Shelby's Life and Whatnot

New Glasses!

I got my new glasses today! I'm so excited--I think they are really cute. My vision has changed since I got my last glasses so these are taking a little time to get used to. Everything seems so much crisper now. And I can actually see the traffic lights! Hahaha, just kidding :). Also, an added bonus for those of you who haven't seen me for a while--here's my long hair! This is the longest it's been since I chopped it all off in the fall of '99.

These new glasses are smaller and more rectangular than the old ones. You can see a picture of the old ones in the extended entry below. That's me with much Grampa--he just turned 93. Isn't he the cutest thing ever?

Why Do I Always Get the Strange?

My doctor prescribed Clarithromycin for my sinus infection. Among the list of potential side effects is "bad taste in mouth." Guess what I have? Why do I always get the strange side effects? Yuck.

Pity Me

That cough that was getting better? It got worse. Now I'm fully congested and blowing technicolor snot in addition to splitting sinus headaches and plugged ears. Off I went to the doctor today and I now officially have a sinus infection in addition to the bronchitis. Great. I did get some antibiotics and some more of the good cough syrup (and when I say "good," I mean "GOOOOOOOOOOOOD"). And the doctor ended with, "I hope you feel better soon!" You hope??? Not exactly confidence inspiring, really. He did tell me to come back in a couple of weeks if I'm still not feeling better. Lovely.

Wikipedia Is Amazing

I am totally in love with Wikipedia. Wikipedia is a "wiki" which basically is an online list that anyone in the world can add to, update, or edit. Wikipedia is a sort of online encyclopedia. The amazing thing is that it's written entirely by different contributors (even you can make an entry!) and anyone can edit or ammend things. It's a little more complicated than that--there are some guidelines and it's moderated--but for the most part you can find just about anything on Wikipedia.

Case in point. I'm working on Chapter 21 in my novel in which I needed to have my main character drive from Cupertino (near San Jose) to San Francisco on Interstate 280. I needed her to pass Palo Alto and not be able to exit the freeway for a few miles. I used to drive the San Jose to Palo Alto drive very, very frequently (Palo Alto is where Stanford University and Stanford Hospital are) but I couldn't remember the name of the exits past Palo Alto, or the distances between them. So I was pouring over maps on Mapquest but couldn't figure out distances. On a lark I searched on something like "Distances between exits Palo Alto San Francisco California" or something equally long and rather obscure and what should pop up? A Wikipedia entry all about Interstate 280. Including a chart of all of the exits and mile markers. Amazing. Boy do I wish they had this kind of resource when I was in college writing research papers!

Guess Who Married An Aquarius?

I did!

Your True Love Is an Aquarius

Why you'll love an Aquarius: Independent yet devoted, you'll appreciate the unique approach to love Aquarius takes. You both see love as a bit of a game, and Aquarius will challenge you until you're completely hooked. Why an Aquarius will love you: You're secure enough to give Aquarius tons of space - even if it means separate interests and friends. You have the brains to keep Aquarius engaged and curious. And the passion to change the world together!

The Bronchitis That Would Not Leave

Well I'm pretty sure my bronchitis has now morphed into a sinus infection. I've had it for 3 weeks and it went through a lull a couple of days ago where I was feeling pretty good but it's back again full-force, and not just the cough this time but lots of sinus congestion and splitting headaches. Now my snot has turned to blood and if that's not a sure sign of an infection I don't know what is. *sigh* Looks like I'm back to the doctor on Tuesday (or Wednesday) to battle this thing again. Where did it come from? I don't know! But Kevin's coming down with it too so let's hope his isn't worse than mine.

Babies Everywhere!

Wonderful news to wake up to--my cousin Tracy delivered her daughter, Addison Elizabeth, 4 weeks early yesterday morning. Little Addison is small but very healthy and Mom is doing great--so much so that she sent out her own email last night announcing the birth! Congratulations to Geoff, Tracy, and little Addison!

Also good news to wake up to, a woman I only "know" online also had her baby this week. I run a message board support group for people with ICDs and their families. We are open to all who want to share their experiences, find an understanding shoulder, and want to learn more about ICDs. Our website is http://www.ICDSupportGroup.org. Anyway, one of our members, April, has just given birth. Like Tracy she was a few weeks early but her son, Tyler James, is also small and healthy. This is an accomplishment because there are very few ICD recipients who go through a pregnancy and the complications are unknown. In April's case she flew through the 6 hour labor and delivery with no problems at all--an inspiration for young women with ICDs who want to have children. Congratulations April!

