Fri-yay

ei34

Woohoo. How’s everyone? Hope there are some nice weekend plans for all

ei34

I’m feeling a bit better. Boy Scout event this evening, and I’d invited my FIL over tomorrow but he’s being vague with when he’s coming, so I’m not sure if he actually will. Cleaning and cooking and some grading are the rest of my plans.

banana468

Happy Friday!

I'm a co-chaperone for a big camping event w/ Chiquita and her GS troop this weekend.  I'm packing up and hoping that I'm not going to have to do things like force all the girls I'm driving to keep luggage in their laps because hoo boy this is a lot of stuff when you have 11 people and 2 cars

We addressed an issue Chiquita's science teacher brought to our attention and she made a big turn.  That combined with her now on meds has been a big change that I find super positive and I hope it's in the right direction.  

Now I have to hope the weekend goes well and I get enough sleep to get by!

short+sassy

Very overdue for grocery shopping.  I should do it today, but will probably put it off until tomorrow.

It's been a rough week sleep-wise and I desperately need to catch up on that.

I don't usually bother mentioning it because it's an almost daily horror show.  But New Orleans drivers are the worst and most dangerous I have ever seen.  Yet another reason I want to leave this God forsaken place.

Today was extra special.  The downtown, not the freeway.  I don't even know where this car came from because he hadn't been behind me from the previous intersection.  We're about a block away from one of the busiest intersections in the city at the start of rush hour.  He pulls right up to my bumper.  Then angrily swerves around me and speeds up to about 50MPH in a 35.  The light has just turned red at the major intersection.  But he speeds across all 6 lanes anyway.  While I watch a bunch of cars starting to go through the intersection suddenly have to brake.

CharmedPam

What a jerk @short+sassy! 

Sounds like fun @banana468… if camping is what you like doing lol.  Glad Chiquita is doing well

I’m feeling out of sorts today.  Probably lack of sleep too.  I was SO tired at work yesterday but yet didn’t go to sleep until well after midnight.  Tonight I have a birthday party at top golf.  Golfing is not my thing, so hopefully I don’t have to do it and just hang with everybody.  I bought the birthday girl a beautiful charcuterie board from amazon.  Engraving would have only been $20 but I wouldn’t get it on time.  So I bought it plain and went to an engraver on Wednesday.  As we were unpacking it, a tray crashed to the floor and broke into 100’s of pieces so I have to get it re-ordered anyway. The way they packaged it was insane.  He said he normally charged $60 but would do it for $25, and if I wanted a particular design I’d have to print that out on pdf myself.  So I thought about it and maybe it was a good thing that happened because I’m just showing her a picture of it and having amazon engrave it with what she wants! I have nothing to present tonight but I like this avenue better. 

levioosa

This has not been my week. I have so many obligations this weekend and I just want to hermit away. I did tell H that I'm not going to see Beetlejuice with the family on Sunday. I'll hang out afterwards, but I literally hate Beetlejuice so. fucking. much. (Sorry, everyone who loves it). I remember hating it, but we rewatched the synopsis of the first movie the other day and it made me feel physically nauseous. I hate claymation, I don't care for Tim Burton's style, and it really just creeps me out. I was going to try to power through for the sake of a family event, but this week was awful and I thought, you know, this is a time where you don't have to make yourself uncomfortable. They can be offended, but no one is truly going to be hurt, and you're still going to see them after the movie. So I'm not going. Honestly I kind of want to just be home, but I can't keep seeing my family and skipping H's for events. 

Otherwise, SSDD. 

short+sassy

@banana468, I'm glad to hear Chiquita's new medication has been improving things!

@levioosa, I'm with you. I don't like Beetlejuice either.  I'm annoyed enough that I'm constantly seeing Beetlejuice references in their "sponsor's" commercials.  Like Progressive and McDonalds.  I am completely confused as to why an insurance company of all things is using this movie as an advertising platform.

short+sassy

I'm supposed to show my trainee a new task to do today.  I've been waiting for the last 90ish minutes for him to stop chewing ice for 5 freaking minutes to suggest that now is a good time.  But it's starting to get too late in the morning and I need to get this training started.  And hope he doesn't constantly chew ice while I'm sitting with him.  He doesn't usually, but there is no telling.

