You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion
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Watcha Doin' - 2016.1
Breathing and relaxing is so important! Good post, Jmom.
jaxnsmom wrote: "I really hope you can go early Janice, you need some time away from the mess, a physical and emotional break. Mine was mostly outside, so it was a lot easier to deal with than what you're going thr..."I had one client get a little pissy, but when he learned of my circumstances, and that in spite of it I had filed his GST on time and that he hadn't missed the deadline, he relented. He thought he'd missed the deadline so was giving me the "in future..." line.
Physically... Headaches and my asthma has flared as a result of the drywall mud, dust and paint fumes.
I'm getting a little klutzy. I was changing a light bulb in the bathroom and fell. I have a huge bruise on my thigh as a result. My wrist was sore for a couple of days, but it has healed. Then, the other day, I was in the bathroom getting ready for bed. I filled my glass with water then knocked the glass on the edge of the sink. Ice cold water all down my chest had me gasping for air, and shaking my head. I must focus more and do things with intention.
How are you doing with your upheaval, j'mom?
I've been awol from GR for a couple of weeks. I'm in "hurry up and wait mode" at work right now so I thought I would check in. I'm sorry you are both having such issues with getting all of the repairs finished at your homes, J'mom and Janice. Best wishes that things start improving soon!
I hope everyone that has been sickly is continuing to feel better as well.
@Joan, I was wondering if you were still planning your trip south. Everything is lush and green here and the wildflowers are blooming. It is beautiful, but bring allergy meds! LOL. I don't know a lot of recs for Arkansas. Hot Springs, AR is supposed to be beautiful, but I've never been. There is also a place where you can go and mine for diamonds that I've always wanted to try but haven't gotten to yet. I think it is called Crater of Diamonds Park.
In Mississippi, you have to go to the Tishomingo State Park. It is right off of the Natchez trace and is often cited as being one of the best places to visit in MS. If you aren't interested in walking any of the trails, you at least have to go across the Swinging Bridge.
If you are interested in the Civil War, check out Brices Cross Roads.
You can tour Rowan Oak, William Faulkner's home in Oxford.
In Tupelo, there's Elvis Presley's birthplace, the Buffalo Park, and an Automobile Museum. That's all I can think of right now, but I'm sure there is more.
Oh, and I was going to warn you, there is road work on the Natchez Trace for about 15-20 miles just north/east of Tupelo. They have been working on small sections and the longest I've had to wait has been less than 10 minutes, so not too bad.
Janice wrote: "I learned yesterday that the carpet is going in tomorrow. Then, I can start moving my stuff back in. I haven't ordered the desk yet (waiting on authorization from insurance) and that's 7 days deliv..."Good news! Hope the carpeting is going well today!
I am in Key West for a couple of days for our anniversary. It's very nice, but not going exactly as planned. We flew in Monday and didn't do much but relax (which was needed!). Yesterday, we had a great time kayaking, but I got overheated and ended up with a migraine. We went on our sunset cruise, which we had already payed for, but I was uncomfortable the whole time.
Woke up today, happy that the migraine was pretty much gone (they usually last several days!), but now it is supposed to rain with thunder storms, so our outdoor plans have been cancelled and we are flying home tomorrow so we can't reschedule.
Hmmm. Today is our anniversary...not sure what we are planning to do. It seems a bit of a waste to stay in the hotel room all day, even if I do get to read, which might not be a really nice anniversary for my husband anyway.
Almeta wrote: "May the fourth be with you!☺"Thanks, Almeta! You too. :)
KIMMEYDIANE Thanks, I appreciate the hints. We've added the Natl park, auto museum maybe and my sister-in-law is thrilled about a stop for Elvis...I only knew about Graceland.
AMERICAN DEEP SOUTH? I'm taking guests from England to Mississippi and South Carolina, they want to see "the real deep south" and I'm not sure what they mean. All I know I learned feom "Designing Women"!
Hmm.. I think "Deep South" could be interpreted differently for each person based on the diversity of your group. I hope you experience lots of wonderful "Southern Hospitality" while you are in the region!If you have an Elvis fan, you have to make a stop in Tupelo. They are very proud of the fact that he was born there! In downtown there is a life size statue of a Elvis and most everywhere you go there are references to him. The business (Tupelo Hardware) where he bought his very first guitar is still in business and I believe gets a lot of Elvis-tourism. Johnnie's Drive In is a tiny little restaurant located near his home that he frequented during his life and has lots of memorabilia. A lot of people really like the food there, but I'm not crazy about it.
Thinking of Johnnie's reminded me, don't be alarmed if you see "Slug Burger" on a sign or a menu while in MS. It is not a burger made from slugs. I think Johnnie's calls them dough-burgers, but they are the same thing. The slugburger came about during the depression and meat shortages. As far as the name that I have never understood until now, Google tells me: "Named, ostensibly, for a time when the burger variation cost only a nickel (aka a “slug”), a slugburger is a combination of pebble-sized ground beef and a thick starch—usually soybean flour or cornmeal—that is formed into a patty and deep-fried until golden brown."
