Worse Than a Root Canal

I went to the eye doctor on Tuesday to see about getting my eyes corrected for my close-up vision. I’ve been struggling for months (hmmmm, ever since I turned 40) with blurry vision while reading. I was convinced that it was time for some touch up Lasik.

I drove an hour all the way to Hamden to find out that my vision is fine and my problem is severe dry eye. Sort of irritating seeing as this is no big surprise and I’ve been treated for this every other year since my Lasik surgery. I was actually disappointed that my vision was fine and I didn’t need more surgery. I know this may sound crazy, or even sick, but I wanted a quick and easy fix—not one that would require 2 prescriptions, several drops, ointments, and vitamins to be consumed every day. But oh well.

The disappointing diagnosis was only half the story. I had to have three different drops put into my eyes for the various tests the doctor needed to do, and one of those drops were the evil pupil dilators. I dread, hate, and despise getting my eyes dilated and I assume it’s because of my eye condition that I’m so sensitive. For me, chopping an onion is like getting acid sprinkled into my eye. Dilating them is even worse.

Now did I mention that I drove all the way to Hamden (alone) on a very bright and sunny day? The doctor gave me two sets of ‘reversal’ drops to try to bring my eyes back to normal, but it didn’t work. I had to drive for an hour heading East, while the sun was setting in the West and the glare off the back windshields, mirrors, and every piece of chrome completely blinded me. I literally drove down the highway not sure if I was following a MINI Copper or a Suburban. I sometimes didn’t even know if there was a vehicle in front of me at all. I couldn’t read a single road sign and I’m pretty sure that, at the time, I was legally blind. It was terrifying and painful.

But that was nothing compared to the headache I got by the time we got to Eastford. I’ve heard of light sensitivity migraines, but never had one . . . until this episode. I couldn’t even watch TV Tuesday night because the TV was too bright. I was miserable and it took me over 24 hours to recover from a trip to the eye doctor. I would rather have a root canal than do that again!

My First Way Back Wednesday

And I might not live through it . . . I will be beaten for sure! Guess who this is?

His first wrestling outfit?

Looking way too innocent.
The fashion model.

The military man.

I came to the sad realization that I don't have any good photos from my childhood. I even went to my father's yesterday and raided his house for pictures. I came home with a box full of useless crap. It really does make me sad to think that I don't have many childhood memories to look back on in photos. Maybe that is why I'm overcompensating in my adult years and taking lots and lots of pictures. I will do my best to scrap together some things for future Way Back Wednesdays.

Good To Be Back

As crazy as this sounds, it’s good to be back to work today. I know, I know, I’m nuts. But sometimes I think that being at work, no matter how busy I am, is more relaxing than being at home. At least at work I have a good grasp on my deadlines and project priorities. I’m not constantly thinking that I should be doing something else as I’m working on a project. I enjoy the work I do and I do it in a logical sequence according to my deadlines. But, at home, it’s chaos. I have more to do than I have time to get it done and nothing is prioritized. When I’m working on my YogaDudes business stuff, I feel as though I should be doing my yoga certification homework. When I’m doing my yoga homework, I feel as though I should be cleaning the house. When I’m cleaning the house, I’m thinking about the freelance job I should be completing. When I’m working on my freelance job, I’m brainstorming new web sites that I want to build and new craft designs that I want to make. Then the logical part of me wonders why on earth I want to take on yet another project. My word, it never ends.

This weekend was filled with running errands, buying supplies for my potential new craft hobby (more to come on that soon, maybe), preparing taxes, doing my yoga homework and lots and lots of stuffing t-shirts into polybags. Do you have any idea how boring that job is? It was torture. I’ve been slowing chipping away at this project since the beginning of January and I’m about half done. Sigh. I find that I enjoy doing laundry and vacuuming more than polybagging. I’ll be happy to be done by Spring. Ah, the mere thought of Spring is so wildly exciting in so many ways. Not only does it mean the start of the warm weather and coming alive of flowers, trees and grass, but it also means the end of P90X, the end of dance lessons 3 nights/week, the end of my yoga certification homework, and (hopefully) the end of the polybagging project. Hurry up Spring . . .