VarunaTT

I love Beetlejuice, but I can see why it would creep someone out.  I also love Coraline but I have to be in the right headspace to watch it and it still creeps me out.  I also do not understand the random Progressive tie-ins.

I'm supposed to see the Muppets tomorrow and get my covid/flu shots, but I think I'm going to hold off on the shots.  And probably the movie.  Because of losing Wednesday at work, I had to tell Mom to reschedule her covid shot which she had scheduled for Friday for some unknown reason.  Now we're just doing a walk in on Sunday.  Her next door neighbor got sick from his booster, so now she's worried.  I'm trying to be good natured about this, but well...I'm not good natured right now.  Yeah, the shot might make you sick, that's how vaccines work sometimes. WTF am I supposed to do about that?  Sometimes her paranoia is so exhausting.  I usually have more patience, but I'm so tired that it's hard.  She had herself so freaked out by the first vaccine that she put herself into shock afterwards.

Otherwise, SSDD.  Work is okay.  I'm behind because of missing Wednesday and just being slow from being tired.  The most annoying part is that the virtual machine has been so slow that it's hard to work in the first place.  I can't wait for the new cloud based system.

levioosa

@VarunaTT I hear you on the exhaustion. H refuses to take any medication for the first time without me being present, then he freaks out before he takes it, and freaks out after he takes it before he realizes that oh, it's actually fine. He addressed this in therapy and it helped, but it's still honestly way over the top. The whole "the vaccine made me sick!" argument drives me up a friggen wall. Yeah, that's actually a sign of good immune response to the vaccine. The point of vaccines is not just to decrease risk of illness, it's also to decrease severity.  Would you rather be in the ICU on a vent? Or lose your vision and have lifelong pain because of Shingles? No? Then get your vaccine on a low impact weekend in case you feel crappy and take a Tylenol and rest if needed. 

Sorry for the rant. It's flu/vaccine season and everyone is so dramatic when they decline the vaccine. Just say "no thank you." Jesus. I don't need an angry dissertation on why you're saying no. 

MyNameIsNot

I'm wiped out today too. Work has just been a zoo and I've stayed out too late almost every night this week. Luckily we have a low key weekend planned. Tonight we might go to happy hour, but then come back home to cook and maybe a movie. Tomorrow long run in the morning, errands and then games. I don't even know on Sunday. It's hot again, so maybe take the paddleboards out one last time. I should probably clean all our water stuff and pack it up for the season on Sunday. 

What I would like is a martini for lunch, but that seems irresponsible. 

VarunaTT

levioosa said:

@VarunaTT I hear you on the exhaustion. H refuses to take any medication for the first time without me being present, then he freaks out before he takes it, and freaks out after he takes it before he realizes that oh, it's actually fine. He addressed this in therapy and it helped, but it's still honestly way over the top. The whole "the vaccine made me sick!" argument drives me up a friggen wall. Yeah, that's actually a sign of good immune response to the vaccine. The point of vaccines is not just to decrease risk of illness, it's also to decrease severity.  Would you rather be in the ICU on a vent? Or lose your vision and have lifelong pain because of Shingles? No? Then get your vaccine on a low impact weekend in case you feel crappy and take a Tylenol and rest if needed. 

Sorry for the rant. It's flu/vaccine season and everyone is so dramatic when they decline the vaccine. Just say "no thank you." Jesus. I don't need an angry dissertation on why you're saying no. 

I've talked about it with her.  This is a woman who has always advocated for vaccines -- she was one of the kids that almost died from measles.  She was just lucky to live in an area that had a doctor who knew how to carve into her skull to save her from measles induced encephalitis.  When we talked about her fears, she pointed she was also in a time frame that vaccines and medical care could be dangerous too.  But she takes it way overboard.  She supposedly has all these allergies.  I suspect she does have some, not as many as she thinks, not as badly as she thinks, a lot are normal reactions, and she just wigs herself out so badly she makes them worse.  So, I try to be understanding.  I'm just in a poopy mood.