Janice, I'm so glad you're on the other side of Alberta than Fort McMurray! I hope none of our members are being affected by the fires.Slow down and be very conscious of what you are doing. When I'm stressing badly I run into things, break things, spill liquids - in other words I make things worse. It sounds like your mind is split in too many directions and can't focus. Again, slow down, breathe, and think through what you're doing - especially the 'simple' things. We don't want to hear of you hurting yourself.
We've had rain every day since Saturday, and probably will have more through the rest of the week. The temporary patch on the roof is holding up. I just got an estimate and have to send it to my insurance guy.
Callie is improved. No more throwing up, and her bark is a little louder. Today she's having chicken, green beans, and carrots (while I had a ham sandwich for lunch). Tomorrow's menu includes chicken tenders and sweet potatoes. She's eating more balanced meals than I am, I don't know why we're not sharing :~D
Happy Anniversary, Kristie. Sorry things aren't going as planned though. I hope you still had a nice day despite the rain. Jmom, glad to hear that Callie is improving. It sounds like she is being treated like a queen...as she should be. :)
Almeta wrote: "May the fourth be with you!☺";-)))))
Yay! So happy to hear Callie is doing better ❤️
Tasha wrote: "Happy Anniversary, Kristie. Sorry things aren't going as planned though. I hope you still had a nice day despite the rain. "Thanks, Tasha! We're still having a great time. Besides, it gives us a reason to come back, since we will need to complete the activities at a later date. ;)
jaxnsmom wrote: "Janice, I'm so glad you're on the other side of Alberta than Fort McMurray! I hope none of our members are being affected by the fires.Slow down and be very conscious of what you are doing. When ..."
The carpet is in. They just need to install the baseboard and clean up after themselves (if they will). What a mess! Looks like someone was in a barn with the straw tramped around.
It's really tragic what has happened in Fort McMurray. One of my friends who used to live there posted pictures of her old neighborhood. It's nothing but charred rubble. Another friend's husband works at the oil sands and they are trying to evacuate the staff via a small runway. There's only one road out of Ft Mac, and it looked like pandemonium on the highway. 80,000 people trying to get out with flames and heavy smoke accompanying them. Very scary! I feel so bad for them all. My problem is nothing in comparison to all those people losing their homes to wildfire. The last report I saw was that 1600 homes were lost.
Happy Anniversary Kristie! A return trip sounds like a plan ;-)I am so pleased to hear Callie is doing better J'mom. And yes - you should be sharing meals! Best fed dog there :-)
And it's great to hear you have the carpet in Janice. Progress!
I hadn't heard of the fire but it does sound incredibly scary. Wildfires are so destructive. We're very lucky to not have anything like that here.
Not much has been happening for me - just working and doing stuff on the boat. Been out with some friends and met some new people and that's about it. I'm loving where we are moored at the moment. It's so open and you can see across the fields. This last week we've had some cracking sunsets. Here are just a couple for you guys to see. Apparently we're due warmer weather this weekend - 22C which is basically summer! Considering I woke up to a frost yesterday it seems a bit crazy.
Thank you, Sarah. :) You're pictures are gorgeous!
Your pictures are lovely, Sarah!
Absolutely gorgeous, Sarah! Thanks for sharing! I'm feeling anxious today. I have to finish my monthly financials at work this morning (it's already after 9am) and I'm still waiting on some information from one of my bosses. It is one thing to be pushed up against a deadline when it is within my control, but I hate having to wait on someone else, it drives me crazy. Plus I've been procrastinating at home this week. We are going to Atlanta tomorrow night for a concert and I have to get everything ready for leaving the dogs overnight, get packed, and a bunch of other little things that add up to a lot. That is 100% my fault for procrastinating, but now I have myself stressed. I don't know why I do this. It'll be okay though. If I have to stay up late tonight, I can always sleep on the 4 hour drive to ATL tomorrow evening. I'm super excited about the concert and going to the aquarium Saturday.
Wow, beautiful Sarah!!Being dependent on someone else to get something done before a deadline stresses me out too KimeyDiann. Which concert are you going to?
That does sound stressful Kimey. Hopefully, the weekend will be enjoyable and you'll come back refreshed and de-stressed.
I have spent the morning dealing with my insurance and writing a letter to my landlord detailing the inconvenience and asking for a refund on my rent since I've had little use and zero enjoyment of my home.I just about lost it this morning. I went into my office to get something out of the closest, only to find the plastic wrap for the carpet scrunched up and shoved inside. The lazy B***'s couldn't even remove their garbage - had to hide it in my closet! When I talked to the office to ask when they were going to finish up (baseboards, screen, and tidy up), I gave her an earful about it. Then when the maintenance guy came about the baseboards he got a earful of it too. Funny what will break the straw, isn't it?
I should be able to start moving stuff back in today (time permitting). I'm ordering the desk suite today. The other things (chair, chair mat, keyboard, calculator, power bar) will be purchased locally this weekend.
And in the meantime, I'm getting woefully behind in my work. ACK!
