Dayton Photo

I’m feeling a bit down this week, and I’m not quite sure why.

I’d like to blame it on what the weather has been doing. The sinus pressure building in my head since Monday night has been crazy, and last night, it worsened to the point that I left the comfort of my couch at 10 PM and drove to the store with my wet hair, and wearing my all-too-attractive black sweats and flip flops--and all in search of some sinus headache medicine. I was rather desperate for relief!

I wonder why we humans don’t have a release valve like Frankenstein—you know to let off steam. I feel the need to release this pressure inside my head. The medicine is helping, but I just have to take the pills every 4 hours without fail or I am close to tears. I don’t think I ever remember having sinus pain and pressure like this before, and it became absolutely unbearable last night when I kept bending over and picking things up, etc. OUCH!! I think my humidifier/vaporizer helped last night, and at least I slept well.

There are lots of good things happening this week, too, which make me laugh at my momentary lapses of melancholy:
• The 3 attorneys that I assist all took me out for lunch yesterday, and it was great. We also hit Cold Stone Creamery afterwards for dessert. You can’t go wrong with ice cream, can you?!?
• Last night, I caught up with 2 girlfriends at one of my favorite Chinese buffets in the city. It was wonderful, and the company was great as usual!
• Today one of the paralegals that I support treated several of us legal assistants to lunch, too. More good food and it was FREE!
• Today is Thursday, which makes tomorrow FRIDAY! WOOHOO!

The big fun is coming on Saturday. My sister and I are driving to Dayton to meet up with our friend Lisa. We’re spending the night at a Drury Inn, one of my favorite hotel chains because of their awesome Quikstart® Breakfasts, which come FREE with your hotel room. [No, I am not being paid for this plug…] And then on Sunday morning, we are going to visit the Princess Diana Exhibit at the Dayton Art Institute. How fun!

I also hope to get to tour some of the rest of the museum this time. I didn’t get to see the other galleries on my first visit, but then we were short on time, and I was a bit distracted. HA! I confess that I’m going to try and avoid “Mr. Smells Good” on this visit. Maybe he doesn’t have to work this weekend?!? I'd be sorry to miss seeing him, but I've almost nearly forgotten him by now, and I think that's for the best. Then again, it could make for an interesting day if he is there. Hmmmm...

I think that I have a lot to look forward to. Guess things are looking up in retrospect. I just hope this sinus pressure eases soon...

WEIRD TEETH

I just had to share this picture I found online. This is why I was in so much pain after my surgery. Look how weird my bottom teeth were. I saw the x-rays and this was the way it looked. HA!

Dental Drama

Part 1

I never dreamed what an ordeal having your wisdom teeth out could be. Or rather maybe my concern was 100% regarding the procedure itself rather than the aftermath to follow. GEESH! I totally had it backwards.

On Good Friday, the day arrived. I had contemplated for weeks the amount of pain I might feel, the possible side effects of the anesthesia, the unique scenarios that might occur, and so forth. Well, the surgery itself wasn’t memorable at all. I remember the needle going into my arm, but I don’t remember anything else after that until the dental assistant woke me up and asked if I was able to move. And I was! I had no trouble getting out of the chair—no dizziness or nausea, and I was quickly whisked into the recovery room with my wonderful co-worker Barb there to fuss over me if I needed fussing. But I felt fine. I mean other than the nasty taste of gauze in my mouth, I couldn’t feel a thing. All was well.

The next 24 hours were a breeze. I took my pain meds like clockwork. Barb kept me on my schedule and dosed me up with lots of cold soft foods like ice cream, a frosty, Jell-O and pudding, etc. It was all great.

I woke up Saturday morning with some swelling in both cheeks, but that was normal after all, and I was still feeling great and just ready to get back to my own home. So about 24 hours after surgery, I was back in my own place and enjoying life.

Well, later that same day, the swelling really started to increase. Pretty soon, I lost sight of where my chin ended and my neck started. It all seemed one in the same. And then the pain started in—the kind of pain that you just wanted to sleep off. I didn’t want to move, and so I camped out on my living room sofa with my blanket. And once the meds started making me drowsy, I’d head for my bedroom and crash into bed. But I’d wake up regularly as soon as it was time for another dose of painkillers, and so it went for the next 72 hours.

