Freaky Friday Rants and Raves 1-27
 

welcome back earl.

Early tonight jorr!! Are you planning to sleep in tomorrow? Just kidding.
Happy Friday all!
Rave: Starting to really plan my trip to Hawaii this spring. I am reading about all the great activities!!
Rant: Kid's homework and tests. It seems like there is a project or a test everyday!! Give these kids a break!
Rave: Mild temperatures this year like jorr said. It has been nice not to have to bundle up like usual and I am only in VA. Minnesota is quite a lot colder!
Rave: Weekend and get to see an old friend Sat.

Wow-Its only 8:04pm Thursday night here in Colorado....the land of NO WINTER.

RAVE: DH and I went to Vegas last weekend-our first vaca alone in about 4 years.

RANT: I got the flu (or something like it) on the WAY OVER. Thats right...it began on the plane.

RAVE: It only lasted about 24 hours.

RANT: We were only there for 48.

We too saved on fuel this past week, but it looks like snow could be here in the Shenandoah Valley early next week.

Rant:
Surveyers were working in the field behind us where cattle have grazed since we moved here six years ago. A sub division will ruin the ground view, but we'll still be able to see the Massanutten Mountains.

girlonthego: I remember the days of projects and homework. I especially loved the Seneca longhouse in 4th grade....NOT!!! Whatever happened to salt maps? My son just started HS and doesn't ask for or need my homework help anymore. It goes by so quickly!

Rave: We've had an amazing winter here, too, Jorr. Of course, we still have Feb. and March coming up and who knows what they'll bring with them!

Rave: My husband promised to dust off his weight lifting equipment and set me up with a weight training regimen!

Rave: Maybe I'll be really buff before my next vacation.

Rant: At the moment there is no "next vacation." And I'm not seeing one on the horizon.

It's almost Friday....have a great weekend everyone!

It's early, but what the heck...

Rave: Intense interviewing leads to an offer with potential. Excellent feedback.

Rant: Licensing snafu leads to a contractual slowdown -- sitting on pins and needles.

Rant: Being in limbo. I thought the most difficult part was behind me -- NOT! And yes, I'm feeling a bit sorry for myself, darn it. I feel like breaking something.

Rave: I lost 1 1/2 pounds.

Rant: I'm not exercising as much as I want/should be.

Rave: First full weekend that my husband will be home in ages.

Rant: We have obligations this weekend that we wish we could get out of so that we can "chill".

I hope everyone has a peaceful weekend.

rant: for over a month now i was banned from posting here. no one could tell me why or would bother to answer my emails. maybe because i posted in support for the unfair banning of other posters? i was surprised yesterday when i did my weekly attempt to log in and it finally worked.

Rave: It looks like the Dems will have no choice but to give Alito an up-or-down vote, like the Repubs are asking for

Rant: Too bad those same Repubs prohibited Harriet Miers from getting an up-or-down vote

Rant: Funny how that only works one way

Rave: Nothing to rant about :D

Welcome back earl..maybe others will have your luck and they will all be back soon.

So excited the week is coming to an end!

BF is recovering nicely from being squished by the forklift.Still a little sore,but not using the walker anymore. I thank you all for your thoughts and concerns!

One more day of work- as of 7:31 pm Friday I'm on vacation until the 7th!

Best friend and daughter flying out to WA for my daughter's 3rd birthday tomorrow night. Her Grammie and Daddy will be on a plane out Monday...what a fun celebration we'll have! She doesn't know Daddy will be moving out here with us-should be a teary reunion...

Found a great apartment,signing lease tomorrow morning...new, cheap,clean...and a w/d included! Oh the thrill of being able to do laundry at home!


we'll be out and about in OR/WA this week...any good day trip ideas will be gladly accepted!

Welcome back, earl!

STW, I'm so sorry to hear about this "limbo" situation. But glad to hear that you feel the job has potential. Hang in there! If you give in to the temptation to break something, make sure it's something cheap!

And "Congratulations!" on the pound and a half! Maybe you're not exercising as much as you'd like, but you must be doing something right!

Rave: Tomorrow (today for those of you in the Eastern time zone) really is my husband's last chemo. No misunderstandings this time!

Rant: It'll probably be at least three weeks before we know whether or not he's in remission. His dr. wants him to wait two weeks and then have another p.e.t. scan and CT scan. If those are good, he'll do a bone marrow biopsy.

Rave: I'm so grateful to have this trip to plan. First of all, my flat out assumption that he will be able to make the trip is keeping my attitude positive. Secondly, there aren't words to describe what a wonderful distraction it is! May be the only thing keeping me sane right now!

