My grandmother had an 8 pound tumor taken off her ovary in her 40s, and breast cancer twice. So it IS important to go...

Kat, there are no other ones, these are the only ones in two hours that accept the insurance. 🤦

Oh but, I love the IUD! I've had 3? Now.. I think. One after Lily, and two after Iz. Other than putting it in and taking it out (which they can do the same day!) It doesn't really hurt at all.. set it and forget it! And there's basically no more periods, which is great.

Also.. if I found out I was pregnant I'd probably have a breakdown. I. Am. DONE. I don't even want to coo at strangers babies anymore lol

I've been dealing with this stupid vertigo again. I don't get how mine is connected to neck pain b/c as soon as start getting a kink in my neck, that's when it flares up. Got some new pillows and that's when it started. Guess I can't have expensive pillows. (It was 2 for $43, so they're similar to the MyPillow.) I usually just pick up 6-7 dollar pillows from Walmart.

Anywho... I used to want to go back to school when I worked nights several years ago. I would've done a more focused school or boot camp for either software or hardware. Now I'm glad I didn't because the longer I've been at the company I work for, the more I see the reason there's such fierce competition in the IT (information technology) field and it's not because there are more people trying to get in that field. Millions of jobs have been outsourced and while that's bad enough, large corporations are paying for work visas to bring the offshore people to the U.S. Somehow this is cheaper than paying the salaries of the thousands of people that have degrees and have experience in the field and already live here.
It's a terrible field to be in, for sure. I'm working towards a goal to get out or at least be protected against a possible replacement and that's all I can focus on right now.

I haven't had a gyno appointment in over 10yrs. I hate it. Never had a mammogram, either. I think the physical and blood workup once a year are more useful and don't cause pain afterwards. (except for this one time the lab lady caused a major bruise on my arm from the way she drew my blood - my youngest knew what it was and explained it to me, since she's the phlebotomist, and it had something to do with the initial suction or between vial changes.. Idk) I'll get around to it eventually, whenever I find a new doc.

NOT having a period would be quite nice. I couldn't do it unless its covered by insurance tho. I might ask when I go in, just to see. Not like I need pregnancy protection :P But not having a period might be worth it. (Aunt Flo is currently visiting, probably enhancing my feelings about this LOL)

I agree Taarna, that unless you are comfortable with your doctor it is very awkward to go for ladies visits. I've only had a mammogram twice. Not too awful but not nice either. I need new pillows, but haven't gotten any. You would think the pricier ones would be better. But I buy the cheap ones cuz thats all I can afford, so I guess that is what I am used to. Right now I have two old smooshed ones stuck together to make it fluffy enough in one pillowcase LOL The other two I have are hard as a rock and uncomfortable so I just use them for propping, not sleeping.

I mean, it's not just the awkwardness of it, it's the fact that for me it's caused bleeding and cramping. Now I don't know if the doc was too rough in their scraping or what but that was my last experience and I haven't wanted to go back, since. It's just archaic what women have to go through compared to men. And having your boobs smashed in a machine that has a tendency to give false positives just makes me angry. I do my self checks and with the extreme PMS that I get and the length of time I have it, my breasts are more often than not painful to move, let alone touch or have smooshed.

I've always wanted to try out expensive pillows but could never justify it. Now I wish I wouldn't have. I might see if these have some kind of return policy on them.

Oh Kat, I listened to a creepypasta story last night I think you might like. I'll have to track down the written story. :P

[edit] Oh, I found it already, lol. I'm a teacher

That is really weird. Really creepy. Also, a lot sad if you look behind the story for a meaning. I am very glad I read it in the MORNING and not night or I might have nightmares. I am not a horror fan.

Its been raining all morning. I went in and looked at my new childhood class assignments. Practiced my speech, added a bit at the beginning and end now that I've read some new chapters.... Need to go back in and start reading for the childhood classes now I guess. Have been assigned a 2nd paper to write. good thing I looked up and outlined the first one, so now I have to go back in and write it, then do the same for this new assignment. I think its a little weird, that even tho he is giving us 3 weeks to work on it, he assigned the next one while we are still working on the first. Guess it doesn't' have to be super in-depth or anything or else I'll never get it done. Had to look up APA format and figure out what to quote, how to do the quotes/citations, and how to do the reference page.... the English class I took I did the paper in MLA format. sigh Figures, eh? But thankfully there isn't a big difference and a found a "help" page to help me put the quotes/references in the proper way. YAY I am now wondering if the THIRD paper will be assigned next week or if he will wait longer? I dunno. Find out next week, I guess.