Optimistic Optometrist

I went to my new optometrist today! What a great exam. My doctor was very thorough and took a lot of time with me. I picked out a new pair of glasses since Digory chewed up the stem of my current glasses. The ones I got are super cute, and they have the sunglasses that attach magnetically, which will be nice. I'm also going to give contacts another try so I go in for a fitting next Tuesday. Should be fun!

Cough

Good news--the cough is lessening. Now I'm all congested and the cough is "productive" but I'll be glad to get this out of my system. On the bad side, it looks like Kevin may have caught it too. Let's hope that his is milder than mine!

Was Blind But Now I See

It's a miracle folks--I have made an optometrist appointment! I know, I know, pick your jaw up from the ground. Talk about procrastination. Last year, or actually last year and a few months ago, Digory felt the need to chew up the stem of my glasses. They're wearable, but kind of scratchy. I have, of course, failed to go get them replaced since that time. Also, I'm nearly positive my prescription has changed. Very slightly--I'm still perfectly able to read and drive--but I feel like it could use an adjustment just a tad.

At any rate, I am going in tomorrow morning to get said eyes checked out and to order a new pair of glasses. I'm also considering contacts again. I stopped wearing them once I got sick because I took a lot of naps and they would just dry out and suction themselves to my eyeballs. I have a problem with dryness anyway and napping didn't help that. I suppose I could have taken them out before napping and put them back in afterwards but come on--that's way too much work when I can just grab my glasses and be done with it.

I'm quite used to my glasses and I think this style looks cute on my face. One thing I wish, though, was that I could wear sunglasses. That would be nice. Anyway, optometrist tomorrow! I'll keep you updated. I know you'll be on the edge of your seats.

Great Ebay Seller!

I got my new tart warmer today! I bought it through eBay and got a great price on it too. I can highly recommend the seller Pspicer51. Her eBay store, Soy Wax Tarts And Warmers By Patsy, is here. The warmer shipped in lightning time (I ordered late Sunday night and it was at my door Wednesday morning). It was very well packaged and came with 6 free tarts. If you're in the market for an affordable, cute warmer, you can't go wrong with Pspicer51. Let the joyous scents begin!

Tart Warmers

I simply must introduce you to my latest obsession: wax tarts. A wax tart is a scented disk of wax that is basically a candle without a wick. You place it in a tart warmer, which is either electric or a dish under a tealight. When the tart warms, it throws off the scent. It's just like candles except you get 1,000 times the scent. They're incredible. Tarts are small and portable, easy to order, and come in a billion different scents.

First, a picture of a tart warmer. This is the one I used to have:

Unfortunately I put the warmer in the freezer to get the tart out and it cracked the bowl. A total bummer since it was electric and the perfect size for my office. Why did I put it in the freezer? Well that's the easiest way to get out a tart or any candle from a burner. Just put it in the freezer for about 10 minutes and the wax just pops right out. I loved the tart warmer above but it was just 1 piece which did make it hard to change tarts. So now I've bought the following warmer on eBay:

You may notice that the only difference is that the second one has a removable bowl. This will be very convenient for getting the wax out as I described above.

Now what do you put into a tart warmer? Well...tarts, of course! Here's what they look like:

Those are from Skindazzles. However, many etailers (retailers on the internet = etailers) make tarts in cute little shapes. There are two kinds of tarts: paraffin and soy based. Paraffin is like the candle and can burn chemicals in the air. Soy tarts are made from soy wax and burn cleanly. Plus if you spill a soy tart wax you can clean it up with soap and water! For that reason, I prefer soy tarts.

I have two places that I just LOVE to buy my tarts from and those are:

Soy-Simple tarts
and
Skindazzles

Both Soy-Simple and Skindazzles are located in Canada so you do get hit with some shipping charges, but the quality of the tarts are well worth it. Skindazzles also does AWESOME homemade bath products. I can highly recommend their products, especially their whipped body frosting (lotion).

So I'm spreading the word--come over and experience my tart warming for yourself, and then go out and get one for your house. Or two! Or three!

No Butter or Bee Hives!

I was looking up some postal rates for sending a package to Canada and came across a list of things you can't mail there. Apparently they've disallowed both butter and I can't believe it's not butter, and bees and bee hives. Damn. That puts a damper in my plan!

When You Need a Little Pick-Me-Up

Go here! It's very cute and will put a smile on your face.

Akeelah and the Bee

I had a great day yesterday! My friend Ragon came down and we went to lunch and wandered around the Block at Orange. We capped it off by watching Akeelah and the Bee. What a great movie! It's about an 11 year old, Akeelah, who discovers a talent for spelling. She's from South Central Los Angeles and must fight her way to the National Spelling Bee. I won't give away the ending except to say there's a nice twist I wasn't expecting. Talk about the feel-good movie of the year, this one's fantastic. I loved it.

