Remembering Kevin

Our friend and former co-worker, Kevin Miner, passed away Friday, April 21, 2006. Please leave a comment with your favorite or funniest Kevin memory.

I used to enjoy his warm welcomes. When we'd see each other for the first time in a day, he'd always exclaim, "Reba!" (definitely a Neighborcare only nickname for me). He always had a heartfelt "I love you" for his wife, Ginny, when they'd end phone conversations. And he was one of the few pharmacists who, when it was extremely busy, would sit down and enter prescriptions orders side by side with us. He took the time to learn to do it and I think we techs appreciated it not only for the help, but in that he had a greater understanding of our jobs and the many frustrations that accompany it.

Kevin was a vibrant soul, a good pharmacist and friend to everyone who worked at Neighborcare. Except maybe for S.N. "What the fuck is a pharmacist assistant anyway?" Ha ha! And he is responsible for Jimmy Buffett music being BANNED inside the pharmacy - "why don't we get drunk... and screw". Some people just can't appreciate a little humor to lighten up a hectic and often stressful environment. It was funny while it lasted. At least until NPR started up in lieu of Buffett. ZzZzZzzz... Jill can attest to the snoozefest that is NPR.

I missed Kevin when he left Neighborcare. In his email me to me last Thursday, the day before his passing, he said he liked being back in retail pharmacy. We all know the money is a lot better, and he and Ginny were moving to a new townhouse last weekend. He was excited about that. We will all miss Kevin very much.
Share your favorite story or just leave a thought about remembering him. He won't soon be forgotten.

Antibiotics and Stuff

So I've had this "cold" since March 30th. Finally went to the doctor yesterday and he gave me 10 days of Omnicef 300mg q12h. My glands were all swollen and it became hard to swallow. I thought I was having trouble kicking a cold because of all the changes, but apparently it's a bacteria nestled in my sinuses or upper resp system. Lovely. I'm glad I went to see him, otherwise it would be a long time before I felt healthy again.


While I was at the good doctor's office, I asked for a recommendation for a GYN. In his charming Polish accent he asked, "oh? You going to have baby?" with a big grin. "NO". He went on, "oh, I thought maybe you were going to have baby", still with a glint in his eye. I told him I'm not even married let alone ready to have a baby. I said I have plenty of time. He raised his eyebrows. Suddenly I didn't feel so young.

Okay, how come no one told me there's now a NH Craigslist? Most everyone by now knows what Craig's List is, but of not, check out the link and amuse yourself. The personals are the most entertaining. Misc Romance of Craigslist Boston is where I met John Sullivan, independent filmmaker, winner of Best Short Film at one of the Ireland Foyle Film Festival. Boy, was that an experience. Luckily he went overseas for a while, my car died and I ended up becoming distracted by a car salesman at Manchester Mitsubishi. I guess that was almost three years ago now. He called a few months ago, but I am devoted to New England's sexiest fisherman, so I couldn't entertain the thought of bailing Blake out of another drunk driving incident. Sometimes things just work out for the best.

Craig's List also has a Casual Encounters section for those looking for myspace.com type anonymous hookups. Except these usually don't have pictures and are frequented by "professionals" and local cops looking to bust them.

I'm excited about a NH Craig's List. It lists weekend events and people looking for platonic friends and all kinds of stuff. I'm gonna check it out now.

Changes

So I work in a new building with all new people, doing basically the same job with a lot fewer responsibilities.
The people are nice and friendly, except for two. One sort of has an excuse I can deal with, and the other just has a lot of self-hatred which she chooses to project outside of herself. That's all well and good for now, because I think (hope) her position will soon be eliminated.

I'm wrapping up my second week at the new pharmacy and meanwhile, eleven people in my old pharmacy were given their layoff notices. Their last day will be next Friday, from what I understand. They also lost one of my favorite pharmacists. No one is sure what happened, but he just "no longer works there". He is the same RPh. who told me I was breaking his heart by leaving. I wonder if he knew he would also be gone so soon.

I miss my friends at work. I suppose I'm making new friends, but the new place is a lot more dull. They say they're wild and crazy, but they have no idea.

