictive and unreasonable. I told him in September that I was moving out at the end of this quarter and that I was facing major health issues.
Posted by FutureFoodTVStar at 09:16 PM | Comments (4)
Unpacked and Organized
Well, last night about 5:30 a friend showed up at my old office to help me load my car up. All of my worldly possessions in the office of the infamous ExcelLady and all of the files and work stuff that I have accumulated since April.
We loaded up my car and then it took us nearly 45 minutes to get to my apartment, traffic was horrible, but I kept telling myself it was the last time I was going to have to sit in that traffic.
This morning, I left my apartment at 7:38, I went thru Starbucks and got a GingerBread Latte and an Cranberry Oatmeal granola bar, and I still made it to work at 7:58. Since today was my first day at the new office I didn't have an access key card to get in, so I stood outside with two gentlemen who had a meeting in the same building until the receptionist finally showed up and heard us buzzing at the door.
I spent the first three hours this morning unloading my car, hooking up my computer and organizing my desk. I actually sat down to do a little work and then got to go eat lunch with a lady I work with. She used to work with me at the other office but for some reason I will never understand, she got to move over to this office when it opened in July and I had to wait thru the ExcelLady's SuperDuper PowerTrip until November before I was allowed to move.
It's 2:20, I guess I should pretend to get something done today, although I would rather just organize stuff for another 4 hours and then get to work tomorrow. Lets see how much I can think to blog about before I make that decision.
**Edited to Add ** Well I went ahead and came up with a post about my fun day last Saturday. Check it out below under November 5, 2005.
**As another attempt at procrastination... I have posted my notice of Medical Leave from school. Check out the post below under November 8, 2005.
Posted by FutureFoodTVStar at 02:21 PM | Comments (0)
November 08, 2005
Election Day
Ok. I voted. I have maintained my perfect record of voting in every election since I turned 18. Why? Why do I do it?
That is all.
Posted by FutureFoodTVStar at 10:21 PM | Comments (1)
Medical Leave
Some of you might have noticed that I haven't posted pictures from class lately. I missed two weeks of school with migraines and horrible pains in my side and my health issues have finally overtaken my insane attempt to continue to work fulltime and go to school. I have taken a medical leave from school for the rest of this quarter and next quarter.
I plan on returning to culinary school at the beginning of the spring quarter which starts the first week of April 2006. I have had a lot of people express their concern that I might not finish, but trust me... I have enough friends on my back about taking this break that if I don't go back in April I will have to join the Witness Protection Program.
So, what am I going to do during my 5 month break? I'm going to start going to the gym, I'm gonna start tanning, I'm going to start losing weight, I'm going to move out of my apartment and move to one in a complex that isn't run by Nazis and one that is totally unaffliated with my school and their retarded Housing Department and Director. I'm going to start saving money and maybe get a part time job. Yes I know that a part time job sounds a little contradictory to the entire "taking a break" scenario, but unlike school... a part time job does not send you home with 15+ hours per week of homework.
But most importantly, during this five month break... I'm going to get my health in order and take care of myself so that I can go back to school in April and finish with flying colors.
Posted by FutureFoodTVStar at 02:58 PM | Comments (1)
Thursday Is
MOVING DAY
Thursday I am moving offices and will no longer be working with or under the ExcelLady. The new office is also 10 miles closer to home, so once you figure in gasoline for 20 miles round trip per day... it's almost like getting a RAISE!
Posted by FutureFoodTVStar at 09:32 AM | Comments (0)
November 07, 2005
Bumper Sticker I Saw This Morning
Posted by FutureFoodTVStar at 07:30 AM | Comments (1)
November 05, 2005
Bridgestone Tires and Split Ears
Today was an interesting day. I got up early and took my car to the Saturn dealership. I had a coupon for a free oil change with an inspection. The oil change was about 3,000 miles overdue and my inspection sticker had run out 5 days ago. I got there and received some bad news, they wouldn't pass my car on the inspection unless I bought 3 new tires. UGH! Like I had the money for that.
CricketYank came and picked me up and we grabbed some breakfast and then spent most of the day apartment hunting. I am desperate to get out of my apartment and my lease is up at the end of December. After a good five hours of touring apartment complexes near my new office, we drove across town to go watch a Rugby game.