Rave: Relatively warm days and sunshine in January. Also helps me keep a positive attitude!

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

Rave: earl is back
Rant: wish the others were as well.

Life is good. In the midst of a museum-focused trip. Reports to follow.

Happy and safe weekend, Fodorites.

Rave: Making some progress on a "resolution" of sorts.

Rant: Still can't get myself to be more organized.

Rant/Rave: 14 y. o. daughter has her first "semi-formal" dance tomorrow night. Kind of freaks me out. Is she old enough to be doing these things?

Rant/Rave: Chaperoning the MIddle School dance tonight.

Rave: Starting to plan this summers vacation. California here we come...


Congrats to everyone maintaining or losing wieght. I am in a slump right now. Nothing serious, but not nearly as devoted as I have been. I just can't let up on the workouts because I love to eat!

Congrats to Caph & family and I hope everyone else that have been experiencing some bad times lately is finding things to be looking up.

Congrats STW on the 1.5 lb loss. Unfortunately, I gained a half a pound this week :(( I knew I shouldn't have had that 3rd glass of wine last night!

Caph--that's great news! Hope the last treatment goes well...And keep planning that trip! ((N))

Rave: BB King tomorrow night!!! I'm so ready for a night out of town.
Rave: Dinner and bowling with friends tonight
Rant: I don't have the money to keep up with all the social activities

Rant: It's 12 below zero here right now

Oops, sorry Caph, that thumbs down shouldn't be there.

STW: I remember the days where I would wake up skinny. Pot belly at midnight and skinny in the morning....Oh how I wish that would happen again! I have been dieting and on the treadmill for almost two weeks and I am maintaining my weight. I fluctuate a couple of pounds but nothing is happening!!! I would like to lose 10 pounds and would love to lose 15!! OH it is so hard to be a woman sometimes. I now understand my Mom complaining about this stuff. You hit 40 and bang you have to work at it !!! UGGH.
Anyway congrats on the pound and a half you are on your way!! Hopefully I am on my way too.

Buffalo girl: I have two in middle school and the homework is so much. This is public school!! I am always quizzing for a test. I know so much Virginia history that it isn't funny! And I hate science. I don't even understand what I am quizzing them on. I just ask the questions and hope that I don't have to explain cell theory....

Anyway Happy Friday, may everyone lose 5 pounds this weekend!!

Rant: We had a diasterous second meeting with a kitchen designer to look at the design he created after our first meeting where we discussed in detail what we wanted to do including several significant changes to the architect's plan. The designer did not incorporate a single thing we discussed in the first meeting. Wrong style cabinets, wrong layout, wrong floorplan. Ridiculous. DH wants to give him another chance but I'm already looking around for a new designer.

Rave: Report cards come home today. Online progress reports take the anticipation out of the process - we already are 99% sure that our daughter made high honors again.

Caph52 - best wishes and prayers for your DH. I am sure your optimism is well founded. Keep planning that trip and thinking happy thoughts.

Eeva - I want a full report on that school dance. DD will be there in full force with her giggling gang of gangly girls. The first time she went to a dance at the middle school, I naturally was very curious so I showed up a bit early to pick her and her friends up. I ended up sitting on my car in the parking lot outside of the cafe with a bunch of other parents. If I closed my eyes I would have sworn I was at my first dance in jr. high because the music that was playing was straight out of the '70s - Stairway to Heaven, Knights in White Satin, Bob Seger. Kind of funny.

Hey Earl,

Wake up! So what that you were banned. This is America 2006 and you should be used to arbitrary interference w/ free speech and other rights!

Whoops! Now I'll get banned!

Patrick Henry said "Give me Liberty or give me death!"

Now we just want to feel safe and hide in banality. Reality is avoided by censorship and the thought police.

it's friday!!

rave: going to see "phantom of the opera" tomorrow afternoon w/bf. it's been over 3 years since i've seen a show, and it is something i so enjoy doing.

rave: dear old friends, are right where i left them...had such a great conversation w/a best friend last night who recently had her 2nd child. we haven't got to talk they way we use to in a while, and i've made a pact to call her on a regular basis!

rave: actually moving up in second job! i now have a position (not that big of a deal, but still) that where i can get commission. alot of the other people got the ax after the holiday, and they kept me!

rant/rave: glad i didn't invest in a big puffy jacket as planned this winter...i haven't needed it! it's nearly like fall all winter!

:-D

Rave: Had 5 cm of (very unusual) rain the last several days which nearly filled my runoff irrigation cistern.

Rave: Energy-saving upside of "global warming".