The Tables Have Turned

Karlo and I recently had a role reversal and I’m so proud of him. I have been complaining about our ugly and dirty microwave for . . . well, since we moved into our house. I didn’t like that it was black. I didn’t like that I smelled like bacon. And I wasn’t too thrilled with it being under the countertop. I stumbled across a new model that I thought was brilliant. It was a microwave “drawer” that worked exactly how you are imagining. Instead of a door popping open, the entire thing slides out from under the counter. I was convinced I had to have it, but the $700 price tag and the fact that we drove to every appliance store we knew of and still couldn’t find one finally made me give up.

I recently went back to the drawing board looking for other options. Because our microwave is “built-in” our options were very limited due to the size constraints. Most of the options that would fit were other JenAir models, but those darn things are expensive and if I’m going to spend that much I may as well have the fancy drawer model. I narrowed my search down to two models: a $150 dollar no frills, stainless model with a button to open the door; and a sexy $550 stainless convention microwave with a swoopy window and a beloved handle to open the door. I put them both on my monitor and there was NO QUESTION which one I wanted, but I called Karlo in to give his input. Without knowing anything about them (including the price) he, without question, picked the cheaper no frills one. I was crushed. I tried to sell him on the whole convention option, but we both knew I was kidding not only him, but myself. When would I ever use that? I never even use my real convection oven. I just wanted that darn handle!

Karlo went completely against his normal spendy self and convinced me that we should get the cheap one because it’s under the counter and you can’t see it anyway. I reluctantly agreed, and I have to say, I’m thrilled. We installed it last weekend and the truth is, I never even notice it. For some reason the old one bugged me every time I was in the kitchen, yet the new one goes completely unnoticed. Thanks for talking some sense into me Karlo. And now I’m wondering what we should buy with all the money we saved . . .

Beware

I'm warning you now . . . my blogging friend Michelle suggested posting old photos on our blogs on Wednesdays. I think this sounds like a fun idea. I'm going to dust off my scanner and target some old friends ("old" in more ways than one). Stay tuned for some blasts from the past. It will take me at least a week to dig out my old photo albums and I know I will enjoy the walk down memory lane.

Today’s Top 5

This blog posting should win an award for the world’s lamest . . .

Top 5 Reasons Why I Can’t Come Up With a Blog Topic:

1. I’m completely exhausted from my intense workouts. My body seems to be craving 10 hours of sleep lately and 8 hours is just not enough to recover. Getting out of bed is taking half of the energy that I need for the day and my brain is not functioning well for creative thinking.
2. I’m swamped with big projects at work that are monopolizing all my thoughts.
3. There is not much going on at home to generate funny stories.
4. When I do get a free moment to think, my mind wanders to my list of things that I should have done this past weekend, but didn’t get around to.
5. The dog ate my ‘blog topics’ notebook. Ok, I’m stretching here . . .

Vacation at Home Part 2

Valentine's Day was the perfect time to declare our next 'vacation at home' and we really enjoyed it. I didn't seem to do as good of a job documenting the day in pictures, but the photos above show some highlights. I woke up to find presents in the bed. Karlo came through and actually bought me something that he knew I wanted. Yeah Karlo! The best quote that came out of him as he watched me play with my Pandora bracelet and my new beads was, "Boy am I glad I'm not a girl." He just can't understand the fascination!

I carried my new "Teddy" around most of the day and he made our P90X session much more enjoyable as he sat on the TV and cheered me on. We spent most of the day lounging around together. We got some things accomplished (like booking our next vacation), but we did them together so they didn't seem like chores. In the evening we went out to dinner (which I always swore we wouldn't do on Valentine's night) and headed to a dance. We had a ball and discovered that Karlo loves Latin dancing. Who knew? Looks like we are adding more dance lessons to our schedule and I'm thrilled.

Today we did more hanging out together, this time in the sun on the deck. I know that sounds crazy as the temps were only in the 30s, but we grabbed our coffee and tea (and a blanket for me) and it was glorious. The sun was strong and the house provided a great wind shelter. I could have stayed out there for hours.

I'm sad that this relaxing weekend is coming to an end so quickly. I want to do it all over again.

