mementos

this is me:

as i've told you before, and you can plainly see, my lungs are HUGE.

i was also able to get a copy of my ct scan, where you can see the tumor much better.

those two large black circles are my lungs. the view here is if you had cut off the top of my torso and were looking down at my lungs. the white penny-sized dot on the left black circle is the tumor on my lung. it is at the very top of my left lung, where my collar bone meets my ribs.

kinda cool, huh? except for the whole tumor part.

out.
- L

my, what large LUNGS you have!

had my first appointment with the pulmonary doctor on friday. her first comment to me, after reviewing my xray and CT scan, were how beautiful my lungs are. apparently mine are just HUGE.

the doctor talked to me for a while about what may have caused the tumor on my lung. she asked about my smoking history and family history. she said it could have been caused by an infection that i didn't even know i had, like valley fever. so, to test if that is the cause, she ran some blood tests.

in three months i will have another scan to see if the tumor grew. if it did, my doctor will order a biopsy. that's where they take a needle and stab me in the chest with it to cut out a piece of the tumor. as you might expect, i'm really hoping that is not necessary.

i did get to see the results of my scan on screen. the tumor is on the upper part of my left lung, almost at the tip. it's about the size of a penny.

out.

- L

aren't you supposed to SLEEP during a sleep test??

i had my sleep test this past week. i didn't like it one bit.

i arrived at the sleep center at 9pm. 9pm is my usual bed time these days, so i showed up in my pajamas. there were a few other people there for a sleep test, and only one sleep tech, so it took her a while to get everyone wired up. since i arrived last, i was wired last. i read my book in my little room for about an hour before it was my turn. this was my room:

not much in my room except a bed, a nighstand, a few pictures hanging on the wall, and a mirror. oh, and this:

that's a camera, staring straight at the bed.

so, finally the sleep tech came in and got me all wired up for bed. the whole process took about 30 minutes. when she was done, i had 5 electrode pads on my face, another 6 on my head, 2 on my neck, 2 on my chest, 2 on my legs, 2 straps around my chest, wires in my nose, a breath sensor that sat on my lips, and a pulse reader on my right index finger.

that thing i'm holding in my left hand is the panel with all my wires. that panel was then plugged in near the bed, and i was unable to get out of bed without calling the tech to unhook me.

by the time the tech turned off the lights, it was about 11:30pm. there was no clock in the room, so the only light came from a circle of small red LED lights that surrounded the lens of that camera on the wall....a constant, eerie reminder that someone is always watching.

for the first few minutes i stared at that camera thinking how creepy it was that they were watching me lay in bed. i started to wonder if i was suddenly part of some secret government experiment. i started to imagine i was going to wake up and realize i had no idea where i had been or what had happened for the previous 12 hours.

however, then i started to remember i had electrode pads all over my head, and "they" could be reading my mind. i know you can't read minds through the electrode pads. but because i was extremely tired, in a weird room and wired to a bed, i decided it might be a good idea to think nice thoughts about aliens and government conspiracies, just in case they could read my thoughts.

i would start thinking about how creepy it was that a camera was staring at me while i had wires coming out of everywhere and was supposed to be sleeping. but then i would think, "uh oh. what if they heard me think that? i'm just kidding....it's not at all creepy that a camera is staring at me. and, i'm very comfortable with these wires on my head and in my nose. and, that sleep tech seemed like a wonderful lady. i'm not at all worried that she's going to torture me in my sleep."

eventually i must have fallen asleep, because i had some weird dreams, but i was awake for a good part of the night. finally i summoned the tech to unhook me to go to the bathroom at about 6am, and she took off the electrode pads. some of them had been taped pretty well to my face, so they took a little skin when ripped off.

i certainly hope i don't have to have another one of those soon. not very fun. i do want to mention, however, that the place i went was actually very nice and the people were very helpful. it's just a lame test that would be uncomfortable no matter where i went.

out.
- L

there's nothing disorderly about my sleep!

i had an appointment with the sleep doctor yesterday. my primary physician referred me to the sleep disorder clinic, i suspect, because he is running out of other ideas. i've always really enjoyed my beauty sleep and never had much trouble sleeping, so i was rather surprised. certainly Dog can attest to how great of a sleeper i am.



the doctor thinks my restless leg syndrome (RLS) is keeping me up at night. as i mentioned before, the low iron often causes RLS. my legs often have a tingly, almost painful feeling from the knee and below. the doctor suspects my legs continue to move throughout the night keeping me from getting the deep sleep i need.


so, we scheduled a sleep study test. that means i have to go spend the night at a clinic and get hooked up to machines. seems rather pointless - of course i won't sleep well when people are watching me sleep and monitoring my every move!

the dr. did indicate he thinks low ferritin is a part of the problem, more than my PCP has let on. it was comforting to hear that, since it's what i expected all along.