I had planned to go to work Monday following my surgery, but that didn’t happen. By Monday, the bruising was in full swing. I looked like a seriously battered woman. To look at me, you would have thought that I had a nasty boyfriend who had taken a swing at me! It was pathetic. I was puffy and bruised, and so I called my doctor’s office and was told that the swelling should decrease soon. I waited and waited…

Part 2

On Tuesday, the bruising was still quite evident, and I thought the swelling had gone down some, although I just couldn’t be sure. I called my oral surgeon’s office and was given 2 more prescriptions (since I was nearly out of both painkillers) and told that the swelling was normal, and that after seeing my x-rays, it was clear that I was going to be in for a longer recovery time. Not only were all 4 of my wisdom teeth impacted—meaning that my teeth had not yet broken through the skin in my mouth, but my lower teeth were also coming in completely sideways. Apparently these 2 things are not exactly a dental dream.

I was slightly depressed with the news. I mean, couldn’t they have mentioned this to me before? Well, my sister and her kids came to visit me that day, and they definitely cheered me up. We drove over to the IMA and walked the gardens. It was a wonderful afternoon. I still was feeling some discomfort and oral pain, but it seemed better than before.

On Wednesday, I finally returned to work. I was still slightly swollen, and I could still make out the evidential bruise lines along my jaw line, and so I caked on extra foundation and cover-up and prepared to greet the rest of the world after my hibernation. I felt more pain as the day went along, but I made it through it.

On Thursday, my morning went fine, but soon after lunch, I was feeling some serious pain again, and I had more than 2 hours to go before I could take another dose of medication. So after a co-worker caught me close to tears, I went home and slept for a few hours.

On Friday, I worked a full day and also had my follow-up appointment with the oral surgeon. He seemed to think I was coming along fine and healing well. He had no concerns despite my complaint of sharp pain the day before. He just said I was progressing along well, and he didn’t see any problems.

So this past weekend, I vegged my time away! It was wonderful. I think I got a total of 24 hours of sleep in from Friday night to Sunday morning. Pretty crazy, I know, but it felt good. And today, I’m back to work and feeling much better. I think it will be a while before I crave nachos or try to open my mouth for a Big Mac, but most of the pain is gone, and my swelling and bruising are just a memory now. WOOHOO!!

Final Countdown

This is a short work week for me, and normally, I’m all about that. But this time, as each day and hour slips by, I’m getting a bit more anxious. We’re now at less than 48 hours before D-Day. Yes, on Friday at 9 AM, I will be going in to have all 4 of my wisdom teeth pulled.

YEAH, this is starting to sound like a GOOD FRIDAY, isn’t it?!? AHEM!!! So, I’m not so delighted at the idea of pain (and for all you mothers out there, don’t get all smart with me and tell me that it’s nothing in comparison to childbirth. This is my drama, okay!)

I’m kind of hoping that I’ll just fall asleep and wake up afterwards and be surprised that I have 4 holes in the back of my mouth. Now that would be nice!

I hear that you get nice meds for the pain afterwards. Sounds good to me! WOOHOO!!

Get Used to Disappointment

Now that I’ve gushed about “Mr. Smell Good” for over a week now, I’m actually a bit nervous and anxious about going back to Dayton again. I had always planned on going back to the Princess Diana exhibit just because I couldn’t get all my girlfriends together to go on the same day, and now it looks like I’ll definitely be returning there in a couple of weeks for my 2nd visit. But somehow I’m almost afraid to return.

Everyone thinks I’m going back for him—-going back to introduce myself and check him out further, and while I admit that I’ll be looking for him, I’m actually terrified about a 2nd encounter. I’m preparing myself even now for disappointment. Maybe this time, he’ll have a ring on that left hand, or I’ll spot a girlfriend. I’ll be looking for some flaw so that I can tell myself I’m better off without him—without really putting forth the effort to get to know him and find out what he’s really like. I mean, let’s have a reality check here. In my experience, guys like that don’t talk to girls like me—-except in the movies. In real life, it just doesn’t happen, or if it does, it doesn’t happen to me.

