Thunder of Wade

Category: Uncategorized Page 87 of 158

washing machine

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On June 15, 2010

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The sound of the air handling system here at work has changed from what it usually sounds like – which is generally the sound of overworked fans. Now, it sounds like my washing machine at home, during the final spin. I keep expecting at any moment it will stop and a loud beeping sound will be heard – signaling that my clothes are done.

The level of constant anticipation is starting to get to me. Though if it finally beeps I don’t know where my clean and damp clothes are going to end up. Or where I’m going to dry them.

No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die.

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On June 15, 2010

In Uncategorized

Two stories.

1. I’m driving home from work yesterday, taking the same route I usually take at about the same time and traveling the same consistent speed – slightly above the speed limit. The lane to the right of me is about to turn into an exit only lane and the two lanes to the left of me are open.
Suddenly, a car pulls up on my left side. It’s a black SUV of some kind and the driver is matching my speed. They then pull a little forward and then a little back, then forward, then back again. Mind you, this all happens in a few seconds. Finally, they slammed on their brakes and darted in behind me. I glanced in my rear-view mirror to see a woman silently shouting with rage and flipping me off so intensely that her hand was shaking. She then changed lanes again to the right to exit the highway. Not sure how to respond, I gave her a friendly wave and went on my way.
Clearly, there is more to the story, but I can only guess at what that might be. She pulled up next to me, then realized this was her exit. She was reluctant to go faster than the speed were traveling and disinclined to slow down. Apparently, once she pulled up next to my car, she expected me to teleport out of her way – or slam on my brakes to let her over. I did neither, and she was enraged.
2. We share a water system with our neighbors and recently the water softener in their basement hasn’t been clearing out the smell or the iron in the water. The neighbors out of town this week so we’re watching their apartment and gathering their mail, etc. The landlords dropped off some “rust out” salt on the neighbors front step and we didn’t want to leave it there. So, my room-mate called the neighbors on their cell to get permissions to take the salt into their house – since they had left a set of keys with us.
The softener tank was already full, so we added some Rust Out powder to it, then headed upstairs to the garage. Hit the garage door button and… nothing. The neighbors had unplugged the opener as a security measure – and the only way to get to the cord and outlet was to climb on top of their SUV. Which was my job, since I’m taller and more limber than my room-mate.
I manage to get on top of the SUV without doing any damage to it or myself and get the opener plugged back in. It wasn’t easy and when I started to get back down to help move the 80 lb bags in, my room-mate stopped me and said he would get the bags. He went over and pushed the button while I’m still on the roof of the SUV and all of the sudden he tells me to “look out!”
The garage door is coming up – and headed right for me. Like some kind of James Bond death trap. I shout to my room-mate to hit the button to stop it – but he was too far away already. I had two thoughts in my head in those moments. One, how to keep myself and the SUV from being damaged and two, how to I keep the door from being damaged by me. I tried to recline on the roof hoping the door would pass over me, but it stopped well short of hitting me at all. Still, I’m stuck and now have to wait for my room-mate to move the bags in the garage and then hit the button again. That is, after he stops laughing uncontrollably at me.
He gets control of himself, brings the bags into the garage, and closes the door. I pull the plug on the opener and then carefully climb down – still making sure to not damage the SUV. We lock up behind ourselves and go back to our apartment. My room-mate still thinks this is hilarious. I’m not quite ready to laugh about it yet, but I’m guessing that with change eventually.

a mistake

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On June 14, 2010

In Uncategorized

After the division wide meeting this morning, I hit the pool for swim.

It was a mistake. I’m still having issues with it taking more effort/force to breathe out than it does to breathe in – so breathing out through my nose underwater was not very effective and quickly became somewhat painful. So, I switched to mouth breathing exclusively and while that worked, it felt unnatural. I only did 9 laps today, 1/4 mile, and I may wait until Friday to try again.
Disappointing, but hey, at least I didn’t drown.

Unrelated items

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On June 14, 2010

In Uncategorized

I got my car back on Friday afternoon. It’s running quietly now and things seem to be back to normal. I’m still vaguely annoyed by it, but things could have been much worse.

I got a little sun this weekend and played some bocce ball. We tried to follow the “rules” at the start, but it sort of degenerated as time went on. I started to get over-heated and we cut the second game short. It didn’t help that we were playing in grass that was too tall – the inaccuracy of the throws made the game much longer.
Watched the movie Legion over the weekend. It was okay, but somewhat predictable. The big battle at the end was not as over-the-top as I would have liked, but like I said, it was okay.
Did a little reading, played a lot of assassin’s creed – good game. Watched some True Blood on DVD – excellent show. It follows the books to an extent, but then goes off in other directions that are just as good if not better.
We’ve got a division wide meeting coming up this morning. The free breakfast is nice, but the time it covers make it a little tough to stay on target for the day – I’ve got lots to get done this morning.

There’s a noise

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On June 11, 2010

In Uncategorized

There’s a noise under the hood of my car. Or at least there was one yesterday at lunch time and again in the evening. A horrible grinding screeching noise. On the way to drop off my car at the dealership last evening, the noise seemed to stop. But since I’d already made an appointment of sorts (they are booked today, but they’ll take a look at my car as soon as possible) – I went ahead and left the car and the key.

