Seven.Caged.Tigers

So my husband has a head injury. That statement may not seem funny on the surface, but I get some morbid humor out of the situation.

We spent the weekend in the very northern part of Michigan’s lower peninsula. It’s our annual ski weekend where we rent a big ol’ house and have a good time. Jeremy, of course, snowboards. He’s pretty okay at it and has been doing it for nearly a decade. He’s had his fair share of bumps and bruises in that time (including a vaguely painful knee) but hasn’t ever done anything dumb enough to really hurt himself.

In any case, he and our friends were all at Boyne Highlands. The day was over and they decided to squeeze in one last run before the hill shut down prior to night skiing. Jeremy and his friend Sean were (as near as I can tell) the only two human beings on the whole hill. They chose a black diamond (remember, these are Michigan quality and not Colorado or Montana quality hills). In any case, they headed down.

Now, the first thing that you need to know about my hubby is that he doesn’t do anything half-assed. In fact, he basically does everything quickly. In the middle of this run, he managed to collide with the only obstacle–Sean. The details are fuzzy, but when another friend (Jim) showed up Jeremy was out cold with Sean cradling his head. Jeremy’s last memory prior to the “incident” (as its now known) is thinking that “Sean is going to be mad at me, he hates it when I get this close.” Sean said he was breathing fine and stuff and that his lips were moving. Okay. Whatever. The ski patrol wasn’t far off so they were at the scene of “the accident” within minutes.

Jeremy remember very little of the event, but he does recall refusing a trip down in the sled because he didn’t want to fill out a whole bunch of paperwork (okay?). He doesn’t recall walking the distance to the snowmobile nor does he remember the trip down on the back while he held his snowboard. He was eventually diagnosed with a mild concussion–mostly I think because he knocked himself out and because of the amnesia. He says his jaw hurts and to me he seems a little more “chilled out” than usual. His head also hurts now and again. However, he did come out of the accident sans bruises. Impressive, eh?

Aside from that, the weekend was pretty uneventful. I barely even left the rental house and I was in charge of cooking dinner (the HORROR!) for 15 brave souls. They were very impressed with my chili. The secret ingredient(s)? No clue…but it has to have something to do with the fresh jalapenos and freshly ground red pepper. On the way back down state, we stopped at an outlet where I just HAD to go baby shopping. I’ve done no shopping at all and the allure of Carters and Gap outlets was a bit too overpowering. Alas, the kid will be the best dressed in the neighborhood at this rate.

This is by far the strangest January ever to hit Michigan. We are used to weird weather–it could be bright and sunny and 65 degrees one day and there may be a blizzard the next followed by a thunderstorm the next. This January we’ve hand thunderstorms, blizzards, ice storms, and nearly 60 degree weather. There’s a saying in my state, “if you don’t like the weather, wait a few minutes.” Or something like that.

Last night I had a splitting, face shattering headache. It may have been a migraine but I’m not an expert in such matters so I can’t say for sure. In any case, it came on right when I got home at 5:30pm. I didn’t have a stressful drive or anything. I thought to myself, “well, maybe I need food.” I ate and it got worse. Then I thought, “well maybe I need sugar.” I drank a Sierra Mist and ate two peanut butter Oreos and it got worse. Unfortuantely there is very little I can do to treat such maladies. Basically, my option is Tylenol and sleep. I took two tablets and went to bed. When I woke up this morning I still didn’t feel quite right. In fact now closing in on lunch time, my head is still fuzzy. I have no idea what the issue was–it happened so acutely it can’t be the flu or sinuses. I even thought it could by my blood pressure. I pulled out my handy dandy monitor machine and took my BP. It was high (as always) but only about 10 points more than normal. I figured that my BP wasn’t to blame–it was only elevated a little which was probably due to the fact I was in pain.

Yes. I said pain. Fortunately, I also slept like a baby last night. Had I tossed and turned I may have had to call in sick to work today. I’ve been a VERY good girl in the last five or six or seven months. I think I’ve called in once or twice which is pretty good considering what I’ve been going through in that time.

I really am looking forward to this weekend. Actually to be more specific, on Saturday JT and I have a co-ed BYOB baby shower to attend. It’s the third of its kind among our college group of friends. It should be a great time as I love, love, love hanging out with those folks. They are easy going and bring back positive memories of the “old days” in the Sault.

Aside from that, I’m thinking I have to make some more vaguely (un)necessary trips to Target, Gap, and maybe Old Navy. I’ve got the shopping bug. My husband is certainly begining to quiver in his Doc Martens. Speaking of Dr. Martens, I do believe I will be buying another pair. The only pair of shoes that fits well and has room to grow in my dear, lovely pair of Docs. I want to buy the same thing but in black. Shoe shopping sucks…only because I feel a little dirty after finishing.

Speaking of feeling dirty, I also have an urge/need to buy some lovely soap from BerrySweetStuff. I’ve been shopping with her for four or so years and love her goat’s milk products. Plus, her lotion is outstanding. It’s been over a year since I last ordered. I’m sure she’s wondering where I’ve gone. Yeah, I need to get my fix of Lemon Creme, Amber Musk, Tangerine Jasmine, and Gardenia among others. Plus, I just noticed she has created something called Grape Soda. That, my friends, is most certainly excellent.

Fox launched the fifth season of American Idol last night. As has become the tradition, the first few episodes are dedicated to the incredibly crappy performances that Paula, Randy, and Simon must endure. Watching people “sing” made me wonder a few things:

1. Were these kids told they were excellent at everything by their parents?
2. Did the so-called performers not listen to their actually decent competition practicing?
3. Are they deaf?
4. Are they truly and completely unrealistic, glass-half-full types?