I'm working a new shift. It's okay. Not horrible. I've decided to start working overtime that they desperately need people to do, because my job is not safe. Might as well earn some extra cash while I can.

I bought a Powerball ticket Tuesday. Didn't win.

I've gotten over the anxiety I've been feeling the past few weeks. I woke up last Sunday from a nap feeling sad and anxious. My world was shaken up and changed with very little notice. It's funny how that sort of experience makes you question almost everything in your life. Nothing is secure, really.

I ran a few astrology reports and it seems as though my job is safe and may even advance sometime in the next few months. We'll see. Oh, and I checked where Neptune is placed in my natal chart to see what profession would be best for me, and where my success will lie. Yeah, guess what that was about. My CHILDREN. Okay...

Well, tomorrow is another day. Another day, another coumadin dose change. I'm going to try to reply to emails and return phone calls this weekend, so thank you everyone for being patient and putting up with me!

WTF?

So with one day's notice, I start a new job at a new pharmacy Monday. I'm still trying to understand it. Two pharmacists said they were shocked that I was asked (or "picked", who knows?). I'll know a little more tomorrow, but still won't know why. My guess is petty bitchiness, but I hope I'm wrong.

Plus I'm bloated, have a sinus/chest cold, can barely talk from it and need to go to sleep, but not the least bit sleepy.

You ever have the feeling like you just want to pack up and start over? I need new spring clothes that fit, but can't really afford any. My car insurance payment is about to bankrupt me, but I don't want to drive a station wagon to get a lower premium.

By the way, let me apologize to anyone who is offended by the station wagon comment. I, in no way, intend any offense, harm or malice by slightly putting down driving a station wagon. Station wagons are perfectly fine vehicles, but I prefer not to drive one. I think no less of anyone who must, or chooses to drive a station wagon, nor do I think less of anyone who is employed by an auto manufacturer who makes station wagons. You'd think this disclaimer would be unnecessary in a blog that I write about my opinions and thoughts, but I have found this not to be the case.

So anyway, my current Netflix movie is The Bridges of Madison County. Maybe Billy and I will watch that tomorrow, maybe not. It's truly a chick flick, and I don't normally enjoy chick flicks, but I remember really liking it when it first came out.

I got my rejection letter today from the Boston Athletic Association:
"Dear Rebecca,
Thank you for submitting your volunteer application for the 110th Boston Marathon. We do appreciate your interest and willingness to help at Boston, however, the number of applicants this year was much greater than our staffing needs, and we regret, therefore, that we cannot give you a volunteer assignment for this April.

We thank you very much for your understanding and look forward to having you volunteer at the Boston Marathon, or at another Boston Athletic Association's events, at a future time.

With kind regards,
Boston Athletic Association"

The application asked if I had ever run the Boston Marathon (uh, no) or belonged to a running club (nope), so I think they give preference to those people. I just wanted to hand water to runners or cover them with mylar blankets at the end. Oh well, maybe next year.

I've got the humidifier on, so hopefully that will help break up the tightness in my chest. 200mg guaifenesin won't hurt either.

We're Back!

I'm a little tired from our 25 hour road trip home from Florida (stopping only for fuel and girl's room breaks), so I'll post some pics with short comments for now so I can get back to napping. We had a great time!

Click on any of the pictures to make them bigger.

View from the bass boat heading out onto Lake Kissimmee

Stopping for a drink

I caught a fish! He was feisty! The fisherman too!

A big Cypress bass or something

Back at Camp Mack

Ybor City - Florida's Latin Quarter

Our gracious host for a day showed us around St. Pete and Ybor City, part of Tampa, which was once the cigar capital of the world.

Billy took me to the Columbia in Ybor for lunch, which just celebrated its 100th year in business


A private function room upstairs

Can't say no to an authentic Cuban mojito!



After our meal, Billy enjoyed a tacita of cafe Cubano for more energy

Ybor City has a Scientology Center. We crossed the street here!

Dolphin Cove at Sea World

Dolphin Cove

Patiently waiting for fish

Like smooth rubber, but nicer

Hungry little...

