Long week

I'm kicking it old school today, washing all of my dishes by hand. Not something I enjoy doing, but it was a necessity as my dishwasher seems to have stopped functioning. One more thing that happened to cap off a bad week.

Monday morning had me dropping by the hospital with my jug o' urine. My doctor had me on a 24h urine collection, the latest in a bunch of tests to determine what Creepy Red Eye™ is all about. I had to have another blood test after dropping that off, fortunately the nurse heeded my warning to use the butterfly needle. I am headed to see the ophthalmologist on Thursday of this week, and then my GP again next week. Hopefully some answers. My GP says there is something going on with me, but my test results have been inconsistent.

My bad luck began overnight on Monday/Tuesday, when my basement flooded. I came home Tuesday evening after work to a smell I recognized all too well. I spent the next hour picking things up off the floor so they'd dry, and doing some cleanup as best I could. It didn't leave me any time to myself before Tai Chi class, and I ended up dropping by my grandfather's house after class instead of before. I did get to meet his new dog, Max, a golden retriever. Less annoying than the last dog, thankfully. I think I will be able to get along with this dog a bit better.

My Dad came over Wednesday night to help with the basement. He installed a trap on a pipe in one of the bathroom floor holes, so it would drain whenever the water got high enough. He also patched a crack by the door. Thursday night he returned and sealed the 2nd hole in the bathroom. With these changes, *fingers crossed*, I hope to have the issue solved.

Thursday brought a minor annoyance in the death of my watch. I had replaced the battery a week prior, but as I pressed the button to see the light, it flickered and died. On Friday, I took it back to where I bought the battery, tested it, but indeed the watch was dead. They also told me the battery was about 50%... for a week old battery? Next time I'm buying and installing my own battery. They did give me my money back, but I lost some trust there. Leaving the jeweler, I walked down to Zellers to see what they had for watches. I really didn't want to be shopping for a new watch, I liked what I had, and hoped I could find something similar. I did find the same watch, slightly different due to the fact that it's many years after buying the first. I didn't bother to price shop -- I needed a watch, this was the one I wanted, and it was most convenient to get it then & there, so I did. Not a big deal for most people, but for me, that was pretty decisive.

Friday brought a very difficult day at work. I drove to Fredericton with my co-worker to conduct interviews for potential summer students. While there, we became involved in a series of emails that left me seething for the rest of the day. I am still angry about it, two days later. The interviews went ok, but not great, as the students didn't have the skill set we were looking for. The one shining spot of Friday was a phone interview we conducted. I think this may be the student we want, but I have 3 more interviews Monday morning before I make a final decision.

I was supposed to get a haircut Friday night, but my stylist left a day earlier than planned for vacation and neglected to tell me. I luckily had put 2 and 2 together before driving over to the salon, so I didn't waste a trip, at least. I ended up just going home instead. Kind of a let-down after a long, hard day, but I didn't feel much like socializing anyway, and didn't have any reason not to wait a few more days.

Saturday had me going uptown to the market to pick up a baguette for dinner at Suzy's later in the day. I poked around the market, wandered over to Brunswick Square. Noticed that Blue Oasis was closed, I was disappointed to see that. Have they moved, or closed for good? I bought a card at Hallmark, then made my way back to the car and home. I continued reading Outlander for a bit (our current book club selection), and then went to church. I came home, realized the dishwasher had not made any progress while I was gone, and resigned myself to the fact that I was going to have to get someone to come over and look at it. I showered, changed, and headed to Suzy's for dinner. I was the first one there, oddly enough. I helped a bit and chatted, just glad to be out of my solitary house for a while.

I am at a strange spot right now, I find. There are times when I have an overwhelming desire to just be home, alone, quiet; yet at the same time, the quiet can seem oppressive and the house too lonely. I haven't been eating well since John left. Food just isn't appealing to me, especially going to the bother of preparing it. I'm sure that's been adding to my stress, but I haven't adjusted my habits yet. While there are times when I want or need to be alone, I'm finding it more difficult to be spending ALL of my time alone. It won't be easy for the two of us to both uproot our lives and live together, when the time finally comes, but I am not sure how much more of this total solitary life I can lead. After the week I've had, I just want to be comforted, and IMs or phone calls just aren't the same.

Back to my story. Saturday night's dinner was really great, the food as well as the company. I felt so much better to be out and with a bunch of friends, talking and laughing, not sitting home by myself with my thoughts. I had a great time.

Today I haven't done much more than read. I finished Outlander, as was my hope when I picked it up this morning. I got absorbed in it, not noticing when it was suddenly an hour and a half later than the last time I looked at the clock. It was intriguing enough to make me want to continue reading the series, and I find after I invest so much of my time in a larger book, I am not usually prepared to leave the characters just yet. I will have to get to the library to pick up the next book, but if it's a large hardcover, I don't necessarily want to start it unless I can finish it in the next 2 weeks, before I go away.

The biggest news of the week dealt with John's job. His division was bought by another company, so as of May 1, he will have a new employer. Unfortunately, this will quash a visit from him in May. I had been debating on visiting him this month, possibly around his birthday (26th), but was leaning toward not doing so until that news arrived. Once I realized I may not get to see him until June, my next trip by plane across the border, I decided 3 months between seeing one another was too long. I asked my Dad for points and was able to book a flight to SoCal on the 19th, returning on the 27th, overnight stay with my brother, then arriving back home on the 28th around lunchtime. That is pretty much the only open week I had, between doctor appointments and work meetings. I can't leave in May with a new student under my wing, so it was now or wait until June.

I am looking forward to some vacation, getting out of my office, seeing my husband, scratching the cat, and enjoying the sunshine. I just wish all of that could be done with the use of transporters instead of 12h worth of flying time. The travel is wearing me down. If John has word on his immigration status by the end of June and is in the process of moving, I am considering skipping my next work meeting. It's in Seattle, and the thought of going all that way for a one-day meeting, without an added visit to John, isn't very exciting. I was in Seattle 2 years ago, saw what I wanted to, and while the city was ok, I don't feel any great desire to put in the long flight to get there just for a day.

I'm feeling despondent tonight in anticipation of work tomorrow. I am not looking forward to the interviews, the decision-making, the other issue that still has me very angry. I'd rather play ostrich. I also don't want to have to get up early. I have to run an errand for my Dad on the way in to work, find time to call the appliance repair shop, and be ready to start an interview at 8:30am. I just need to get through the day as best I can. It likely means I won't sleep well tonight, though. I just wish my husband were here for support. I miss him.

Oddly enough, I miss Caly too. I've never been much of a one for pets, but I seem to have spent enough time with Caly that I found she's grown on me quite a bit. I get the feeling I wouldn't be lonely if she were here, walking by every once in a while for me to scratch, curling up on the back of the couch, or sprawling out on the floor in front of the TV. I have been wondering what she'll think of having so much more room to wander around in and explore. Hopefully she sticks to the litter box though.

Time seems to be running out on my evening. I guess I'd better try to get some sleep and get through Monday in one piece.