The Sweet Baboo Strikes Again

And the timing was good because I wanted to try out my new little flash diffuser (thanks to Lisa).

Happy Valentines Day!

Who’s Boots Are These?

Check out the sexy high heel boots that I’m sporting today. I got two compliments before 9 AM and I found myself telling the same story twice so I’ll share it again (since I’m hurting for any other story today).

Since I’m not working out at lunchtime today I decided to wear a skirt and my new Ann Taylor sweater that I scored a few weeks ago at an unbelievable steal. I went into my closet to get my tall black boots to complete the outfit and when I picked up my boots I took one look at the very tall heel and thought, “Whoa, who’s are these? I certainly didn’t buy heels this high. Who put these boots in my closet?” I swear I don’t remember buying, or owning them. But I put them on and went to work. I was surprised at how easy I’m walking in them. Heel height might be just a false insecurity of mine. I just assume I can’t walk in them because I never do. I guess I’m really living up to my nickname of “Giraffey” today.

And even more impressive than the fact that I’m wearing these high heels is the fact that I took the picture myself, without taking them off. Yoga must be helping with the flexibility.

My Alter Ego

Before I launch into today's blog posting, I just want to send a big Happy Birthday shout out to Tina. Hope you have a great day T!

Now, on to my alter ego . . . My cousin tagged me with this on Facebook and I thought it would be fun to post it here instead.

YOUR REAL NAME
Paula Apro

WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother and fathers middle names)
00 Peter

NASCAR NAME: (first name of your mother's dad, father's dad)
John Angelo - (Maybe I should be a Formula One driver from Italy instead)

STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name)
Apr Pa - (Must be Hungarian because there just aren't enough vowels)

DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
Purple Tiger

SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, town where you were born)
Kim Hartford

SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd fav color, fav drink, add "THE" to the beginning)
The Pink Seltzer

FLY NAME: (first 2 letters of 1st name, last 2 letters of your last name)
Pa Ap

ROCK STAR NAME: (current pets name, current street name)
Bentley Kozey

PORN NAME: (1st pet, street you grew up on)
Boomer Plymouth

YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (first 3 letters of real name plus izzle)
Pauizzle

YOUR GOTH NAME: (black, and the name of one of your pets)
Black Peanut

STRIPPER NAME: (name of your fav perfume/cologne, fav candy)
Heavenly Peppermint Patty - (Ok, this one is the best)

Give it a try. Then pick your favorite Alter Ego name and share it with me!

My Daily Rant

I must be getting old because I’m finding it easier and easier to find things to complain about. Last week it was the house appraisal charade that had me up in arms and this week it’s the joke of trying to use frequent fliers miles. Now this one upsets me even more.

Yesterday I booked flights for our next vacation. We are headed out west and our preferred airline (United) is not the most ideal for our destination. Flying United would mean connecting through the dreaded O’Hare airport in Chicago, where your chances of being delayed are greater than being mugged in Rome, and the cost would be over $100 more per person. But still, I strongly considered flying on United to 1) accrue the frequent flier miles, and 2) use my elite status benefits. It was a tough decision, weighing the pros and cons, but I finally decided to abandon United and go for the best deal with the easiest route.

And boy am I glad that I did. This morning I started to research flying to Europe this fall using my frequent flier miles. I have a very flexible schedule and I’m starting the planning process well in advance. I didn’t think it would be an issue to get a free ticket. HA. What a joke. I have two preferred airports that I would like to fly into to get to Milan –neither of which are valid frequent flier travel airports. OK, I’m willing to drive a little further so I selected Milan and let the computer pick among the 5 different airport choices, only to find that NONE of them are an option when using my ‘saver’ miles. I am so irritated. After all the hassles of travels, the airport delays, the lost baggage, the stressful connections, and the loyal usage of one airline, it would be nice to be able to take advantage of what is rightfully owed to you!

My Sweet Baboo

One night last week Karlo went for a hike in the snow by himself, while I stayed warm and dry in the house. The next time I looked out the back windows, this is what I saw. I guess he’s in the spirit of Valentines Day. Can you see the giant heart on the pond? I’m just happy he didn’t fall through the ice!