Sea World

Gators
Looked like a big rock to me, but it's a manatee
Big ol' Shamu
Getting some exercise
Me with some flamingos

Killers...
Or Lovers?
Get a room!

More pics from Florida

Remembering to blog it all - notice the trucks with boat trailers - there were a ton of them!

Big bird

I thought I was stealing an orange, but it was a sour grapefruit. Instant karma for petty theft!

Sneaking off to the mall!

Billy and I had a great time together and we didn't try to kill each other after almost 8 days of nearly non-stop togetherness - travelling 1,400 miles each way and another couple hundred miles travelling to each attraction. After being home almost a day, I even miss him a little!

On Vacation

Motivation

Most of us have seen those motivational/inspirational posters in offices everywhere. Now you can create your own! Click here to try one.

Here's my creation:



My good friend Lisa-Marie has lost over 95 pounds by dieting and exercising. I am so proud of her! Instead of shying away from cameras, she was all about getting her picture taken at her 25th birthday party last month. I am posting this pic with her permission.

My sister and two good friends have lost a significant amount of weight through gastric bypass surgery. I have always said that losing weight is like religion. It doesn't matter what method you take to get there, whether it be Weight Watchers, Atkins, gastric bypass (or Baptist, Mormon, Baha'i), if your chosen method gets you where you need to be, I'm all for it. I'm proud of my sister and Monique and Emily for taking a huge step towards improving their health and well-being.

Some of you know about my transformation as well, but many of you didn't know me when I was at my heaviest. I never weighed myself at my heaviest, but the last time I weighed myself as a heavy person, I was over 200 pounds. I gained weight after that, but I was so disconnected from my body, I'm not sure how much more I weighed at my heaviest.

I was a size 18 in 1996. A few weeks ago, I bought my first size 8. Weight loss and fitness are a lifelong journey. I've found it's been harder to maintain weight loss than it was to lose the initial weight. I don't know what to say when people ask me how long it took. It's as if they think there's a finish line, a point when you can stop working out and eating right and just remain slender. Maybe it's what helps them get started... if they can visualize themselves thin in a year, they can commit to at least a few months. Anyone who's dieted and experienced significant weight loss knows that there is no stopping point if you want to stay healthy and fit.

Someone can eat salads for two years and lose lots of weight. If they get to the point when they think they're slender, they think they can go "off the diet" and resume eating McDonald's and chocolate. I guess we call these people "yo-yo dieters", because they quickly regain fat. If you starved yourself thin, you also lost a lot of muscle. And in doing that, the weight you regain will leave you with a higher percentage of overall bodyfat. Not cute.

I've found it's also an internal journey. We can't lose weight for anyone but ourselves. And you can't truly lose weight without truly wanting it. Sure, everyone WANTS to lose a few pounds, but unless you are no longer willing to accept the weight you're at, permanent weight loss will always be elusive. I truly think if someone is mentally ready and prepared, weight loss can be easy. We all know the tools to use. Eat less, move more. The details, like, "Which diet, what exercise"? are very individual, and to me, like religion in that whatever gets you where you need to be, great. But if we're not ready, the details bog us down and discourage us before we even get started. Once we're ready, the details become less important and we focus on ourselves and how we will change.

People who are really doing it don't talk about it much. We don't hear these people discussing how many cups of cottage cheese they ate this morning, or what they will have for lunch. People who do that are wrapped up in the details, and not focused on themselves and the inner change that occurs. When they stop talking about turkey sandwiches, we know they've gone back to McDonald's. Maybe a daily commentary on their diet helps keep them accountable to the public. People who are doing it are accountable to themselves.

Permanent weight loss is a lifelong journey, and not an easy one. But it is worth it. I'm happy that some of my friends and family are going against the typical American grain and taking charge of their health. It's partially selfish of me, because it may mean they'll be around longer for me to enjoy! For everyone else, part of the journey is getting started and getting ready to get started. If you're thinking about it and wanting it to be a part of your life at some point, you are on your way.

Good health and sexy bodies for 2006!

O RLY? YA RLY

The O RLY owls have been around internet message boards for a while now, and they always make me laugh. I've mentioned it to people in RL (real life) and no one I know has even heard of it! So I'm sharing.