Rant: It's too cold.

Rave: May be having dinner with Stu Dudley and his wife in San Francisco on the way home from China.

Rave: "Better" medical news this week.

Feliz fin de semana.

M

CAPH52--fingers crossed that all goes well and your husband gets good news at his next doctor's visit.

Ani--had to laugh at your 'no winter' comment. We're next door to you in western Nebraska and are snowless, too. We'll probably get socked with it in March, as usual.

Rant/Rave: For all of you doing the weightloss thing, keep up the good work! Ethel, I'm jealous--3 glasses of wine? I've been sooooooooooo good this week (only had one glass of wine the whole darn time) and only lost 3 pounds. I'm happy to have lost but with all the exercising and 'healthy eating' that I've done, thought it would be more...oh well. There's always next week! Nine pounds down, 11 to go.......

Rave: DH is finally going on a diet and exercise program, too. The catalyst was hearing about a co-worker his age who just had quadruple bypass surgery.

Rant: Blasted National Honor Society application. Am so proud of my son, who was invited to join as a junior in high school this past week. The application process is amazing, though--pages and pages of things to fill in about his student life, community life and volunteer efforts, plus 2 letters of recommendation from people vouching for his character. I've heard that only a few kids make it as juniors in our school system. Kind of irritating that it's up to the individual schools to decide the criteria--a friend of mine in Colorado has a son who was just sent a letter saying, 'Welcome to National Honor Society.' No application needed--it was based on grades only. Oh well, NHS or not, he's a great kid and we're so proud the person that he is.

Rave: Keeping my chin up and concentrating on the glass that is half full.

Rave: Weight slowly coming off. My MD attributed my slow weight loss to the fact that I had quit smoking and my metabolism is slower.

Huh? Slow is one thing but gaining weight training for a marathon?

Rant: Having to miss the Miami 1/2 marathon this weekend.

P.S. I know that slow weight loss is healthier for the body. I'm just sure that there's a skinny person waiting to emerge from the stuffing and it's hard to wait!!

Ciao bella FFR&R'ers from Florence!

Sending all my ((L)) and wishing you a great weekend.

My precious DH just fell fast asleep into a wonderful vacation afternoon nap, and so I thought, "what a good opportunity to say hi to my fellow Fodorites".

We are having a fantastic time, the food, ahhhhh, the wine, ahhhhh and last night we had our first Limoncello, how delish!

I hope everything is good with all of you!

Looking forward to providing a good trip report.

Ciao from Palazzo Niccolini, Florence.
:) Tiff

RAve: Tiff's post. How delightful!

oooh, Tiff! Sounds wonderful :)!!

Rave: last weekends short trip to Los Cabos with my DH! Boy was it great to get away!

Rant: No more trips in sight until at least August...

Rant: how did I gain 5 pounds in 3 days?!? Maybe it's a good thing it was only 3 days!

Rave: The sun is out and will hopefully melt the couple of inces of snow I was too lazy to shovel this week. The snow on Monday was soooo heavy (heart attack snow) that the measly couple of inches on Tues. and Wed. was left on the driveway (and became ice by this a.m.).


Bennie- I feel the same way about the music PLUS I actually attended jr. high at this school so it is a TOTAL flashback for me! I like the music Todd plays because he avoids rap (the kids don't appreciate it but I do) Drag about the renovation issues.

Go Travel:Keep at it! I quit smoking 5 years ago and I attribute my extra roll to that! I am much healthier and happier now though and I actually find it gross now!

Oh Tiff I wish I were in Italy right now!!Jealous!

RAVE>:D<

Big party tomorrow with all the "kids" and grandkids for wife's birthday :-B

Rave: Jorr and this thread!

Rave: Kal is back, gotta sharpen my bantering skills now :)

Rave: hosting my father's 79th birthday tomorrow

Rave: once a year my job puts 5% on my 401K plan, got the letter of how much, woo-hoo

Rave: if the biggest problem is the rain this weekend, my life is not that bad!

RAVE: After 6 years of my stressful job, I finally quit this week!

RANT: I don't start my new, cool job for another 4 weeks...just keep telling myself to hang in there!!

RAVE: We leave for our Seattle/Portland trip in 12 days!

SG

Bonjourno to Tiff ! We're having even less Winter than usual (so far). Heading to the beach next weekend. No rants except for the Scot trying to take her child to Paris but...' she won't eat French food post'. What is that about ?!?

Rant:Chevron posts a $4.4 BILLION profit in the 4th qtr while gas prices in Hawaii are the highest in the nation.