[edit] oh phew. I thought for a while I was not going to be able to do my school stuff. I kept getting an error page when opening my ebook. I tried to sign into the cengage site, and it told me I didn't have an account, so created one, and it told me I couldnt access my books. Then I remembered that since I access the books thru the school website, that i should try my SCHOOL email and I did, and I am now able to access my ebooks. Although the direct link from the "classroom" is still giving an error. I don't care as long as I still have access SOMEHOW! Phew. Oh and I just got a phone call. Apparently even AFTER all my back and forthing explaining things, SOMEONE is still confused about the water meter situation there. SOOOOO I have to make another phone call and explain it to someone ELSE...again. Whatever :P

LOL sorry. I didn't finish it b/c I fell asleep but I got halfway through it and thought about what he said in the beginning about kids from a teacher's standpoint (and a parent) is pretty good. :P I got to the imaginary friend and a little after but not completed. To lighten it up a bit, I was reminded of the movie Drop Dead Fred......... TELL ME YOU'VE SEEN THAT?!!! 😂 Such a fun movie.
Ok, so I'll be more careful about what I send to read and it will be more along the lines of A Shattered Life. I DO have another in mind but it's being elusive for some reason. It's another psychological/sci-fi type and has absolutely no scary shit. Definitely on my favs list.

We got a lot more rain last evening/night. The plants are looking AMAZING. Gonna have to put another line of string up already for the peas and the lettuce just looks YUM. Can't wait to start cutting off some pieces. Tomatoes all look incredible, but those are my babies I started in February so naturally they're doing good. ;)

lol Your classes can get amusing, from the outside. :P

I know the movie. Cannot say I've really watched the whole thing. No worries, as I said thankfully I read it in the morning lol

I guess that is the good thing about classes. Always something new! 😝 It is somewhat entertaining even for me, trying to figure it all out.

Ooh reminded of Nathan Dr apt tomorrow afternoon. Oops. He wanted to go hang with a friend and go swimming. But with the rain they weren't sure when....it was today or tomorrow and now I reminded he can't go tomorrow afternoon. Oh well! It'll be alright

- Don't worry, I take my health very seriously thanks to the septic embolism. I just don't go to the lady bits doc. I run everything I possibly can through my Pain Management Doc. She is the most amazing doc I've ever had and she's not even a doctor. She's a physician's assisstant. I'm not sure what the difference is except, maybe some schooling. I'm not sorried about my lady bits, anyways, because I went menopausal 4 years ago. No more mess, thank the gods. And I do the self-exam because I don't trust those boob-smushing machines.

You're welcome, kat77 for the gifts. :D

Taarna - I have vertigo, also. There are days I have to hug the walls to keep from falling over. As for keepsakes, we only have 1 box because we used to be nomads. It's not easy to keep a lot of keepsakes when you live a nomadic lifestyle. We have accumulated more now that we've been in one place for more than a couple years, but not much more. We still have the tendency to be ruthless with stuff accumulating. Then again, we don't buy much stuff, either. :D

the doctors office I go to regularly for illness is a walk-in clinic, so I often see a PA instead of an actual Doctor. I don't mind, they are usually very competent and kind. I do not know the knowledge difference between them either. I am trying very hard to eliminate some of the stuff. Slowly. Probably by the time I get rid of most of it, I'll be collecting grandkid things instead hahahah! :P