There are so many things to ponder about American Idol. What I was pleased to see, however, was that with Bo from last season getting so far there are some “rockers.” Now I wouldn’t precisely call them rock and roll sorts exclusively. Those types of guys and gals laugh in the face of Idol. That said, if the show is to truly represent all kinds of American music and all populations, it is necessary to include them also. Bo made watching AI last season so much more entertaining, especially in light of the continued stringing along of Anthony Federov who quite simply sucked. I can’t wait for this evening’s festivities.

First of all, I thank EVERYBODY for your well wishes. I can’t wait for Cheryl and Robin’s shipment(s) of monkeys. I promise not to clutter my entire blog up with baby talk, but for now it’s the most interesting thing in my life. Not that anybody should be surprised. In any case, JT and I (with the help of my parents) ordered all the begging and accessories for the nursery. We’re going with a jungle theme that’s primarily tan and mossy green. Once we get that in, we can take a piece to Home Depot and pick out two colors of paint and get planning on installing new neutral carpeting (note NEUTRAL not PINK). This whole baby thing is exciting. If you really want to take a look, here you go. It’s called Zanzibar.

Now that I’ve lost approximately 3/4 of my reading audience….

I’ve done the unthinkable. I’ve purchased a brand new video game, Dragon Quest VIII. I needed SOMETHING to do. My body is hurting enough that it is laughable to even think of exercise. Walking too is out of the question since, well, I live in Michigan. So far at two hours into it, it’s a joy. I also put my name on the waiting lists for both Kingdom Hearts 2 and Final Fantasy 12. Yes, I am a nerd. Don’t get it wrong. What really sucks is that all these oustanding games are coming out in the months prior to the PS3. Not that I’ll get one right away, but I figure I’ll get one within six months or so of its release. Oh well.

As for my reading, I’m stuck. I just finished up F. Paul Wilson’s most recent Repairman Jack book “Infernal.” It was fabulous as always. For those of you who like mystery books with a dash of horror or sci-fi, I highly recommend picking up on the series. Start with The Tomb and work forward. You won’t be disappointed. I’ve also read that there is a new one coming out this year titled The Last Rakosh. I look forward to that one also. As for what I’m reading now, I’m clueless. I’ve got like 10 books on my headboard. Maybe I’ll pick up The Manitou by Graham Masterson. Who knows, though. I also just treated myself to a VERY COOL and VERY LIMITED illustrated edition of six Stephen King short stories. I figured it was an investment of sorts since there will only be 5,000 copies in the whole world. I now own one (or will once it is released and shipped to my home).

After much trouble and after much strife, Jeremy and I are are finally pregnant. I’ve waited this long to announce it in cyberspace because I wanted to make sure that family and friends all knew. We are 19 weeks and it’s a boy (as per an ultrasound on Tuesday). I’m due on June 8. Since we’re letting the cat out of the bag with the gender we’re going to keep the name secret. That said, I will admit that we’ve only begun to think about names. Jeremy wouldn’t consider any until we knew what we were having. We’ve also not registered yet, but I’ll let ya’ll know when we do so we can get presents. We like presents.

So far, everything is going well. I’m seeing an excellent high risk doctor (who, by the way, birthed the Engler triplets…not that I’m bragging there) who is confident that all is well. I’m gaining weight, the baby is looking good, and the only complication appears to be my blood pressure. It’s not because of pregnancy, rather it is a side-effect of missing a kidney. My body doesn’t regulate BP as well. That aside, at my OB appointment this past Wednesday he said “keep doing what you’re doing because it’s working.”

I didn’t have any morning sickness, haven’t had heartburn, but am incredibly tired. My butt hurts, my back hurts, and my belly is getting huge. I’ve had a very fortunate and uncomplicated pregnancy thus far. Considering how long it took to get to this point and what procedures and surgeries and tests we had to endure, I feel like we deserve it. That’s right…we’re going to be parents within FIVE MONTHS! Woot!

I just got the best news ever. Target is opening its doors in two months–just a MILE away from my humble abode. It’s not like I couldn’t drive another 7 miles to get to another Target (please note the French pronunciation–Tar-jay), but still it’s a great store to have within such close proximity. It may also be dangerous but that’s another issue entirely.

Soon here I will be investing in my 60GB video iPod. I want it in black because black is cool. I’m thinking of buying it from the Apple store, but we’ll see how patient I end up being. I will have to actually wait for delivery, then again engraving is free. What better than the coolest gadget out there having my name on it? I can’t think of anything.

By the way, my sister dug up a photo of my family that I didn’t recognize. I think it’s from this past summer at a family reunion I didn’t attend (for my own, selfish, and entirely reasonable reasons). This is a group of my cousins, second cousins, aunts, and father (the big scary looking fellow in the back row). Enjoy…and be very afraid. You screw with me and you screw with this terrifyingly white-bread fam.

It may be a bit late to be writing my first entry of the year, but I am. So deal. I’m still on vacation (until Thursday) and I’m busy doing nothing much at all. There’s a little cleaning here and there and a little laundry too but I’m not doing any real rushing around.

Thanks to my dear sister, I’ve been spending many hours watching old episodes of the outstanding show Popular. She and her hubby got me the first season for Christmas along with a much-needed CD. The show is just as entertaining and hilarious as I remember. It’s like high school on crack.

Happy new year!