Rant:Property taxes are up over 25%. The state will have a surplus of $500 million and is undecided if any will be given back.

Rave: Dsis does not have the clogged brain artery diagnosed by her hometown Dr.! She, in fact has a clean bill of health in that regard!!(Per specialist in B'ham)... Yeah!!

Rant: The local hospital MRI that indicated she had an 80% blockage in her MCA! Now, her question, rightly so, is how do you know (in advance) of where to go for imagery, etc.? Like she says, if you go to a restaurant, at least you have a county Health Dept. rating to give you some indication of how (safe) the restaurant is ...but what do you use to rate the hospital's reliability?...where do you find it??? Needless to say, it stessed us all out...probably took at least a day or two off our(family members) lifespans! The Dr, had told her it was probably genetic, and he didn't know how she hadn't already had a stroke! ...so I was thinking I needed to get an MRI myself!! Not to mention my mother's anxiety!! I work in the Health Care field and can't answer her ?

Rant: Dson won't graduate as expected in May!((N)) Dropped French II!

Rave: He has a job lined up after this semester and we will (hopefully) not be his sole financial resource after May...plans to take that last class as he starts his new job. I've gotten where I don't really care anymore,I just want him financially responsible!!

Rant: A friend with Hx of breast CA had colon surgery for recurrence last week!

Rave: No signs in her lymph glands!

Buffalo Girl: I'm with you on the no trip of the horizon((N))...actually that's not true, I'm going to Rapid City, Mich. in April for a DH meeting, but it's not where I want to be...Kauai!!

STW: The job is just a matter of time...I can tell just from your posts that you're a prize!! My weight is a struggle too, so hang in there! (Only 1 # this week, but was surprized to see even THAT!).

Earl: Welcome back! Strange, I posted as you did, but was not banned?!

klr6773: Glad to hear your DBF is doing better!...enjoy your vacation...shall we expect a TR?

CAPH: Glad your DH had his last chemo...hope your future together is bright!

Starrsville: Enjoy your museum trip...looking forward to your TR!

Bennie: You are blessed to have a DD that takes her grades seriously!

Tiff: Thanks for taking the time to post while on vacation! It somehow rekindles hope in me (for a great trip!).

Belle

It's Friday & I'm in Vegas!!

Rave: DH is in the air on the way and will be here too in a couple more hours.

Rave: Business conference was excellent. I learned a lot & met great people in my industry!

Rave: Got upgraded to a very nice suite in Caesar's Palace without even asking.

Rant: No time for exercise & no weight loss here...yet. Great job to those who've been better than me!

Happy Weekend Everyone! Trish

All you medical fodorites or fodorites with loved ones with medical issues... I am sending you all my best!! For health and happiness!

RAVE: New job starting Wednesday....
RANT: Old job ending Tuesday..so no mini-vacation room in that timline :(

RAVE: Being feted and sent off by all of the great people at my current job.. Truly I felt the love ;).

Rave:Thyra, good luck with new job. You can do it!!
Rave:Caph--GREAT news about your husband!!!! Yes!! Trip planning is so therapeutic. The day I asked neurosurgeon could I please,please go on a trip first, and she said yes...what a relief and welcome spirit-lifter. Enjoy the joy of anticipation!
Rave:Tiff, that brought a smile to all our faces!! Looking forward to your trip report on Europe board, as I'm starting to plan a plan, tentative for France/Italy for October. Yippeee!!!
Rant: working two 16 hour shifts this weekend. Been working lots lately, so sleeping more when i can. and less time for fun, like this board!
Rave: working those shifts pays well--as in, credit card paydowns toward trips! And for all its "challenges" I usually love what I do.
Rant: people who call phone number but say nothing, over and over. You hang up wordlessly, they call back, etc etc, til they get bored with it. A nut case with time on their hands, or OCD?

p.s. Rave to Faina's Dad. Mazel Tov on his 79th!! Is he wearing the pirate eyepatch to his celebration?

Rave: Reinstatement of posters. welcome back, earl!

Rant: I wish I were Tiff.
:(

Rave: I just found out my friend (sort of) teaches her kids geography using me as an example. When I leave on a trip, she'll get out a map and say, "Where is Aunty Melissa now?" And they have to point to the appropriate parts of the map and say, "She flew from here.....to here.....and then she went here."

OSB,
There are lots of intracranial vascular artifacts on unenhanced MR images, but any competent neuroradiologist is aware of that and knows the techniques to resolve such issues.
That (false positive result) is only one of many problems associated with medical imaging "screening" exams.
Also, sounds like your DF has a BRCA gene.
M