Casadena

G had his flu vaccine a couple days ago and came home holding his arm and *limping* because of the shot, lol. I shouldn't joke, given all the medical trauma he's been through. But it is pretty comical when it's obvious he feels fine, but "can't" take off his shoes, or sit at the dinner table, or walk down the stairs because he has a bandaid on his arm. N goes in for tonsils Monday morning and will be home for a couple weeks. Fingers crossed all goes well. 

New job is good and SO MUCH INFORMATION. I'm very excited and think i'm really going to like it, but wow I had no idea there was so much daily stuff to learn. I'm only 4.5 days in and i've never had more daily emails in my 15 year career. I need to figure out a system for managing that bc it already feels overwhelming at the start of every day!

Golf lessons and 2 birthday parties tomorrow, absolutely nothing Sunday maybe a free fall fest nearby if we feel like it, but no concrete plans. Hope everyone has a good one!

short+sassy

levioosa said:

@VarunaTT I hear you on the exhaustion. H refuses to take any medication for the first time without me being present, then he freaks out before he takes it, and freaks out after he takes it before he realizes that oh, it's actually fine. He addressed this in therapy and it helped, but it's still honestly way over the top. The whole "the vaccine made me sick!" argument drives me up a friggen wall. Yeah, that's actually a sign of good immune response to the vaccine. The point of vaccines is not just to decrease risk of illness, it's also to decrease severity.  Would you rather be in the ICU on a vent? Or lose your vision and have lifelong pain because of Shingles? No? Then get your vaccine on a low impact weekend in case you feel crappy and take a Tylenol and rest if needed. 

Sorry for the rant. It's flu/vaccine season and everyone is so dramatic when they decline the vaccine. Just say "no thank you." Jesus. I don't need an angry dissertation on why you're saying no. 

This was before COVID, but I still remember such a weird interaction with a grocery store security guard.  It wasn't my usual store, but the same chain.  I asked the security guard at the front door where the pharmacy is located and mentioned I wanted a flu shot.  He told me their particular store didn't have a pharmacy, but added I shouldn't get a flu shot.  In my utter shock, I asked him why.  He said because they inject you with the flu virus.

With a blatant side-eye and dead pan tone I said, "Yes. That is how vaccines work.  But it's a dead/inactive virus.  My doctor highly recommends I get a flu shot, so I think I'm going to listen to him."  Then turned and left.

----

This is the other circular logic I hear sometimes.  Including from my close friend.  She is a huge proponent of other vaccines, but is very anti-flu shots for reasons I don't understand.

When the subject comes up, she'll ask, "But have you ever gotten the flu?"  To which I say I haven't.  Then she'll say, "See? You don't need it."  I will then point out the obvious.  That maybe I've never gotten the flu because I take a flu shot every year.  But she insists they are harmful and not necessary.

To be fair, her doctor has told her it would be very dangerous for HER to get a flu shot.  I don't remember the specific reason why.  And she does understand this is advice for her specifically and not for everybody.    But then when I tell her, "Absolutely!  You should never get a flu shot if your doctor has told you not to.  But my doctor highly recommends it because I have diabetes and nothing contraindicative for taking the shot."  Yet, then she doesn't respect that I am also following my doctor's advice.

ILoveBeachMusic

Hope all goes well for N and his tonsils @Casadena. Little ones bounce back pretty quickly from that. Glad the job is going well if a bit overwhelming.

H and I will be getting our flu/covid shots in another week or two. We usually wait until October so the six month effective period extends into the April spring break spike (that is what our doctor recommends).

The end of the week was super busy (socially) for me. Out for lunch and dinner two days in a row. So I'm ready for some home time. We are leaving for Chicago again to help out with the kids - the nanny is on vacation this week. I'm storing up some down time lol. Actually with the twins in school and the youngest in preschool it isn't quite as strenuous as it was. Of course, they are always excited when we are coming up for a visit. DD and I are actually going to have some DD/mom time while GS3 is at preschool one morning. That will be nice because it doesn't happen often.

banana468

I mean - the other reason is so that you don't get OTHER people sick.   I get the flu shot to keep myself healthy and also to avoid getting other people sick!  