Here's a description of the O RLY phenomenon, as written by urbandictionary.com:
O rly
Internet slang, short for "Oh, really?". Used in the following ways; often sarcastic:

1. In response to someone who has said/pointed out something very obvious

2. In response to someone who has insulted you or has aggressively disagreed with you

3. In response to a boring, nerdy comment you don't understand or care about (i.e. a piece of trivia)

4. In response to a comment that seems hard to believe or a lie

Occasionally some will respond to an "O rly?" comment with "ya rly" or "rly", but this is lame and not recommended (I disagree).

1. A: Dude! Did you see this? There's an eye on the pyramid on the back of all these dollar bills!

B: O rly?

2. A: Yes, but did you all know that the word "catapult" is of Hungarian and French origin and roughly translates to blah blah blah......

B: o rly?

Ya rly
One of the possible answers to o rly. Internet slang, means "yeah, really."
"I know an o rly owl."
"O rly?"
"Ya rly."

Often a response to the question o rly. Meaning, Oh really? To which one would respond, Yeah, really.

O RLY?

YA RLY

Repeat.

Of course there are many bored photoshop experts who have taken the original O RLY owl and ran with the concept.


A well placed O RLY owl in a message board thread can really make me laugh. A lot of people think the original O RLY owl is jusy plain cute, and photoshopped him into some funny scenarios.


You can find a lot more owls at this site.


A few of my favorites:
The Spanish O RLY owl

And the accusatory owl: I See What You Did There!





Not an owl but still funny


Maybe you're someone in my real life who knows the O RLY owls but were afraid to speak up? Fear of being mocked? Maybe tried to sneak in a "YA RLY" when someone in RL said, "Oh really?", but with no recognition? Or maybe it's just me, sitting at my computer tee-heeing whenever I see the owls. If you need more owls to hoot at (HA!), check Year of the Owl here.

A Long Drive

Billy got a Sirius satellite receiver for Christmas from an awesome chick (that would be me). Howard Stern debuted his first satellite show on Monday at 6 a.m. Billy stayed over Sunday night but would need to be in his truck at 6 to listen to the show.

Wanting to join, I set the alarm for 5:45. Time for me to get up, take a lightning quick shower, throw some jeans on and put my hair up, and bounce out to the truck. When the alarm went off, I did just that. Well, except for the truck part. Billy had gone down to warm up the truck and discovered it was actually 4:55, not 5:55 a.m. He called up and asked me what time it was. Oops.

I remembered getting up some time in the night to reset the time on the alarm clock. Something had gotten into my head that the clock was set wrong, so I guess I reset it half-asleep. Oh well. I didn't mind too much because that meant I would have time for eyeliner and lipstick!

We set off around 5:40 a.m. and headed north. It was still dark and it started snowing. Once we got north of Tilton, the Stern show began. We listened for a while and then realized we had driven way past the exit we meant to take. Part of the beauty of spending time with Billy is that it can be very unstructured and changeable. That can be very fun. Where I didn't have to be home until 2 p.m., we had time to make it that way, so I was relaxed and open.

We headed out on Route 302. I was starving since I normally eat breakfast first thing in the morning, and I hadn't had a bite. We kept an eye out for a roadside restaurant or diner. We soon came upon the Mount Washington Resort, and to my surprise, Billy suggested we check out their breakfast.

I have to say it was pretty funny valeting a big diesel pick up truck. We got out of the still falling snow and were welcomed by a large fireplace. The hotel was beautifully decorated. The staircases reminded me of the older section of the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Magnolia.

We had a lovely breakfast buffet, which included egg white omelettes! I was excited about that. The food was delicious and I felt a little guilty for not being able to eat more. I was pretty stuffed when we left, though!

After breakfast, we looked around the hotel a bit. I browsed through a gift shop and discovered an abalone shell ring with little silver hearts. It was so pretty and simple, and I had to have it. Billy bought it and placed it on my finger. Awww! ;-)

We got back in the truck and continued listening to Stern. We made our way over to North Conway and browsed in a few stores for snow boots. Yep, snow boots. Without a heel. Functional, warm snow boots. Ha ha! We are planning to go snowmobiling this winter, and I suppose I will need to be extra warm and cozy for a day outside in the woods. It occurs to me now more than ever that I've never been involved with a lot of typical NH winter activities. I've never skiied, snowmobiled, snowshoed, snowboarded... none of that. So I have no gear. I still run outside now, but I wait for the sidewalks to be clear of ice and snow before heading out.