Define: Shelby

Who Needs Sleep?

Oh for crying out loud--it's 6:30 am and I'm wide, wide, wide awake. Those of you who know me know that this is just sick and wrong. I've been awake and bored out of my mind since 5 so I finally gave up the charade and got out of bed. This means that I'll be taking a monster nap during the day.

I got a brief reprieve from the bronchitis while I was in Vegas but it's come back full-force. The worst part was that the nausea and vomiting I had so frequently came back. I ran out of my primary nausea medicine and am STILL waiting on the mail-order pharmacy to send me my refill. Finally after keeping little to no food down for about 24 hours, Kevin strongly urged me to call the doctor to have him prescribe a small amount to get me through until when the refill arrives in the mail. I did and I'm feeling 1,000 times better. Don't know why I procrastinated on that one--I just kept thinking the meds would come in the mail. Wrong.

Anyway I slept all day yesterday so now I'm wide awake. My sleep cycle has totally been thrown off by this illness but I'm hoping I'll be able to get back to a regular schedule now that I don't have to constantly lie down to keep from throwing up.

Good times. Good times.

Vegas--Woo Hoo!

We're back from Vegas and we had a fabulous time! We stayed at Mandalay Bay, a fabulous MGM-owned hotel at the very South end of the strip. This is definitely my favorite hotel that we've stayed at by far. It's got a fabulous set of pools. There are 2 regular pools, then a large wave pool and a "lazy river" that's a river-type pool with a current that pushes you along. The idea is that you'll glide along on inner tubes (which can be rented for only $20!) but we just swam it and that was a lot of fun too. The wave pool wasn't as cool as it could've been. The waves were pretty spaced out--I'm assuming because they were pretty powerful. Of course one hit right as we were getting in and I was taken by surprise and totally wiped out and was carried away on my butt. It was hilarious. I tried body surfing only to find that it rubs you along the bottom of the pool which doesn't hurt, but does snag up the front of your bathing suit--my brand-new suit too! That kinda ruined it for me.

Anyway they have changed the slot machines so that they no longer take coins. That's a bummer because the fun of the slot machine before was the tactile and audio experience of putting the coin in the machine, pulling the lever, and cashing out when the coins hit the tray. Instead it's all done with tickets now. You insert your money and play off of your credits, and when you win (notice I said "when"--heh) and you cash out, it prints out a ticket for you. The ticket has a bar code and you can either stick that in another machine or just go to the cash machine and it will cash it out for you.

I was very bummed upon our arrival at my complete inability to find my favorite machine--what we call the "Pig-Pig" machine. Its actual name was the Big Bang Piggy Bankin' Game. What made Pig-Pig so fun was the bonus video feature (I really like machines with a bonus feature of some kind). The Pig-Pig game had piggies on the screen and if you lined up 3 pigs in a row you got to play the piggy game, which afforded you extra coins. The best part of the Pig-Pig game though, was when you didn't win at the slot portion, the pigs on the screen would laugh at you and mock you. It was brilliant. Alas, all of the Pig-Pig games are gone. They were always hard to find but Mandalay Bay had an island of Pig-Pig machines. Not anymore.

However, we did discover something else. The advantage of these ticket systems I was talking about above is the return of the penny slot! Yes, you may have thought that the penny slot was dead since they were very, very hard to find, but now they're everywhere! Now that you don't have to deal with actual pennies. And this brings me to my new favorite game: The Star Wars Penny Slot!

Man, I LOVE this game! And it's only a penny!

Here's how it works. On the screen there is 3 rows of lines and 5 columns of pictures. This is all digital, by the way. No actual rolling parts. Okay, so you can play up to 30 "lines" which means different winning combinations. Obviously a straight line from left to right is a winner. Then there are diagonal lines and lines with interconnect--if you pick 30 you get everything on the screen. I like to play with 5 lines. Then you can wager as many credits (coins) as you want--1 per line, 2 per line, etc. I wagered 1 per line with 5 lines for a total of a 5 cent bet at each spin.

You spin and try to match up the symbols, like any other slot. When you match 3 or more, you're a winner. If you match characters (Luke, Leia, Han, etc.) it plays a very short video of them. But there's more! There's the Darth Vader/Obi-Wan Kenobi game. If you get Darth and Obi-Wan, you pick one (by touching the screen) to win and they have a light saber fight. If the one you picked wins, you get big bonus coins. If you lose, you get some consolation coins. And the best part is the Death Star bonus. Notice the globe thing on the picture at the top of the machine. That's the Death Star. When you match 3 Death Star symbols on the slot portion you get to play the Death Star game, where the Death Star spins and lands on numbers indicating how many extra coins you've won. The Death Star game is definitely the funnest part, even though you can win more on straight-up matches in the slot portion, as I found out when I matched 5 Chewbaccas and won 1,000 coins. Dude! 1,000! That's $10 on a penny slot! I was pretty excited about that.