This is how living as a community works.  I loved that the rule in daycares was that the flu shot was required to attend and FWIW in public places I'm not a fan of religious exemptions.   If you are going to be out as a collective member of the public then you stick to the recommendations for public health.  Personal choice allows you to exist in your bubble.  When you invade mine it stops. 

VarunaTT

I never minded religious exemptions because we were able to keep herd immunity even with them.  But then people started to abuse then to get out of the vaccines.  Again, my grandmother almost died as a child with the measles.  People have just forgotten how dangerous it used to be and the work that has to go into keeping the danger away.  I remember my primary telling me I needed an updated vaccine on something and she launched into a prepared speech.  I listened for a moment, then realized what as happening.  I interrupted her and said, You don't have to convince me.  If I need an updated vaccine, I'll do it.  She just said, Oh thank goodness, and went on with the appointment.

ILoveBeachMusic

Yes it's called collective amnesia. I hate it when people say oh I had measles/mumps (fill in the blank) as a child and am fine. Well good for you. There are lots of people who can't say the same - they either died or have lifelong side effects such as hearing loss, heart problems among other things. And by the way you can't determine who will have those side effects so get the damn vaccine. When I was working in an elementary school there was a student who had whooping cough. He missed almost an entire year of school! I don't know about his vaccine status but I would bet he wasn't vaccinated and this was at a time when whooping cough was on the up tick.  My father told me he remembered kids dying of it when he was a child so he considered the vaccine a God send. 

short+sassy

ILoveBeachMusic said:

Yes it's called collective amnesia. I hate it when people say oh I had measles/mumps (fill in the blank) as a child and am fine. Well good for you. There are lots of people who can't say the same - they either died or have lifelong side effects such as hearing loss, heart problems among other things. And by the way you can't determine who will have those side effects so get the damn vaccine. When I was working in an elementary school there was a student who had whooping cough. He missed almost an entire year of school! I don't know about his vaccine status but I would bet he wasn't vaccinated and this was at a time when whooping cough was on the up tick.  My father told me he remembered kids dying of it when he was a child so he considered the vaccine a God send. 

I had two coworkers I used to work closely with.  They are both old enough to remember when the polio vaccine first came on the scene.  At first, the vaccines were given out en masse at schools.  They both remember waiting in line for hours with their mom to get it.  One of them remembered a boy in his 4th grade class who developed polio* and never came back to school.

That same coworker caught measles (I think) when he was 12 because there wasn't a vaccine yet.  He spent all of 7th grade in the hospital.  But said teachers would come to the hospital.  Long-term stay kids like him would be lumped together with other kids within 1-2 grade levels of each other, so they didn't fall backwards in school.

*I read a fascinating article about two of the last polio victims alive in the US who still need an iron lung when they sleep.  It's terrifying stuff because iron lungs and their parts stopped being made decades ago.  One of them had a necessary part start to fail and the only place he could find one was a MUSEUM that had his type of iron lung on display.  They took the part he needed out of their display and sent it to him.

banana468

Odd story: DH and I were watching a documentary on Disney and the composers responsible for so many of the major motion picture hits 60 years ago.

The song 'A Spoonful of Sugar' from Mary Poppins started off when a son told his father how the Polio Vaccine (administered in school) was not a problem to take because they gave it to him with a sugar cube.    The rest is history in a most delightful way. 

ILoveBeachMusic

banana468 said:

Odd story: DH and I were watching a documentary on Disney and the composers responsible for so many of the major motion picture hits 60 years ago.

The song 'A Spoonful of Sugar' from Mary Poppins started off when a son told his father how the Polio Vaccine (administered in school) was not a problem to take because they gave it to him with a sugar cube.    The rest is history in a most delightful way. 

Yep I remember getting the polio vaccine on a sugar cube that was given to us in a paper cup. This would have been right around the time of Mary Poppins (1965). I think I have heard that story about the song before.