"if everyone is thinking alike, then someone isn't thinking." - Gen. Patton


- L

no turning into a piggy for me!

i was able to get an h1n1 shot today. i don't usually get flu shots as i'm not sure how much faith i have in them. however, with my current medical problems, i figured getting the flu (pig or otherwise) could be pretty bad for me. the same place i went for my seasonal flu shot called me this morning and asked if i wanted an h1n1 shot. of course i said yes.

i suppose i can stop avoiding pigs now.


i'm interested (and by "interested", i mean nervous) to see how i feel in the next few days. i got a seasonal flu shot last week, and felt rather flu-ish for a few days afterwards.

one less thing to worry about.

out.
- L

i'd like that with a side of mayo....

i tried to get into the mayo clinic because i have had good experiences in the past. i thought maybe they would be able to help me out now, seeing as it's been 5 months, no one still has any idea, and i don't feel much better.

turns out i was actually rejected by mayo. guess maybe i'm not sick enough. i can, however, go see a regular mayo doctor (just not one at the actual clinic), but unfortunately that will likely require i move to arizona for at least a little while.

so, faced with a dilemma. mayo doctors are the best, as proven by my personal experience in the past, and some improvements need to be made soon, as i can't keep feeling like this. but, i don't want to have to move, just to feel normal.

decisions.

- L

iron (wo)man: the sequel

i have been doing a lot of research about iron, specifically ferritin, over the last few weeks. at my last appointment, my doctor made it sound like my ferritin level was almost normal. the "normal" range is 15-290. i'm currently at 11. back in may, right after fainting, i was at 3.

my research has shown that, while 15-290 is indeed the normal "range", ideal is something more along the lines of 100. a ferritin level of 70 is necessary to regrow hair. no wonder i'm losing hair and feeling tired. did i mention my number is eleven?

rather frustrating, and confusing. it seems as if ferritin is a bigger problem than my doctor let on, but is it the ONLY problem? that is the question.

i really wish someone would just figure out what is wrong with me.

out.
- L

well, it's not pizza!

i was kind of hoping the CT scan would show that little spot on my lung was a piece of pizza that got lost on its way down. unfortunately, no such luck.

turns out i have a tumor on my left lung with benign appearances. they're not certain its benign, as no biopsy was performed, but given my age and low risk factors, the doctors feel comfortable waiting 6-12 months to perform another CT scan to see if the tumor is growing.

so, fairly good news. would have been better if it was just a piece of pizza, though.

"Only two things are infinite; the universe and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the former." - Einstein

- L

blood tests

i forgot to mention in my last post that i did get blood test results back at my doctor's visit this week. everything came back fairly normal. one of my iron numbers, the one that measures that iron in my blood, is completely normal. the other number, my iron storage (ferritin), is still low but almost normal, according to my doctor. he said the normal range is 15-290, and i'm at 11. is it just me, or does that sound like a huge range??

if my iron is almost normal, and i've been told my symptoms were caused by low iron, wouldn't you expect those symptoms to have disappeared by now? unfortunately, they haven't.

i have my CT scan tomorrow, and my doctor referred me to a pulmonary specialist as well as a sleep disorder specialist. i don't think anyone really thinks i have a sleep disorder, i think we're just all out of other ideas.

oh, and results from the stress test, when the techs freaked out that they saw something, came back totally normal. my guess? i think maybe the spike in my heart rate occurred when the techs were talking about the donuts in their break room, since i hadn't eaten in 4 hours at that point. i guess love will do that to your heart.

