At precisely the moment that this post published (4:53 AM), I decided I was ready to enter into this crazy world filled with hairy people wearing bell bottoms and listening to loud disco music.

My mother tells me I was fast to make my appearance, my folks barely getting the paperwork finished before I ‘popped out’.

(My wording, not hers, by the way.)

(And, although I have never given birth to a child, I highly doubt I merely ‘popped out’.)

Ironically, I am the furthest from a morning person that one can be. So, being born before the sun rises does not necessarily determine a person’s sleeping preferences…

As far as I can tell, nothing much of consequence happened on the actual day of my birth, unless you count the fact that the fat Elvis performed.

I suppose that still leaves me room to make my mark on this world… somehow…

Ideas, anyone?

And, slightly off subject, does anyone else remember monchhichi’s?!

I vaguely recall them, and only when I see this photo.

After two, yes two, trips to the license bureau, I have successfully renewed my driver’s license until 2014.  Two trips were made because I was not aware that I needed to bring my birth certificate with a ‘raised seal’ on it.  Damn the terrorists making things more complicated for us non-terrorists.  I do find it odd that the last time I renewed my driver’s license was before the September 11th attacks, though.

For some reason, I was caught off guard when I was asked if I was registered to vote.  On a whim, I decided that I might as well go ahead and register.

(No, I’ve never been registered before.)

(Yes, I am a thirty-something year old American citizen.)

(No lectures needed, thanks.)

So now I sit here, with all these political ads running on TV in the background, and wonder… who would I vote for?

Uh….

um….

well…

Heck, I don’t know anything about anything.

Especially when it comes to politics.

Maybe I’ll just accidentally forget that I’m registered…

Did anything brighten up your day today?
when I flipped the light switch, it got brighter

How are you feeling at this exact moment?
like I need to tinkle

Are you someone who worries too often?
absol-frickin-lutely

Do you ever wonder how other people see you?
eh, sometimes

What is one good thing you’re known for?
I’m a great listener

How about one bad thing?
I assume things too often

Are you taller than most?
nope

When was the last time you sang an ENTIRE song?
on the way home from work

Are you the type of person who likes to be out or home?
I’m mostly a homebody

What time do you normally go to bed?
uh… 3 AM or so? It depends

What is one thing that is currently bothering you?
that I still have to tinkle

What did you do today?
went to work and the grocery store

What does your appearance look like right now?
I’m wearing mismatched jammies

Do you consider yourself to be attractive?
eh

What was the last thing that you ate/drank?
drinking a diet coke, had spaghetti for dinner

Is anything annoying you now?
that I still have to tinkle!

Do you realize it when you curse?
most of the time

Who did you last talk to in person?
Tom

Last phone call?
Elizabeth

Whose graduation will you be attending next?
uh, I dunno, actually

Do you think some people are crazy for wearing jeans in the summer?
nope

What song could you listen to over and over and never get sick of it?
there are several

Are you wearing socks?
currently, no

Do you regret something you did yesterday?
I don’t think so

Last movie you watched in theatre?
holy moley, I have no idea. Its been a long long time.

What kind of bottoms are you wearing?
blue capri pajama bottoms

How many windows are open on your computer?
two

What do you hear right now?
Judge Alex … and I don’t know why its still on!

how many hours of sleep did you get last night?
9

Is something bothering you right now?
nope (I finally tinkled!!)

Are you sarcastic?
very much so, thank you

Are you shy?
depending on the situation, but I definitely can be

Are you talkative?
to the right people, yes

In the past week have you felt stupid?
probably

In the past week have you gotten your hair cut?
nope, but thinking about it

In the past week have you watched cartoons?
does King Of The Hill count?

Has someone disappointed you recently?
uhm, I don’t think so

If you could pack up and move, would you?
like, out of the state? No, I doubt it.

What person in your family are you the most like?
I’m not sure. My dad?

Who were you with last night around 11:00PM?
Tom and Paul

Where is your sister right now?
She better be at home asleep

Are you hungry?
not currently

Last time you talked to your mom?
called her for a quick question today

What do you smell?
clean laundry

Where were you at 9am this morning?
asleep

Who was the last person you yelled at?
I’m not sure. Tom, probably. Poor guy.