My co-workers are saying that I need to stop putting myself down, but I don’t see it as a “put down” to face reality and be aware of how things are. I might be a big dreamer, but I live in reality, too. I’ve watched it happen too many times to be naïve about it. You might have the best personality in the world and be able to make people laugh or have a wide range of discussion topics as well as excellent listening skills, but somehow, if a man is that fine, he’s not going to notice the short, fat girl standing right next to him. He’s going to be admiring “Miss Push-Up-Bra” or “Miss Legs-Up-To-Here” across the room.

OK, I know…now I’m judging him. It sounds like I’m saying that a man that fine is nothing more than a shallow, self-absorbed creature, when for all I know, this guy might volunteer at a homeless shelter on his days off. The fact is, I’m being just as shallow by ASSUMING how he would react to me without giving him the benefit of the doubt. I guess it’s my defense mechanism kicking in. I prefer to dream about the unattainable than actually be disappointed in the reality, and if I accept the disappointment before it happens, it’s easier to swallow somehow. I confess…I’m all talk and dreams. It's the first step toward recovery, right?!?

Do I have a Type?

Part 1

I’ve never known what to say when someone asks me: So who is your type? [Meaning a man, of course!] It’s been a hard question to answer. I mean, I know I’m looking for a male that is looking for a female. I don’t want any confusion on that angle. But other than that, I haven’t really narrowed the field any.

I guess technically you could say that as far as attraction goes, I like tall, well-built men. I like a man who isn’t a skinny string bean, and I’m not naturally attracted to men my height or just over my height either. As a short woman, I’ve always joked about wanting to give my kids a chance at having more height, and I guess I don’t want to lock in those short genes for any possible offspring.

I dated a guy that was about 2 or 3 inches taller than me once. He was also rather a petite build. He was a perfectly nice guy—a bit odd maybe, but not a bad guy. Secretly, I joked with friends and family that I felt I could end his life with a fatal Tae-Bo kick, and so I could never see us together. Guess, I don’t want to be able to beat my date up—-not that I’m looking for a guy who can beat me up. I’m not into that. But somehow there is that female longing inside of me in search of a man who can protect me.

Since I was in junior high, I’ve found men from India very attractive. There is something mysterious about them, and I love their tan skin along with that jet black hair and those dark eyes. But at the same time, a man with a British accent can have me drooling in like 30 seconds flat and hanging onto his every word. Not to mention that if I meet a brilliant man with a high IQ, I tend to start sighing and get that dreamy look in my eyes. There is something very attractive about a man who can carry an intelligent conversation or discuss a variety of topics while keeping his ego in check. Yes, attraction isn’t a bad thing to encounter, but intelligence is vital to me in any relationship.


Part 2

On Saturday, as Kristen and I toured the Princess Di exhibit with our friend Karen and her Mom, we had a rather interesting encounter with a security guard. He walked by us a couple of times, and after he had passed a second time, Kristen said with a smile, “Mmmm…he smells so good.” I had noticed him on an earlier passing, but I had been struck by something else entirely—-the man was hot!! And so at Kristen’s comment, I let out a laugh, and apparently it was a bit loud and obvious because unbeknownst to me, he turned around and gave a little smile after my outburst. Karen’s Mom was sure that he had heard Kristen's comment, too, and maybe he did, but somehow I think he just had an inkling that we were talking about him and was amused by it.

So as we toured the rest of the exhibit, we kept an eye out for him. I think we were both a bit embarrassed. We didn’t want to make eye contact with the guy, but still we couldn’t help being rather curious about him. What was his story? What aftershave or cologne did he use? Was he dating, engaged or what? Ah yes, we were rather intrigued! And he seemed to be everywhere we were. He’d come into the exhibit area because one of the other guards would be pointing out a scratch on the display case or something like that, and he seemed to be in charge of security. So he was also a man with power. I kept teasing Kristen about him—-asking her if she wanted me to talk to him for her, etc. I’m not that bold really, but it was April Fool’s Day, and we were all just in a giddy mood.

Even one of the exhibit workers, teased us about “sicking that cute security guard on us” when Karen almost forgot to turn in her audio headset as we headed into the giftshop. Apparently the man had been noticed by more than just a few of us!

After leaving the exhibit area, I had a serious desire to walk around to the front of the museum building and take some pictures of the Princess Di Exhibit poster draping the front of the building. So I left Kristen on a park bench and headed down a couple of flight of stairs to get to the road for a clear shot.