It didn’t help matters that I was already cranky from the day at work. And I’m nearly always cranky when something goes wrong with my car. I’m a computer guy, not a car guy. I’m perfectly at ease in taking a computer apart – but only when backed up by information on the screen, or lack there off. With a car, though, it’s all meaningless warning lights and undefinable noises. Then getting a straight answer out of mechanics I’ve gone to is nearly impossible. And if you ask questions, well, then you’re an idiot that doesn’t know anything about cars. Which, duh, is why I bring the car in to start.
So, my co-worker was able to drive me in and my room-mate should be able to pick me up after work. I’m hoping it’s something simple and definitive – and not too expensive. Too much to ask for, I know.
My room-mate thinks I should buy his car when his lease is up – but, seriously, the headrests in that automobile are horrible. Seems like a silly reason to dismiss car, but I’ve ridden in there for long distances and after about 25 minutes I’m ready to cut my own head off to get some relief.
Makes me want to track down the engineer that designed those headrests and force him to sit in the car leaning back until he realizes what he’s done and apologizes. There’s where the recalls should be focused.
So, I’m not going to buy that car, but I may end up getting a Honda as my next car anyway. With a test drive focused on the head-rests.
See? I told you I wasn’t a car guy.

Breathe in, breathe out; also, adventures in personal hygiene and grooming

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On June 8, 2010

In Uncategorized

I had about 27 hours of clear breathing before a cold hit me – and now I’m fighting to keep a clear nose and I’m apparently snoring again. I’m hoping it passes soon, right now it’s taking more force to breathe out than it does to breathe in – which feels pretty weird.

I’ve been busy here this morning, but feeling curiously out of sorts. Just kind of moderately irritated by little things. It doesn’t help that I’m waiting on a phone call to launch a site and I really need to hit the restroom. They are already a bit late and I’m hoping they call soon.
(later)
Well, we launched the site and things went poorly – though while I was waiting to hear back from people about what was going on, I had plenty of time to go to the restroom.
I had to raise my voice in my boss’s office – though not at my boss. I was trying to report in on the site launch and suddenly the room filled up with talking people. I finally raised my hands and my voice and proclaimed that I still had the floor. My boss backed me up and we finished up our discussion. I was still Mr. Cranky-pants most of the day though.
In other news…
I shaved my face the night before my nose surgery and then didn’t shave again for over a week. When it was finally time – or some would say past time – to shave, my electric razor wasn’t up to the task. Which was a bummer – since it takes three weeks or more to get used to using it. I’d suspected that I wasn’t going to be able to adapt – it irritated the skin on my neck something fierce. And then switching back to a razor to get the job done means I’ve lost ground with the shaver. Might be time to clean it up real good and put it away for a while and just go back to using a razor.
Back during the winter months I decided to try a new deodorant. I was starting to get a little concerned about the amount of chemicals I was putting on or in my body and thought taking aluminum out of the equation would be a good place to start. I switched to a mineral salt stick – you wet it with water, then apply. Simple. And effective during the winter months when I don’t sweat as much. Now that summer time had rolled around, it’s less effective. Primarily on the right side for some reason. So, this morning I switched back – at least for the next few months.
Finally, in totally unrelated news, I just watched a trailer for Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Looks like a fun movie, but before I could watch the trailer, I had to sit through a commercial for Outback steakhouse. Isn’t a trailer a commercial for a movie? So, did I have to watch a commercial in order to watch another commercial? Is that what happened?

I’m doing much better now

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On June 3, 2010

In Uncategorized

I had a doctor’s appointment this morning and I headed out to the office from home a bit early with the idea that I might get in a little early and get the splints removed from my nose.

Except that the doctor has two office – one on Massillon road and the other up in Cuyahoga Falls. And I was at the wrong one. They called ahead to the other location to let them know I was on the way.
I got on the road right away and headed out. I ended up being about 8 minutes late – and then the receptionist ignored me for 2 minutes before getting me signed in. It was another 5 minutes before the nurse took me back. The doctor was in a few minutes later and got right to work. The splints were held in place by a couple of small stitches and he snipped those – then braced me for the “removal”. His favorite part.
This is the best / least gross picture I was able to find on the web of what he pulled out of each side of my nose. The Splints. (sounds like the name of a band)
The only problem with this picture is scale – the splints from my nose were about 2.5 – 3 inches long and nearly as wide as a quarter. The whiter section in the picture was a tube and the whole thing was made of hard plastic.
It wasn’t painful coming out – but it was… intense. Gross and covered in mucus, the splints seemed far too large to have fit in my nose – I suspect these were actually lodged in my brain.
The doctor jokingly asked if I wanted to keep them – and I was slightly tempted to. But I declined and he said that they make a note in the file of anyone that does keep them – labeling them a little crazy. He did a little more clean up in there and then the nurse left and I quizzed the doctor about using the saline solution, when I could swim again, and horrible taste in my mouth (which should pass in a couple days).
So, overall, not that big of a deal. It took me a couple hours to train myself to breath through my nose again, but it does feel a lot better.
When I was out on campus later today…. I could smell the flowers.

a funny taste in my mouth

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On June 2, 2010

In Uncategorized

1. I’ve had this for a couple of days – might be a side effect of coming off the pain meds from my surgery – but I’ve got a weird chemical taste in my mouth. It’s not horrible, but it’s persistent and nothing seems to get rid of it.