I completed FIVE assignments yesterday. Finished the first paper I had to write in the one childhood class. Read 1 chapter, did the quiz and an assignment in the other childhood class. And two work ethics assignments. I also finally got my binder I used for the classes last semester and have now hole punched and stuck my papers for these classes in it, to help me stay organized (it was stacked up nicely on my desk, but then I had to grab the whole stack to look thru and see what I'd written/needed to do) - I print off the directions for the assignments and then scribble notes on the printed sheet, then type it up in word and submit it lol. I also print off a calendar of due dates when there is one available and check off what I complete. With the binder I can use divider tabs and quickly find the class I want/assignment I'm working on. Going to go read the next chapter, do the next quiz, start the next assignment...plus there is a "mid-term assignment" in that class. Tomorrow (or maybe later today) I'll read the chapter for the 2nd class, work on THAT assignment, and start on the next paper. Oh yes and practice my speech again ;) As much time as I have, maybe I'll remember the majority of what I want to say and not say it in a jumbled order hahaha! I did rearrange my room again a little bit, to make the camera able to be more at eye level for this next recording. Had to find a slightly taller shelf and some boards to hold the tablet straight up & down. lol Oh yes, I did get a grade for the intro video. I got a 100 :D And in case anyone missed it, the assignment I turned in late for the speech class, he only counted off 5 points. (so I got a 45/50). YAY However he is having to go to a funeral this week and thus why he pushed assignment due dates back, and hasn't graded the proposals for the informational speeches yet.

[edit] 1030am Friday Well just found out the house next door sold. I did see a guy out there for several hours the other day, guess that was the property inspection. But there was someone outside today and looked like they were messing with water type pipes so I went to tell them that I had a new meter installed and that there was no water service over there....so thats how I found out they did know because it was sold and the inspector didn't have water. oops. I didn't think to tell them earlier because I didn't think it would sell that fast!

- There's nothing wrong with keeping momentos. I wish I had kept somethings we lost. You really are a busy bee with your class work. I remember being like that. I wish I had the energy now. :) Oh, a new neighbor! Are you looking forward to meeting them? :D

yes and no on meeting the new neighbor. I mean, well they are buying the house, they'll be living there a while at least (lots of people buy and sell frequently tho many also buy and STAY like me...so I don't know which type I'll get). So I'd like to get to know them but... I am not quite so social in real life as I am on here, but I am sure we will have some interactions. I have enjoyed the few neighbors that I have gotten to know in the past, so hopefully that will be the case with these new ones. The first neighbors we met were elderly, they took us and our kids in sort of like another set of grandparents. The lady died and the man remarried and sold his house about 2yrs ago. I like the lady who lives there now. (That is the house on the other side of me, not the one that just sold) - The house right next door was always a rental, and people came and went while we were also renting our house. But after we purchased it, and that one got purchased (still as a rental) there were only two couples who lived there. The first we socialized with a good bit, they were our age and the man had a lot in common with Ryan. The lady had stuff in common with me, but she wasn't as social (just like I am not lol) The next couple that lived there were young kids, like my oldest childs age. So while we got to know them a little, we didn't really socialize with them.

Haha yes I am quite busy with my classwork. I don't like having things not done, in case you had not figured that out. Also I am always afraid that if I don't get it done quickly I'll run out of time and then NOT be able to turn in assignments, so I'd rather get them done early and KNOW I have finished them and turned them in.

Just made a strawberry banana smoothie with the vanilla almond milk. Not bad. I think I like the chocolate better, but thats probably just because I am a choco-holic! :P

Dropping by to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY, !
Hope you're doing something fun today! :P

New neighbors don't sound like fun, Kat.

I guess it just depends on the type of neighbor they are? Hopefully they'll be nice ones, because it is quite obvious that we share the driveway, and that I have an outside dog - to anyone who came to VIEW the house in person, which if you are buying it, I would assume you would look at it in person. So they know what they are getting into (at least a little) LOL

Just got back from shopping. Got to get gas, I am going to take Ryan his fathers day gift tomorrow at some point, and I have to go to Fayetteville for the eye doctor Monday. They have sent me a text, and email and called TWICE to confirm my appointment. For crying out loud. It should be freaking confirmed by now!!!