When I returned from my photographic adventure, Kristen asked me if I had encountered any security guards. I hadn’t, but apparently, one of the security guards (one that we had spotted with “Mr. Smell Good” earlier) came running my direction, and Kristen had wondered what I had gotten myself into or whether I had gotten into some "off limits" area or something like that. Yes, that sounded like me! But the truth was that I never spotted the guard at all. But as she told me the story, we had a good laugh and started speculating what had been going on.

As we walked back to my car to head back to Indy, we spotted him again. This time he was outside the museum chatting with someone in the parking lot. I threatened to go over and talk to him once again, but as before, I didn’t.

So why am I sharing this...besides the fact that he was so hot and smelled good!?!? Well… as we were discussing our fun day at the museum on our drive home later that evening, I said something I don’t think I’ve ever said before.

I said: “He’s totally my type.” So now I know. Maybe it’s not a permanent thing…after all, I doubt I’d turn down a date with a brilliant man from India with a British accent. But as for right now I’m wondering if I should make a 2nd trip to Dayton? Yes, I've thought about Dayton more than once or twice this week.

This brings to mind a Sarah Brightman tune on her album Songs that Got Away. The song is called "Dreamers," and the song ends with the following line: 'Cause to dreamers the real world can be unreal. (Sigh!)

Princess Diana Celebration 2

This past weekend, I visited the Princess Diana exhibit at the Dayton Art Institute in Ohio with some girlfriends. It was a fabulous adventure!

We first dined at the Café Monet on Diana-inspired cuisine. It was quite tasty. And then it was time to tour the exhibit itself. It was all put together by her younger brother, Charles, the current Earl Spencer of Althorp. Everything (including the gift shop) was put together with high class elegance and charm.

We enjoyed seeing the amusing home footage and mementos of Diana as a child, the sparkling Spencer family jewels and tiaras, Diana’s simply elegant gowns and dresses, and the stirring tribute memorabilia surrounding her death and her humanitarian causes.

But seeing her wedding dress, veil and train in person was the real highlight for me. It was simply breathtakingly beautiful! The dress was gorgeous. It’s not even particularly a style I would choose for myself, but I still found it rather marvelous. I think my excitement came from just seeing the dress in person. It caused me to relive those childhood memories of sharing that moment with my Mom on that Saturday morning long ago as we watched Princess Diana’s wedding to the Prince of Wales from our living room in Michigan. Somehow seeing the dress in person, helped me recapture some of that magic again. (sigh!)

And while Princess Diana’s fairy tale marriage didn’t have a happy ending, I still think every girl dreams of finding her own prince—be he butcher, baker or candlestick maker…he’s still her prince. After all, every girl is a princess!

Princess Diana Celebration 1

I grew up a Princess Diana fan. I remember my Mom waking me up on the morning of Lady Diana Spencer’s wedding to Prince Charles so that I could watch the wedding on television. It was incredibly like the fairy tales I loved to read and have read to me, and it all made a big impression on this 7-year-old. From her glass carriage to her 25-foot wedding dress train to the shiny tiara on her forehead…I was mesmerized. From that day on, I collected newspaper articles, magazines, books, etc. all about the royal family and Princess Diana.

I started reading the history of the royal family—you know, stuff about who begat who and who married whom. For a few years running, I was the “go-to-girl” at school as far as the person who had lots of information on the royal family and tons of useless trivia on family history, what Princess Diana liked to wear, who her favorite designer was, etc.

In college, my interest waned a bit. I had a lot of other things on mind like exams, a work schedule, and the cute guy in my psychology class, but I did keep up with the current status of the royal family as best I could. Throughout my college years just as when I was a young girl, every Christmas morning I would unwrap the gifts under the tree and find a new hardcover book about Princess Diana to add to my collection.

In 1997, I remember quite clearly the night of Princess Diana’s untimely death. I was at my brother’s home in Peru, Indiana, and one of the family members caught a blurb on CNN that there had been unconfirmed reports that Princess Di had been in a car accident. Of course, from then on, I sat glued to the living room television. And days later, my family and I watched her funeral procession together from that same living room.

Since her death, I haven’t really thought about the royal family much. I didn’t get all that wrapped up in the theories and stories that emerged surrounding Diana’s death. I just was sad that a private woman who chose to use her celebrity for humanitarian causes had been lost to the global community that had come to recognize her as the kind and charitable soul she was.