Needless to say, I had never seen a Rugby game before, and my friend had actually played Rugby while we were both at Baylor many moons ago. He spent most of the first 40-minute half trying to explain the game to me. One of the players had to quit playing for a while because he was bleeding. It looked like someone had tried to pull his ear off. It spilt right down the back just like Firestone tires do. Oops, that's comforting. While I'm sitting here watching this game, Saturn is putting 4 new Bridgestone-Firestone tires on my car.
It was a very interesting experience and I started understanding what was going on by about the time the game was over. The hardest part was the team that kept scoring was always running to the goal line on the opposite end of the field so I didn't get to see a whole lot.
After the Rugby game, we headed back to Saturn to pick up my car... complete with a new inspection sticker, brand new oil and 4 new big black tires. My car was also clean. That is one thing I can always say about Saturn, when you take your car in for service, they ALWAYS wash your car before they give it back to you. I know that doesn't sound like much, but it is nice to climb in a nice clean car knowing you didn't have to do it.
After a long day, I returned home and acted like a complete and total bum the rest of the evening. I took a nap and woke up with a migraine. This migraine continued on until Monday afternoon. This is the third week in a row that I have had a migraine hit me either Saturday evening or Sunday.
Posted by FutureFoodTVStar at 06:00 PM | Comments (0)
November 02, 2005
Happy Anniversary Nana and Peep!
SIXTY YEARS
Diamond Anniversary
November 2, 1945 - November 2, 2005
I'm glad my parents, aunt & cousin where able to be with you last night to celebrate. I miss yall so much and I cant wait until Thanksgiving when I can come see the two of you. I love you both so much.
Posted by FutureFoodTVStar at 03:52 PM | Comments (1)
November 01, 2005
At My Apartment Complex - They Give Out Tricks
Well, my first Halloween in Dallas was certainly an experience. The holiday started Saturday night when my next door neighbor and I joined a couple of my friends from college and we went to go watch the Halloween Parade on Oak Lawn. For those of you who do not know anything about Dallas, Texas... Oak Lawn is the predominantly ecclectic, artsy, theater, "lgb" section of Dallas.
Sunday, I went to the mall to meet up with Kami, LittleDallasK and Crazy Legs for lunch. We enjoyed a delicious lunch at La Madeleine and then I went home and worked on homework and cleaning up my apartment. Sunday night, I had a pain in my side... literally. It was on my lower left abdomen and it hurt so bad my next door neighbor nearly took me to the Emergency Room. Monday morning, it felt a little better but it didn't completely stop hurting until Wednesday.
Monday, Halloween 2005, I went to work and then went home for lunch and to change clothes for class. When I arrived home my neighbor came over and asked me to take him to the Emergency Room. All of a sudden my side started hurting again and I'm thinking this request was a little backwards. He sat down on my couch and told me that he felt weird, like something was in his system that he didn't put there.
While I was in class, he decided to have a few friends (and I use the word friends very lightly) over to have a Halloween Playstation 2 Tiger Woods 2005 Golf Tournament. Before he knew it there were a good dozen people in his apartment (including the junkie who didn't tell anyone about the dead body) and he started seeing colors and pink elephants. After sitting on my couch a few minutes he got up and using very colorful language told all the people to get the *@#% out of his apartment. He then came back and said ok, take me to the hospital.
About 9:45pm, on the way there he explained that he thought his drink had been spiked with something. The blood and urine tests run at the hospital confirmed his suspicion. The doctor said that a lot of people seem to think it is funny to lace people's drinks with drugs to watch them trip out and act crazy. I'm not sure what our world is coming to but that is in no means funny to me. So what was the golf tournament's drug of choice? LSD! What the heck?
While waiting in the Emergency Room, he kept asking me how many hands he had and why the wall was melting. Then he kept saying, "God you're pretty" and I knew right then he was tripping on something. They sent him home saying they couldn't do anything for him, he just had to wait it out.
We drove thru Whataburger to get him something to eat and by the time we got back to our complex it was after 1am.
You may recall my post on October 16th about the dead body that was found in an apartment around the corner. From what I heard she died of a heroin overdose and had been there for a week before she was found. Junkie and a few others knew she was there, but they just didn't say anything. So here you go.. Halloween. Reason # 6 of Why I Need To Move.
Posted by FutureFoodTVStar at 02:20 AM | Comments (3)