I guess I better go buy him some chocolates now . . .

In Addition to a Duck . . .

In addition to a duck I think I want one of these too.


We happened to stumble upon a few minutes of the Westminster Dog Show last night, just when the Hound group was being showcased. One particular dog caught my attention so I did a little research this morning. Come to find out, it’s a greyhound with long hair. How cute. The breed is called a Scottish Deerhound and I just love them. All their characteristics are exactly the same as a greyhound so I know one would fit nicely in our home.

An alien, a greyhound, a deerhound, and a duck . . . that may be my future family.

What a Crock

As if I didn’t always believe that house appraisers were a complete joke and waste of time and money, this really seals the deal. I’ve bought and sold enough real estate over the past few years to know that regardless of any facts about your house, it is always going to appraise at almost exactly what the buyer offers on the sale. Why the bank needs to send out some useless clown* to come to the house and pretend to be ‘evaluating’ it in order to provide a piece of paper that indeed states it is worth the sale price is beyond me. Oh wait, I know why they do this . . . just so they can sock the buyer with a ridiculous fee.

As you know, we are in the process of refinancing our mortgage. I had to pay $300 for this big important house appraisal. Now, we just bought the house last year. How much can really change? Chances are we didn’t go out of our way to decrease the value of the house. Perhaps we may have made some improvements to increase the value. Yes, the market may have dropped, but the bank should know how much property values dropped per geographical location.

But here’s the best part, I just got a message from my mortgage guy telling me that the appraisal is going to be a ‘drive by.’ A drive by? Are you kidding me? The bank is actually going to make somebody drive all the way to bonnyland to drive by our house? And see WHAT exactly? Will they take the time to drive into our driveways or are they just going to drive down the street and catch the slightest glimpse of our house from behind the trees? Wouldn’t it be easier for me to send them a picture for heaven’s sake? It really irritates me that we have to participate in, play, and pay for this charade. It makes me sick.

*Footnote: I really hope none of my readers know any house appraisers. I’m sure they are nice people. I just personally think their service is valueless.

Mary Janes Confuse Me

Every time I see Mary Jane shoes in a catalog, or on somebody’s feet, I think they are adorable. I had my eye on a pair from Land’s End since before Christmas. I kept sneaking online to check them out. I even went to Land’s End to take a look in person and I loved them. So after scoring myself a $50 gift card to Sears (who just happens to sell Land’s End) I decided that I’m going to treat myself to these:


If you could see me shopping in the store you would have to laugh. I agonized over which ones to get. I really wanted the white ones, but they didn’t have them. There was some red ones and the purple ones on sale. I loved the purple – how very “Paula.” But then I sat there in deep thought trying to imagine what on earth I would wear them with. And what socks will go with them???

I walked around the store wearing one purple shoe and one red shoe. After a few laps around the shoe department I thought it was crazy to get strange colored shoes and it would make more sense to get a solid color. So I went and got the brown ones and thought I was done. But wait, my new Land’s End jacket is really dark blue – almost black. And I just bought a new down sport black jacket. Wouldn’t the black make more sense? Yes, definitely. So I put the brown ones back and grabbed the black ones. I got halfway to the register and realized that I have no less than six pairs of comfy (and sadly ugly) sport black shoes. Uuuuugh.

Back I went. I grabbed the purple ones and that was that. So now I have them and I just can’t figure out what to do with them. Here they are with dark blue socks.


Lisa suggested getting some funky socks, or some nude color socks. What do you think?



I know what Tina is thinking . . . “Why on earth would anybody buy such ugly shoes?” I just wish I could find the right socks to make these as cute as I thought they were. I knew I shouldn’t have bought Mary Janes! I have a feeling they will be collecting some serious dust in my closet.

Makes Me Want a Beer

This year my favorite SuperBowl commercials were easy picks. Budweiser wins again, hands down. Although I did get a good chuckle by the poor guy working under the moose’s rear end (Monster.com – I think) and Karlo loved the “angry bosses” Hyundai commercial where all the German guys are cursing at the BMW headquarters. But the horses stole my heart, as they do every year. I think I’m going to grab a nice cold brewsky for breakfast . . .