Sarah - now I really want to vacation on a narrowboat, I bet that would be a great trip!KimeyD - hope your boss came through. I'm a perfectionist at procrastination, so I know how that happens. I hope you have a wonderful weekend and can relax and enjoy yourself.
Janice - it sounds like the end is in sight, thank goodness.
My room is finished. But it will be Saturday at the earliest before I can start moving things back in. I've ordered the new desk (finally), and it's going to be a couple of weeks delivery. I'm getting there.
That's great, Janice. I think this part would be kind of pleasant, re arranging all everything inside. We'll want pics when you are done!
I want to do some purging throughout my apartment. When I moved in 4 years ago, I brought the bare minimum. It's amazing how much junk I've accumulated since.
jaxnsmom wrote: "Sarah - now I really want to vacation on a narrowboat, I bet that would be a great trip!"If you ever get a chance, I highly recommend it! There are a lot of people holidaying on the canals at the moment. It starts getting busy around Easter and it will stay like it until September now. It's a great way to see the countryside and cities too as you see everything from a different perspective, a slower pace too.
Great to hear you're room is finished (minus the desk) Janice! You must be relieved.
@Peggy, we are going to see PopEvil, Disturbed, and Rob Zombie. I think I'm most excited to see Disturbed. I finally got everything finished at work yesterday. The bosses finally called me into the meeting with them so I could be included in the discussions. After I met with them and ran from my office to them back and forth about a dozen times, things came together smoothly. I think I have everything packed for our overnight getaway, now I'm just ready to get on the road! Actually, I'm shutting down my computer right now and heading home to get my husband and our friends to do just that. Fingers crossed that we don't get stuck in Friday afternoon traffic in Atlanta!
Janice wrote: "I want to do some purging throughout my apartment. When I moved in 4 years ago, I brought the bare minimum. It's amazing how much junk I've accumulated since."It really is amazing how quickly the junk collects, isn't it? I have to do this again soon too.
Sarah wrote: "Great to hear you're room is finished (minus the desk) Janice! You must be relieved. .."Yes, but I need help moving my furniture back in and I'm waiting for my son and his family for when they have time. Until then, my living conditions haven't changed.
They have a funeral to go to today. My grandson said he'd come in, but I'm not sure how much heavy lifting I can do (those days are gone). I asked about tomorrow but haven't heard anything back. My son has days off on Monday, but I'm not available. LOL! Tuesday?
Ah I see. Yes wait for assistance definitely. Fingers crossed for Tuesday! :-)
Sarah wrote: "Ah I see. Yes wait for assistance definitely. Fingers crossed for Tuesday! :-)"My grandson just texted and he's coming into town to pick up flowers, a card, and some groceries for his mother. He's going to help me move some of the things back. He's such a good kid! I'm really grateful for him.
That's great, Janice! You'll feel so much better once things start getting put away.
When Tyler gets here, I think we'll make a quick trip to Costco before we start moving stuff. I have to pick up a new chair and chair mat. I wasn't sure I could get that bulk into my car, but he has a truck. He doesn't realize how much of a life saver he is.
That's great, Janice. Even part of the work done will help make you feel better.
We've got the bulk of it done. My new chair is great! Ty set up my computer on a table in my office temporarily until the new desk comes in. I'm good to start working in there.The place looks like a tornado hit it, but it looks better than it did with the piled up furniture. I can see the rug in my living room! I can walk around my bed now!
I'm going to take him to Boston Pizza for ribs, and maybe a movie if it's okay with his mom. When he was little, he loved the Jungle Book. We're going to go see the latest greatest.
It's great to hear that things are moving along for you, Janice. :)We saw The Jungle Book a couple of weeks ago and it was really good.
So glad to hear Janice! Must be a huge relief. And good on Tyler for helping you out :DSorry been a bit awol this weekend. Rebuilt and cleared my whole veggie patch yesterday, with plans for planting it all today. However it poured with rain all day (Yes! Hasn't rained since my brother's wedding on the 11 March), but Mother's Day today so we ended up doing lots of mothery things instead.
Can I have a weekend to recover from my weekend? And I still have a whole heap of seedlings on my kitchen bench I need to plant...
Weekends to recover from weekends are a great idea. Same things with vacations to recover from vacations.
I've been saying that too Sandra, but that hasn't gone down too well at work after having nearly 5 weeks off. It's just earnt me murderous looks.
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms on here. :) I hope you're all having a wonderful day.
Rusalka wrote: "I've been saying that too Sandra, but that hasn't gone down too well at work after having nearly 5 weeks off. It's just earnt me murderous looks."Uncomprehending people...
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You'll love this one...!! A book club & more
Books mentioned in this topic
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Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors (other topics)
The Zahir (other topics)
The Zahir (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Daniel O'Malley (other topics)Daniel O'Malley (other topics)
Tara Moss (other topics)
Jasper Fforde (other topics)
William Faulkner (other topics)
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How are you doing physically? Stress can cause so many reactions in our body. I hope you're able to take some time to focus on breathing and relaxing.