How has the week been?
Uh, fairly uneventful, actually

Is there something you wish you could tell someone but can’t?
Can’t think of anything off the top of my head

Would you kiss the last person you kissed again?
aw, it was Tom!!

Do you sleep with the TV on?
on ’sleep’ mode for 60 minutes

Are you too forgiving?
its situational, but I can be

Where are your parents right now?
My mom is prolly playing a puzzle on her laptop at home

Who do you miss?
family

If you could have any car what would it be?
my car would be pretty nice if the flipping convertible top went down!!!

What are you stressed out about?
well, now you’ve got me thinking about my stupid car, thanks.

Do you have anything in your pockets right now?
nope

When was the last time you drove?
today

What do you do with most of your time?
surf the ‘net

How many clothes do you have in your closet?
I actually just cleaned out a loooooooot to donate to The Blind

On a scale of 1-10 How good is your life?
I’d say its a solid 8

Are you high-maintinence?
me? really? no.

Are you happy with the way life is going?
overall, actually, yes.

After running all my errands today, I called Tom when I was on my way home.

When we were done with our normal conversation, Tom asked, “So, can we go geocaching today?”

I paused, and thought, and answered, “Well, I’m not saying ‘no’.”

The day was perfect. It wasn’t too hot. It wasn’t to windy. There wasn’t a threat of rain, and it hadn’t rained so recently that Tom’s chair wouldn’t be able to travel through the grass.

I didn’t have to work.

I felt okay. Not jumping up and down for joy, but not ready to curl up into bed as soon as I arrived home, either.

So, once I got home and resituated, we loaded up into the van and headed out to a local park to find a couple caches.

Geocaching is always a team building exercise for us, as I would assume it would be for anyone who goes out with more than one person. But, obviously, with Tom being a wheelchair, being a team is a little more important.

And, uh, sometimes we’re less than perfect at being a team.

Our communication skills are sometimes a little … strained, also.

Needless to say, sometimes I forget that we’re supposed to be having fun. Go figure.

But, somewhere during the process of finding the geocache, and seeing Tom enjoying himself while being outside and away from the confines of our yard, I remember that its not about geocaching as much as its about enjoying our time together.

Corny, yes.

But, its the truth.

I’m sure there will be a lot of posts going up about Bernie Mac’s death.  I am one of an unknown number that are flabbergasted and blindsided by this death.  50 years old is way to young, in my opinion.

And, as upsetting this situation is, I am more in shock.

I sit here, slightly shaken, because Tom has had pneumonia several times after becoming a quadriplegic.

There was one long stay that the pneumonia was so severe that the doctors wanted to put Tom on a respirator, since it had compromised his ability to breathe that intensely.  Tom refused the respirator, after having a horrible experience with one immediately after his initial injury.  When Tom’s heath had improved significantly during that stay, the doctors shook their heads with relief and whispered of close calls.

Tom battled through each time.  He’s been very lucky, all things considering.

And, although I knew that pneumonia could be potentially deadly, I never feared that Tom would not recover.  There were a couple times that I really should of been worried, though.  I don’t know if it was me being naive to the severity of the situation, or if I just never had any doubt.

Reading about Bernie Mac’s death brings me right back to all those hospital stays for pneumonia … and how lucky Tom and I are to have been able to go home.

As I approached the end of my second month’s worth of paxil, I found myself starting to slip backwards on my anxiety scale.  I was getting more irritable and less comfortable in my own skin.

After calling the doctor, and running up to Wally World’s pharmacy, I will be taking my first increased dosage tonight.  I sure hope this dosage will be the winner.  But, I will not compromise.

I will give this dosage its month to take affect, and keep a close eye on my mind and body.  If the symptoms persist, I will be contacting the doctor again.

Anxiety is a horrible feeling to deal with.  I will not let it completely take a hold of me ever again.

Blue gave me the keys to her blog while she’s away ‘camping’.

I’ve decided to expose the truth about her while she’s gone.

Go read all about it before the story breaks on CNN.