Roadtrip Restrooms

I was thinking about various complications that arise when you just can't hold it anymore on that long road trip -- and you can't find a reliable establishment for relief. For guys, it's usually not much of an issue. For the ladies, well ...

I have a few suggestions on what to bring for that inevitable, yet disgusting occasion.

• Toilet paper ... who knows if they'll have any. Charmin sells a travel pack of toilet tissue that can be kept in a glove box - or wherever.
• Toilet seat covers ... most places don't have any. And who knows what evil lurks on the backwoods convenience store toilet seats. These are also available in travel packs, but they are a bit harder to find. Some people suggest improvising a makeshift cover out of toilet paper, but I usually can't wait that long.
• Hand sanitizer ... something you should have already. Very helpful if the soap is out, or they don't have a way to properly wash your hands.
• Sanitizing wipes ... in addition to the hand sanitizer or by itself. Necessary for the moments when you really need to ... ahem ... wipe something off that isn't where it should be.

Feel free to leave other suggestions ... these are just a few thoughts on the subject.

Daewoo #7 - Spotted 7/30/07

I was headed over to a friend's place and ... lo and behold! ... another Daewoo! So I whipped my digital camera out of my purse as fast as I could. I think it was a bit reckless of me ... oh well.

Here it is!

Daewoos #1-6

I drive a 2002 Daewoo Lanos. I'm not surprised if you've never heard of it. Daewoo is a Korean company that tried selling cars in the US from 2000 to 2002. It's an OK car. Not many creature comforts and parts are hard to find and expensive.

They are pretty darn rare. So, whenever I see one, I take a picture. I've only done this in the city I live in so far, but if I drive out of town, I'll do it then too.

Daewoo #1 - My Car










Daewoo #2 - Spotted 3/16/07












Daewoo #3 - Spotted 3/29/07












Daewoo #4 - Spotted 4/14/07















Daewoo #5 - Spotted 6/26/07














Daewoo #6 - Spotted 7-28-07















That was fun, wasn't it? Now, I don't want anyone to send me pictures of Daewoos. The picture taking is the sole responsibility of Me, Myself, and I. Stay tuned...

Holes in your eardrum

**** WARNING: This post may contain whining, complaining, and/or self-deprecation. Deal with it. ****

So, the ENT appointment yesterday was short, but very helpful. When the ENT saw my ears, he said, "well, the left one looks like hell, and the right one's even worse." So, I'm on a "whopping" dose of antibiotics, decongestant/expectorant, and stertoids.

If it doesn't get better by Friday, I get to have ear tubes put in. Expecting the worst, I've looked up information on the ear tubes. Not too common on adults. I found a couple videos of the actual surgery, and it doesn't look bad - especially compared to the other stuff they're done in my sinuses. They just make a small incision in your timpanic membrane (i'm smart). They suck out anything that was stuck behind it, and insert a grommet-looking tube into the hole. It actually reminds me of a bobbin. Ta-da! Instant pressure relief and minimal to no loss of hearing. There are a couple of possible complications, of course.

But --- hopefully, the drugs will work before then. It would be considered surgery, even though they'd do it in the office, so I'd have to pay a 10% co-insurance on it. Which I don't have right now.

So far I've had 5 prescriptions filled for this thing ($129.26) in addition to the 9 usual monthly prescriptions I have per month. But without insurance, my eardrums would burst or I'd have serious permanent hearing loss. Somewhere, some healthy person in my company is paying their monthly insurance so I can have my drugs and surgeries. Actually, it's probably a large group of them. Hats off to healthy people. Thanks.

ENT - Everything's Not Terrific

Waah. I'm gonna sound like a baby again.

I've had this ear infection for 2 1/2 weeks and I'm getting rather sick of it. Not being able to hear really gives you an appreciation for good hearing. :) I've got an appointment with my ENT tomorrow, but I'll be driving for 1hr 45 mins to get there from the conference I'm attending.

On the plus side, the conference has been really good. Occasionally I've felt rather dumb, but we've been going over very advanced material. I have a lot to bring back to the folks back at work. I think it'll boost my credibility. Plus, I wanted to make a change in our program and now I have good ammo to take to the table.

G'nite, folks!

Public Bathrooms

So ... here's my issue. Many times when I gotta go ... I really gotta go. But public restrooms aren't always up to par. How could you quickly sanitize the seat? All of the usual "protection" suggestions take too long for many situations. Of course, this is mostly a female issue.

Anyway ... that's whats been rolling around in my weird ol' head.

Happy-fun thoughts

I realized today that it's been about a year since I told my ex-husband that I wanted a divorce. It's stupid how much anniversaries like that are gonna bug me. The last year has seemed so ... well, I think of it as the "poop on Rachel" year.

The good news is that I recently enrolled in a gym that just around the corner for a cheap-like-borscht price. So maybe working out will help my mood a bit. It doesn't help when you're still trying to find the right combination of crazy-meds.

I feel ungrateful. So many people are in situations much worse than mine. I could list the things I have that many people don't, but that would take too long.

We'll see how things go ...

for now I think I'll go to the gym and then have a Twix.