I navigated the rest of the drive home, with one huge error. I glanced up when we passed through a rotary and directed which way to go. I think I was busy tuning the Sirius receiver to stations I prefer, and just wasn't paying attention. When I did finally look up a while later, I realized we were heading in the completely wrong direction! That added about 30 minutes onto the trip, but still made it to my place in time for me to leave for work on time.

As I sat at work that afternoon, someone asked how my day was going so far. I started with, "Well, I had breakfast at the Mt. Washington hotel". I glanced down at my new ring and thought how life with Billy is always an adventure, one I hope will continue for a very long time.

Disconnected

I'm feeling rather disconnected. I feel like I need a week off from work to regroup and relax. That's not actually possible, since the company that bought the company I work for (which is actually a company I used to work for) eliminated all personal days and cut back vacations. Not that I would be able to take one if I had any vacation time, due to workload.

So what am I going to do? I don't know. I'm torn between wanting time alone and wanting more time with friends. I can't have both. I'm leaning towards the friends, because I usually feel refreshed and recharged after hanging with some quality friends.

Which brings up Ladies Night. My idea of Ladies Night is dressing up to look HOT, going out with some good girlfriends, and shaking it on a dance floor or say, a mechanical bull, get a handle on your current marketability, have a few cocktails and most of all, LAUGH! So at least a few of those will be done.

I need something to recharge before then. I wish I knew what it would take, because I would do it right now. So for now, I made some sugar free Jell-O, popped a Tylenol PM and am hoping to sack out very soon. It can't hurt.

Say Goodbye to Krispy Kreme

Krispy Kreme in Medford, MA is closing.

Have you been? Lots of people went when it first opened, stood in line for 45 minutes and drove back to NH with 6 dozen donuts or more, ready to share the warm flaky pastry with the uninitiated.

They were such a desired treat that people would set up roadside displays of several boxes of donuts - just like you see people with the buckets of roses on the sides of roads, ready to make a tidy profit from passersby. Lots of people also used them for school fundraisers. They were hot sellers (pardon the pun)!

But now, the store is closing. Apparently there is one in Dedham, so if you really feel the need, you could go there, I suppose.

Have you tasted a Krispy Kreme? I am one of the few who really doesn't think they're that great (I can almost hear the gasps).

I had my first KK in Las Vegas. A jelly filled. Eh. I had dieted and exercised my ass off to look good in Vegas, and I decided to have the KK donut experience. It was SO not worth the calories and sugar. Blech.

Then I heard that the filled donuts weren't nearly as good as the plain glazed. I had been to the KK in Medford, didn't eat any. They had been brought into work, I didn't eat them. It wasn't until this year that someone brought in many dozens to the job I work at now that I tried one. So I ate one. It was good. Not great, I've had better foods than this, certainly. But people were falling over themselves to have another, to pass them to one another. It was a whole experience for them.

I entered my department and some looked at me expectantly, as if to gasp, "Did you try one??!!" I sat down, someone asked if I had one, I said yes. She waited for me to gush and fawn over a donut. I didn't. She told me the real secret to enjoying a KK donut is to heat it in the microwave for 10 seconds. Okay. I started to work. She insisted I try another one heated. The usual lines of defense for refusing food weren't working. She actually got up, went to the break room, heated one up, and brought it to my desk. Can you imagine?

It was still okay. I've made donuts before that frankly, tasted exactly the same way. And I didn't have to drive an hour to have one.

Maybe I'm a New England style donut liker. I read somewhere that New Englanders tend to like cake-like donuts as opposed to KK's yeast risen. And we like a little spice in them. Like nutmeg and cinnamon. If I'm going to have a donut, it'll be a Dunkin' Donut. Jelly or chocolate. And Munchkins! Yum!