- L

you think you saw what??

i had my second stress test in one week today. totally lame. this time i had a stress test with echocardiogram, which means they do an ultrasound of my heart before and after exercising.

for a stress test, the technicians have a target heart rate that they need to get you up to in order to make sure your heart is truly "stressed". my target heart rate was 180. that sounds kind of high, given that my normal heart rate sitting is usually about 60. however, as i mentioned earlier, my heart rate increases just upon standing, even if i'm just standing still. when they put me on the treadmill this morning, even before they turned the machine on i was already at 110. so, getting up to 180 was a breeze. i could have continued to run for a while longer (see, i'm not THAT out of shape!) but they stopped once i reached the goal.

immediately after the treadmill stopped the technicians pushed me on a bed and began the echocardiogram. they moved the little stick around my chest and took pictures of my heart. at one point, the technician performing the echo turned to the other tech and said "woah! did you see that??!!" i looked at the screen to see what she was talking about, and all i could tell is that my heart waves had completely dropped off the screen for a few seconds, before coming back and resuming normal wave activity. the tech saw it again a minute or so later, and AGAIN exclaimed "oh my god!! did you SEE that?" when i asked what she saw, she dismissed my question.

don't you wish they taught medical technicians better bedside manners? aren't they trained to keep a straight face??

so, naturally, i've been worried all day since my test this morning. what did they see? is it something bad?? is my heart okay??

out.
- L

apparently i must be stressed....

...because i failed the stress test. had my treadmill stress test yesterday. i thought it went okay, i didn't have any problems running and the test technician didn't mention any problems. however, i got a call from my doctor this morning that i have to do it again. apparently the results showed a postive for something called ischemia. however, ischemia false positives are common in women my age, so the doctor thinks that's what it is. so next week i get to go in for another stress test, this time with an echocardiogram before and after exercising.



on a more exciting note, the beach house here is AWESOME! we're having a great time right on the sands of mission beach. in fact, i've got better things to do than sit here and blog! peace out!

- L

do i have something on my chest?

i was supposed to get the holter monitor put on tomorrow. i called the cardiologist today because, as i mentioned before, i have to have the holter monitor on for 24 hours. my stress test is scheduled for tomorrow, then they were going to put the holter monitor on right afterwards. however, i didn't want to run on a treadmill, put on a monitor and not be able to shower for 24 hours. that seemed like severe punishment for my friends at the beach house and the bf. so, they offered to put the monitor on today and it will come off tomorrow right before my treadmill test. which means....shower tomorrow after the treadmill! hooray!



so, i have all these wires sticking out of my chest. i feel a little like an alien, but not even one of those cool green slimy aliens that sigourney weaver rocks, but instead like one of those goofy aliens will smith is friends with. not quite the same thing.

if you compare that picture above, with the picture from the night i came home from the ER back in may, you can see an obvious difference, and probably understand why i'm a little nervous about the treadmill test tomorrow. someone's a little out of shape. :)

out.
- L

eeeeekg

i saw my primary dr. he took another EKG and scheduled a holter monitor and stress tests for my heart, and another xray to figure out what that thing on my lung is. he thinks it could just me a discolored spot or a calcium deposit, so we need to get a better look.

in the last 4 months i have had 4 EKGs. i really wish people would stop ordering them - if they're coming back normal, maybe we should stop wasting my money!! i bet my insurance company isn't too happy with me. i've already cost them thousands of dollars in the last few months, and unfortunately it looks like its about to get even more expensive.

the stress test is where they hook me up to an EKG and it records my heart activity while i exercise on a treadmill. a holter monitor, unfortunately, is a device i have to wear for 24 hours that records my heart activity through the electrode pads like an EKG. unfortunately the only time i could schedule the heart monitor test is for the weekend when my friends and i have rented the beach house. i'm going to look pretty silly in a bathing suit!!

out.
- L

back in the ER, back in the ER, back in the Eeee Rrrrr!

well, i was back in the ER yesterday. one of the symptoms i have been having over the past few months is accelerated heart rate every time i stand up. when sitting its usually at about 60-70 bpm, which is very normal. but when i stand up, it goes up to about 120. this weekend it went as high as 165. it's a weird feeling when your heart is beating as fast as it would be if you were exercising when you're just standing there.

in addition to the accelerated heart rate, i also had chest pains and shortness of breath all weekend. on monday morning, i called my doctor to try to get an appointment. the receptionist put the nurse on the phone who told me to immediately go to the ER. at the ER, they ran a bunch of tests including an x-ray, an EKG and blood tests.

the doctors couldn't find any reason for the chest pain or shortness of breath. however, the x-ray did reveal that i have a spot on my left lung. i don't know what it is, or what that means, but i don't think that's good news.

out.
- L

happy birthday Dog!

four years ago today, Indiana Jones Gilbert was born. hooray! happy birthday Dog!