2. Found out that my next door neighbors had their vehicles broken into. Well, sort of. One had a window broken and the still turned on GPS stolen. The other was left unlocked and tools were stolen out of it.
My room-mate and I are substantially more careful than they are in general, but we talked a little about how we can be a little safer. It’s not a bad neighborhood by any means, but even good neighborhoods can be vulnerable to opportunity.
3. One of my co-workers has been without email for about 6 days now. His email is routed in a way that I’m pretty sure is unique to the entire campus – and I’m not sure why he just doesn’t do it like everyone else. If I was without email for 6 days – involuntarily – I think I’d be pretty ticked off and looking for a solution.
4. I’ve been playing Final Fantasy 13 for a few days now. It’s a good game – I think, I’m only 21 hours into it – but strangely linear for a game like this. The combat is fast paced and complex, but elements seem to drag or are overly simplified. I’m enjoying it, but it’s really not what I expected.
5. One unpleasant side effect from my surgery that no one told me about beforehand is that the anesthesia inhibits normal bowel function afterwards. I’ve managed – with difficulty – to go a couple of times since my surgery, but I’m essentially, well, full of it.
6. I did a full day of work yesterday and did okay – though I was pretty wiped out by the time the day ended. I slept pretty well last night and seem to be doing okay today so far, but I’ll be more glad than usual when the week is done.
7. I go in to have the splints in my nose removed tomorrow – which will be a relief though I’ve been told the actual process is terrible. Maybe I’ll get a heads up on what happened when I came out of the surgery – I’ve been told I was combative, but I don’t really know what that means.
8. Finally, the underside of my SoBe bottle cap told me yesterday “You’re so cool”.
The SoBe has spoken.

sneezing

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On June 1, 2010

In Uncategorized

I just sneezed – twice. It was horrible. Felt like something inside my nose got knocked loose and was deeply pissed off.

It wasn’t as bad as my first post-surgery sneeze. I was advised to “not hold anything back” and as a result – from across the room – I managed to spray bloody mucus on the door to the basement. Not a lot, mind you, but enough that it made a noise when it hit.
Someday – hopefully soon – I’ll be able to blow my nose. I expect a choir of angels to appear and sing when that happens.

It’s all blood and mucus

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On June 1, 2010

In Uncategorized

You’ve been warned.

My septum un-deviation surgery was last Wednesday and while it wasn’t a big deal as far as these things go, it was kind of monumental for me.
My room-mate was my driver and we got to the hospital at the designated time in the morning. I got checked in and I was signing some papers the clerk at the desk asked what the stack of papers I had was all about. I told her it was paper for Origami and my room-mate told her that I’d make her something. So, in the short time before the nurse called me back, I quickly made her a small origami person. She was excited and I was glad someone at least was having a good day.
The nurse had me change into a gown – which was more like some kind of purple construction paper than actual cloth (it also included what looked like a place to attach a vacuum hose that no one really explained to me) – and I got to keep my underwear on. Yea! Though, frankly, with the intense draining of my dignity I think I would have been better off naked.
The anesthesiologist made some jokes with us and seemed pretty cool – though she did mock me a bit for not moving my hand where they had harpooned me with the needle. She put something in my IV as they wheeled me away and there was no count down or anything. I was all of the sudden out.
I woke up in recovery with a horribly sore throat – cranky, and freaked out. Which I remember telling someone though I don’t remember much else. I woke up later feeling a little better but still having a rough go. I learned later that I was “combative” I first woke up.
I was dizzy for a while and tired, but by the afternoon I was ready to go home. I slept in the lazy-boy that first night.
My sister was in town on Thursday for a meeting and she stopped by to see me – which was cool. She brought some baby pictures and stayed for lunch. I had the first of my many milk shakes.
My MFR’s mom and grandmother stopped by for a short visit to see how I was doing. They didn’t stay long, but told me that I could call them whenever I needed anything.
So, it’s been a lot of napping – which I’m normally no good at – a lot of blood and mucus in my tissues, a lot of saline up my nose and a lot of breathing though my mouth. Which keeps the sore throat cranking away.
I’m headed back to work tomorrow, for a 1/2 day at least, and I’ll play it by ear. My doctor’s appointment isn’t until Thursday morning, so I’m going to take it easy. I’ve had no bruising and only a little swelling – but the marbles up my nose are apparently enough to wear me down. I’m going to play a little of a video game and then try to get to bed early.
I’ll try and fill in some of the gaps in this post later – I’m sure I’m forgetting things.
Oh, I wrote an apology to the staff at the hospital for being combative. It wasn’t my fault, but I still feel bad.
That’s it for now – wish me luck at work tomorrow.

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