I think the very best thing about Star Wars though is the fact that it's only a penny, or if you played like I did, a 5 cent machine. You get all of the fun and excitement of playing the slot machine with extra bonus games, but don't have to invest any real money. You can throw in 5 bucks and play for an hour. It's great! Hooray for Star Wars!

Aside from playing Star Wars and swimming, we also did a lot of eating and we saw a show. We ate at the House of Blues which has really good food. Which makes it a total mystery why our House of Blues, the one in Downtown Disney just a few miles from our house, has really bad food. Bottom line: House of Blues Vegas = yum. House of Blues Anaheim = not so much.

We did share one really nice dinner at Shintaro in the Bellagio hotel. Wow, was this good. We did not get to sit at a Teppanyaki table (which I thought we would, but oh well) but the food was absolutely outstanding. I highly recommend Shintaro.

After our nice dinner we saw Avenue Q. It's a Broadway show unfortunately adapted for Vegas. By "adapted" I mean that apparently Vegas audiences only want to watch shows that are 90 minutes long so the original Avenue Q was cut down to fit that time frame. Oh well. Anyway, Avenue Q is a parody of Sesame Street--it's a Sesame Street for adults. Featuring songs like "What Do You Do With a BA in English," "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist," and "The Internet is for Porn," the acting is done by puppets with very obvious actors holding them. It's absolutely hilarious, especially if you're a child who grew up on Sesame Street. I highly recommend Avenue Q as well.

So in a nutshell, that was our trip to Vegas. It was very nice to get away and have a good time. I highly recommend that.

Off to Vegas!

Tomorrow we're off to Vegas! See you Wednesday!

Uggggghhhhhh

Still alive, but barely. The bronchitis has seemed to have gotten worse. And to add to my misery, the cough medicine the doctor gave me is making me throw up unless I'm laying flat in bed. However, if I don't take it, I have coughing fits. I called the doctor yesterday to ask him to prescribe something else but they never got back to me. Which I'm kind of not surprised about because the receptionist seemed a bit...distracted (putting it nicely). Okay, I just called back and they're going to mark it "urgent" on his desk. Let's hope this one works.

Unfortunately I had to miss an important recital last night. Our friend Dave performed his Master's recital in classical guitar. His wife Chelsea sings with him. I knew that he'd be recording the performance and I didn't want to be the big jerk in the back row hacking all performance so I stayed home. I'm hoping to feel well enough tonight to go to their party.

Okay, back to bed.

It's Official

I have bronchitis. Ick. I decided to go ahead and go to the doctor today because of our VEGAS BABY! trip, figuring if this was something that required medication I'd probably better get started sooner rather than later. I just love my doctor though. He's always so thorough, and has open appointments. So I went in and came out with a prescription for some hard-core cough medicine (hooray! I can breathe now!). It's a virus so there's nothing else to do but he thought I should be feeling better in time for VEGAS BABY! so that's good.

Wiped Out

For those of you who've been wondering where I've been lately, I've been absolutely wiped out. I'm not quite sure what's going on. I have this annoying cough--intermittant but just often enough to be, well, annoying. It's also worse when I'm in bed. And speaking of bed, I'm in bed all the time these past few days. Very strange. Anyway, I hope to be up and at 'em soon because we're going to Vegas in a few days. Vegas Baby!

Blank! Blank!

My poor blog has gone blank! Not much new to report. Friday night we had Kevin's family, Ken, Cindy, and Zach over for dinner. Digory went BONKERS seeing Zach, semi-bonkers about seeing Cindy, and pretty much could have cared less about Ken. Nice. The diner was quite nice. We'll have to do that more often.

Yesterday we stopped by to see Grampa Rosiak (my paternal grandfather) on the way to a wine tasting. He was in good spirits but looked terrible due to a fall. Apparently about a week ago he'd fallen in the night right on his face. He was 100% okay (thankfully!) but now has some residual bruising. Luckily he doesn't remember the accident at all. We sat and looked through his photo album. He was delighted to see the pictures but it's clear his memory is very much fading. When we showed him pictures of Addison and Ethan, my cousin's sons, he did get a little agitated stating several times that "I should go over and see them more often." They actually live in Chicago. I told Grampa we'd call and they would come and visit soon, which seemed to calm him. Altogether he looks great for having just celebrated his 93rd birthday!