out.
- L

holy crap, i'm old.

today is my birthday. my thirtieth birthday. exactly when i turned into an old lady, i'm not quite sure.

my moms flew in for the big day, and i think my sister is driving over. the three of us plus the bf are going to go check out the "bodyworld" exhibit at the museum of history in balboa park. after that, we have dinner reservations at hawthorne's in north park.

i'm not doing much to celebrate today, but some friends and i have rented a house on mission beach in september for a joint 30th celebration. i hope by then i'm back to normal.

i wish i was feeling better and had more energy so i could go out and have a good time (a good enough time to forget about being 30!!), but this is the hand i'm currently holding, so i'll do with it what i can. besides, it could be worse....i could be turning forty!!

out.
- L

do i look like i'm turning into a vampire?

i've been on iron pills for about a month now, but haven't really noticed any improvement. i'm also trying to eat a lot of foods with iron in them. and, i heard Guinness has iron in it.

perhaps i'm just a 24 pack away from being healthy again.

i have, however, expanded the list of symptoms i experience. i don't know if all of these are caused by iron deficiency anemia, or if some have as-of-yet unknown causes. besides the obvious overwhelming fatigue, here are some of my other symptoms:

i have a constant feeling of tingling in my legs, which i've heard referred to as restless leg syndrome. this is actually a well known symptom of iron deficiency.


difficulty concentrating. my head always feels cloudy, and more so than usual.


weakness. my arms and legs always feel like jello. i also tend to have swollen hands and feet. for the first few weeks, i actually had a swollen tongue. that wasn't fun.


hair loss. this one is particularly difficult for me, as i used to have a LOT of THICK hair, and i'm only 29, and, i'm a woman!! i've definately noticed a lot more hair around the house than usual. makes me wonder if i wasn't just going crazy from studying for the bar when i wrote this a year and a half ago.


short term memory loss. it has become very difficult for me to remember the......wait......what was i saying?


difficulty regulating my body temperature. i can go from feeling very cold to very hot in a matter of minutes.


the most interesting symptom by far is craving blood. pica, which means the craving of non-food items, is not unusual in iron deficiency. usually people crave things like ice, dirt, or clay. i, however, crave blood. it started as craving rare bloody meat, which is probably normal for someone who is lacking iron since red meat has a lot of iron. but after a while, it turned more into craving the "bloody", and not so much the "meat". i haven't actually consumed blood, nor do i intend to, but the craving is definitely there. i feel a little like a vampire.


perhaps that could be a new career choice.


out.
- L

swimming pools and movie stars

i haven't done anything in like 3 weeks. i go to work (on days when i CAN make it to work), then come home and sleep. i'm still always extremely exhausted, and haven't noticed any difference since i've been taking the iron. the bf and i used to go out to dinner or meetup with friends for drinks at least a week. now, we lay around and watch a lot of movies. i thought about going to lay by the pool over the weekend, figuring that would still involve lying around, but i was just too tired to walk down there.

i had an echocardiogram this week. basically, an echo is like an ultrasound of your heart. you can see the ventricles and atriums and the blood flowing in and out on a little tv screen. i felt like i was watching a tv show starring my heart. and if i may so, my heart is quite the thespian.



out.
- L

iron (wo)man

my blood tests came back showing i have iron deficiency anemia. from what i've been told, normal iron numbers for women my age are between 150-250. my number? three. yes, three. so, i have to take iron pills for the next 6 months or so. they make me kinda sick, so i'm not looking forward to that.

more later.

outdoor festivals and ambulance rides

i had tickets to the citybeat beer festival yesterday in north park. although i was a little tired and jetlagged from having just returned from d.c. on saturday, i didn't want to waste my ticket and figured beer would be the perfect pick me up.



at the festival, i was standing in line waiting for the ladies room. and by ladies room, i of course mean one of those nasty port a potties. i had only had 5 or 6 of the little beer tasters at that point (probably the equivalent of a beer and a half) when i started to feel really nauseous. then i got tunnel vision for a few seconds. next thing i knew, people were shaking me awake on the street. apparently i had fainted. everyone kept asking if my head was okay, as i apparently had fallen on it. someone called the paramedics and they checked my vitals. my pulse was racing and i was extremely dizzy. my face felt very tingly and i was slightly disoriented and confused. so, they called an ambulance. at the ER, the doctors ran a bunch of tests, mostly to make sure i didn't have any internal bleeding from my fall.