- New neighbors make me wary. I'm not social at all irl. I'm a hermit. A shut-in, a recluse. We life in a 4-plex, which is a duplex with 4 units.Our neighbors across the foyer are nice. They lived here before we moved in. And then there are our upstairs neighbors. They walk around like there was no such thing as gravity and staying attached to the planet means they need to stomp as hard as they can with each step. We call the mom Godzilla, the boyfriend Mothra, and the 8 year old boy, Godzuki. They are the typical renters. They've been here a year and we expect them to move out with in the next year. I can't wait. We live in a low income community and sometimes the units remain empty for a long time between tenants. I'm hoping that will happen again. I don't like noisy, stompy upstairs neighbors. I hope yu get some good neighbors this time around. :) I was the same way with my class work. I had to finish it as soon as I knew it was due. Drove my hubby and kids nuts. They survived, though. LOL Just finished placing a grocery order with InstaCart. They now deliver! So, I'll have my 2 weeks of groceries delivered to my door and I didn't even get out of the recliner. Life is good. :D

I lived in a duplex once as a child. There is also a duplex next door, at the end of my (our) driveway. I have never lived in one as an adult or in an apartment or anything. The closest I've been to living with a neighbor right on top of me was the few years we lived in a trailer park. Less than 1/4 acre for our space including the trailer. Very close neighbors. I just cannot imagine living where I heard what people were doing in their own home. Neighbors who stomp on the floor (my ceiling) would drive me crazy!!

The only thing that interests me about apartments is that it is a smaller space to clean and no yard maintenance... But I like mowing the grass so that doesn't really bother me, it's raking this huge yard that is a problem which is why I don't normally do it lol I had to after the tornado

- Yeah,I'm not a big fan of it myself. I'd much rather have my own home. Unfortunately, because of our combined disabilities we decided that owning/renting a home is too much work for us. We just aren't physically able to maintain a home. So, we rent. We have a first floor flat because I can't climb stairs anymore. If something breaks, we just call the landlord. Living in an apartment does mean less space to clean which my son, who does the cleaning, is happy with. So much had to be adjusted when I had my stroke and moving house to an apartment was one of those adjustments. :D

Oh, I totally understand that. If it was something I needed to do for my health/living ability I would do it. I probably just would not like it much. I do like the call the landlord option of fixing things hahaha! That is one reason I am trying to stay on good terms with hubby, he has knowledge of how to fix things and tools and such that I don't and if I can call him and get him to do it (for free, or for parts price) that is much better than calling in help I have to pay labor costs for.

I dream all the time of what I would do if I won the lottery (well, I play publishers clearing house, not the lottery but it's easier to say lottery)...and fixing up the back house is first on the list, just because it's a smaller space, gives me a place to stay while THIS house is getting fixed up, and in the end it would be either my place to live when I got older or a guest house or I'd let Shane live there. I would also buy the property next door just to NOT have a neighbor and use that as a guest/family house too :P I would TOTALLY pave the driveway, knock down SOOOOOO many trees on that side of the property, put a privacy fence up all around the backyards at least, put in a pool/hot tub and have someone come do maintenance so I don't have to.... I would oh so totally have a housekeeper/cleaning service and probably someone to cook/prep some dinners for me at least too. I would get landscaping services in, and tidy up the graveyard, and turn the terrace into a pretty flower garden (I'd leave as many trees as I could, except pine trees, but would landscape a garden around them) well and of course I'd take a nice vacation first :P Who wouldn't? Nice dreams, eh? Not likely to ever have any of it happen. But I like to dream of it.

thank you all for all your birthday wishes. We had a lovely weekend away and to top it off we are both off work next week too 😀😀

- Happy Birthday! :D

- If I won the lotto and money wasn't an issue any longer I'd sell everything except the most prized momentos and then travel to every place I've wanted to go but couldn't because my disability makes it a logistical nightmare. I'd visit everywhere in the UK and Scandanavia. When that was exhausted I'd start on Europe and Russia. Yes, I still want to visit Russia even if it is diplomatically frowned on these days. Then I'd make my way around the mediterranian to northern Africa. Then on to the Orient. Sigh If only... Or I'd get some robot eyes. :D

while, travelling to different countries would be interesting, but I would be more interested in visiting my family and having them be able to visit me. I have visited Mexico (as a child) and Jamaica for my 20th anniversary (on a resort, so that doesn't quite count, but at the same time, it does).

I am more of a homebody than a traveler. :)

It is about to storm here. So much for me building up the fire under the tree roots again. Oh well. At least I burned some more stuff up, and cleared out a bit on the edge of the driveway some more.

Planning on pancakes and bacon for dinner because I am feeling lazy and I didn't thaw anything out anyway...the bacon has been in the fridge for almost two weeks now hahahah bad me I keep forgetting it is there. And in the amount of time it took me to type that, it is now pouring rain instead of just threatening to!