everything came back okay, so they told me i could go home, finally after 6 hours. the bf took me home and stayed by my side all night to make sure i was okay.

so, now i need to make a doctor's appointment to find out what the hell happened. i've never fainted before. it was extremely scary waking up on the street having no idea what happened. don't want to do that again.

out.
- L

district o' columbia

i was in washington d.c. last week for six days for a conference. i had not been to d.c. in almost 10 years, so i was pretty excited to go. i enjoy visiting the city because there is so much to do there and the public transportation system makes it so easy to get around and see everything.

i had a little bit of time to do some sightseeing and saw the typical attractions: the white house, capitol, supreme court, smithsonian museums, washington monument, lincoln memorial, vietnam veterans memorial and the korean war memorial. i also saw the world war ii memorial, which had not yet been built the last time i was in d.c. i thought this memorial was very well done and was happy i had the opportunity to see it.





the boyfriend also joined me for the trip, so after i was finished at the conference each day we went out and explored the different neighborhoods of d.c., particularly the adams-morgan area (near our hotel), dupont circle, and union station. we would have liked to explore the georgetown area, as we heard it was a good area for people our age, but unfortunately we ran out of time.

all in all, it was a great trip. we look forward to going back in about another decade :)

out.
- L

i'm a fan of the wired:gadget lab feeds. occasionally, they have something so entertaining/interesting/unbelievable that i like to share it with people i know. you can check out wired by clicking on the link below which will take you to the article for the product featured below.

Smoking Gun Gigarette Holder: Wrong in So Many Ways






like the author of the wired article, i used to be a regular smoking. i gave it up about 8 years ago because i was having heart problems. but a fancy cigarette holder that would make me feel as if i'm inhaling the smoke after a gun discharges its load is almost reason enough to take it up again.

i appreciate the sarcasm of shooting yourself in the mouth everytime you take a drag. there aren't nearly enough cigarette holders with (not so) subtle sardonic undertones.

out.
- L

happy easter.....

while i was searching for some cute easter graphics, even though i don't celebrate easter, i came across this cookie cutter.



in case you can't tell from that picture, it is a cookie cutter of christ on the cross. it's from a bakery in germany and goes for approximately $20 USD.

i admit that, even with four years of catholic school training that my religious etiquette is, well.....somewhat lacking. would it be appropriate for me to bake a dozen of these soft and scrumptious J.C. cookies for the crazy religious lady i work with? and if so, do i make them chocolate or vanilla?

this all seems too potentially controversial to me. instead, i like to go with images i know are safe. so.......



happy easter.

out.
- L

thursday night thing...

although i've lived here for over five years, i had never been to the museum of contemporary art downtown. a few months ago a friend started telling me about the "thursday night thing" (TNT) at the museum once a month. it's only $3 to get in and includes entrance to the exhibits and usually some musical/artistic performance and activities.





last night, we went to check out TNT since we had heard this would be the last one until november, due to the economy. the theme was "yoga:, so throughout the museum there were yoga professionals contantly changing poses. there were also a few bands playing decent music and fortune cookies as appetizers.

one of the activities available was making origami fortune tellers. mine looked kind of sorry, but at least it was a fun feeling like i was in sixth grade again.

overall, TNT was a good time. i wish i would have discovered it sooner before it takes seven month hiatus.

out.
- L

trisler's wine bar

trisler's wine bar is literally a block from where i live. i had never been, but always wanted to go, so i organized a happy hour there. i was pleasantly surprised with trisler's - i think this is going to be my new favorite hangout!




we went on a thursday during happy hour. selected (but good) glasses of wine are only $5 and beer is only $3. i didn't even notice what kind of beer they had, i only drank wine. when in rome....



we also ordered a few appetizers - meat and cheese plate, brie with carmelized onions, and artichoke dip. all were good especially the cheeses. the artichoke dip was kind of weird. it wasn't creamy like you expect dip to be, it was actual chunks of artichokes. not bad, just unusual.

overall, everything here was fantastic. even the local guitar player that had a set beginning at 7:30 was very good. i would highly recommend it.

out.
- L

cruisin......

i took the bf on one of those dinner cruises for his birthday. it was a three hour tour, a three hour toouuur, around san diego bay. i really enjoyed the dinner cruise - the food was decent, the drinks were great, and the scenery was gorgeous. the bf's birthday just happened to be on day light savings this year, so we even caught the tail end of the sunset! my only complaint about the cruise was that the dj played really cheesy love songs the whole time. other than that, we had a great time and would highly recommend the cruise for special occasions!

view of the coronado bridge as we passed under it:


out.
- L

Dog, the protector......

unfortunately, i didn't miraculously get over my sickness once i returned from vegas. in fact, it got a lot worse. since i had a high fever on sunday night, i decided to go to urgent care. they didn't tell me much except, "you're quite ill." like i coudn't tell.

so, i've been working from home for most of this week to avoid spreading my germs and to allow me to get at least some rest, since i take naps throughout the day. i've been feeling pretty miserable, so my days aren't much fun with working and laying around.

i think Dog can tell that i'm sick because he's been following me around basically every second of the day since i've been home sick. he's always by my side. even when i start having a coughing or sneezing fit while he's trying to sleep, he'll just give me an annoyed look and go right back to sleep next to me, instead of finding a more "comfortable" place to nap. he's my sweet little protector.



apparently i make a pretty good pillow. not a bad trade off for my own personal nurse.

out.
- L

vegas, baby, vegas.....

you know what's kinda lame when you're sick??

VEGAS!!!

went to vegas this weekend. i've had this trip planned for a few weeks, but ended up getting a wicked case of the flu. after going back and forth about it, we decided to still go to vegas.



the 5 hour drive there kinda sucked as i was feeling pretty miserable that day. after arriving, we settled in the hotel and i took a short nap. then, we got ready and went out to dinner at a place in the planet hollywood hotel and to a nightclub at mgm grand afterwards. it was fun, we had some drinks, talked to some guys, but i wasn't feeling well. i had a bad cough and sore throat, stuffy nose (and funny voice to match), fluid in my ears, and a fever. i actually felt a little delirious walking around....almost like i was drunk even before my first drink. at least i'm a cheap date :)

our hotel room was sweet. we stayed at the marriott that's just off the strip, onlya block away. it had a full kitchen (with fridge, oven, dishwasher, etc.) and a full living room.



and the location was pretty sweet, nestled between mgm grand and planet hollywood. all the great places were in a very short walking distance. there was so much i wanted to do while there - i still haven't seen the venetian, i wanted to do a little gambling, walk along the strip with a big eiffel tower shaped fruity drink - but unfortunately i didn't get to do any of that.

overall, not the worst trip ever, but i don't plan on visiting vegas again while sick. although, with my funny nasally voice and my off-balance stumble due to my ear fluid, i probably fit right in.

out.
- L

kickboxing.....

i signed up for a kickboxing class a few weeks ago because i thought it would be a fun new way to work out. i get up at 5:30am and go to the gym 4-5 times a week, but that gets boring fast. so i wanted to try something new.

let me tell you.....kickboxing is quite a work out!! i was sore for two days after the first class. but now, after a few weeks, its much better. i don't wanna brag, but i'm kind of like this guy....



....in no way at all. my kickboxing skills bear a much closer resemblance to this guy:



...but at least i'm having fun while getting my ass kicked :)

out.
- L

sometimes love hurts.....

i have two roommates, one is a man and one is a dog. both are pretty awesome. it's a pretty good situation for me as i love animals but do not have any of my own. i really enjoy hanging out with Dog (that's my oh-so-creative nickname for the dog), he has a great personality and is very sweet to me.

he even seems to think i'm his little girlfriend. and i have a big bruise on my leg from the dog-humping to prove it.



sometimes love hurts.

out.
- L

blindlady pizza.....

some friends and i went to blindlady pizza for dinner and drinks tonight.



my friends and i tend to be big fans of both pizza and beer, so we were anxious to check the place out when we heard it opened just a few weeks prior. blind lady is located in north park on adams street.

their beer selection was decent, but a little pricier than i expected at 6:30pm on a thursday night. nothing outrageous, i think i paid $5 for a beer. i went with an organic light beligium beer. i'm a fan of white beers, so i really enjoyed my beer.



for pizza, i had trouble deciding. many of their pizzas were.....a little unusual. being in an adventurous mood, i decided to order the butternut squash pizza. the menu indicated that it also had mushrooms, which i love. i anticipated there would be chunks of squash so that if i did not like it, i could pick it off. as you can see....



...i was wrong. the squash was basically blended into the pizza with the cheese. but somehow, it worked. it was actually pretty good. the pizza was decent size (for a woman of my size) so i ate half and saved the other half for lunch tomorrow.

i also had the opportunity to try the prosciutto pizza which i thought was better than mine.

blindlady doesn't use waitstaff, so you go to the counter and place your order. there's a separate counter for beer and for pizza, which i found to be slightly inconvenient because both lines were long when i joined. but, the place is only a few weeks old and they are likely still figuring out the kinks, so i won't hold that against them.

overall, a decent place to eat. I spent about $17-18 for a beer and pizza, including tip. you could probably find a cheaper drink and pie somewhere else, but at least you're not limited to bud light.

out.
- L

you can call me Reverend Lindsay.....

last week was a little slow, so at some point i decided to become an ordained minister. i know you're probably wondering if that is some kind of sarcastic unfunny joke that for some reason i find hilarious. but i'm actually being serious.



i thought if i can end marriages as an attorney (even though i don't practice divorce law), maybe i should be able to create them, too. not sure that i'll ever perform marriage ceremonies, or preside over wakes, but i like knowing that i can. i like having the opportunity to help out those couples that face difficulties in getting married, whether its because of financial reasons, or legal ones (e.g. same-sex marriages). makes this cynic feel like a bit of a romantic.

besides, don't ministers get some kind of special parking privileges?? ;)



out.
- L

adding to the ol' resume.....

since the staff at my office has changed recently, i have taken on a few new roles. certainly this is commonplace at any small office like mine, but some of the new tasks are a little out of my area of expertise.

for example, the guy who used to handle our IT and network issues is no longer with us. so, i've become the resident "IT guy" around the office, even though my knowledge is very basic.

last week, i removed and replaced the hard drive for a computer.



i had no idea what i was doing, but fortunately, as you can see from my goofy face in the hard drive, it was a success! now i have a new skill to add to my resume.

i feel like, although i'm not a real "IT guy" (since i know nothing about IT, nor am i a guy), i can now relate to some of their complaints. i get asked to fix some ridiculous problems.



i bet law firms are always looking for lawyers who know how to dismantle a computer, if for no other reason then to hide evidence.

who says lawyers are unethical?? ;)

out.
- L

data privacy day.....

today is data privacy day, and since i work for an information security company, i feel obligated to remind you that this is the perfect time to make sure all of your personal information is secure. over 30 million americans have been victims of identity theft, and that number is increasing rapidly. it is a good idea to check your credit report every year and make sure there is no unusual activity. annualcreditreport.com allows you to access your credit report once a year for free (unlike some of those other "free" sites that really make you sign up for something).

also, changing your passwords and pins annually is a good idea. and, although this doesn't necessarily have to do with identity theft, now is the perfect time to backup all your data on your computer. too often we put it off until our computers crash and then we wish we had done it sooner. all of those documents, pictures and files you have are important and possibly irreplacable (as I can personally attest to with my recent computer crash).

make sure you shred any old bills, credit card offers, etc....pretty much anything that has your name and address on it that you don't want to keep. it's amazing what information you can find digging in someone's trash, and how quickly it can all be put together to forge someone's identity.

i have many other tips to offer, but i'm off to celebrate data privacy day (and surely you are too!!). hope this is somewhat helpful. please let me know if you have any questions!!

out.
- L

milestones.....

my car hit 111,111 miles the other day. i thought that was pretty cool, not only because its all ones, but because i've never had a car with that many miles.



yep, i took a picture of it while i was driving. it may be illegal to call or text while driving, but as far as i know its still legal to take pictures. or shave. or eat in your car.

can you sense my disdain for the new "no-call-while-driving-laws?"

what's even more amazing than hitting 111,111 miles is where i was going when my car reached this milestone.

to work.

yeah, guess that part's not that cool.

but 111,111 miles!!! matilda is turning into an old lady.

don't tell her i said that.

out.
- L

this blog.....

i decided to create this blog after i realized i missed having a place to record my idiotic thoughts and imaginary adventures like i did in my other blog while preparing for the bar.

and, its a way for me to test out my wicked html skills, since i'm now the resident "IT guy" at my office. attorney-slash-techie, what a job.

my main hope for this blog is that it will inspire me to get out and do things, since no one wants to hear about how i sat on the couch last night and picked my nose.

or.......do you?

so, that's it. check back later.

oh, and i'm fully aware that i'm using incorrect capitalization for like every other word in this blog. so, save your grammar critiques. :)

out.
- L