Where did November go??

Hello everyone!

As I ask in my title, where did November go? Time just flew out the window!

Let me see if I can sum up an entire month, and see if I can even remember everything that has happened.

As mentioned before, Mike had his surgery. The damage was worse than originally thought, so there was a little more work involved than originally intended, but the doctor did a great job, and Mike has been going to physical therapy twice a week, and doing the exercises at home everyday. Each day is different. Some days are better than others, and then there are the horrible days, where he can barely do anything.

Mike returns to work this Monday, and I worry about how well he will manage due to all of the hyper extending and reaching and lifting that is required of him. I am really hoping that he doesn't try to be a martyr and tough it out, which could lead to him hurting himself, and having to start all over again.

Mike's work at Memorial Pharmacy, has been interesting, as we get little updates here and there from the staff that are considered friends. So far, since Mike has been out of there due to the surgery/recovery, three pharmacists have quit. The management has been telling other people who are thinking of looking or is looking for work elsewhere to leave. The more horror stories I hear about management, or how they allow people who are not qualified or detail oriented to work in places that you have to be top notch, makes me really glad that I am no longer there. I have a bad taste from that place in my mouth as it is, and this is just making things worse. I won't get into details, but let me just say, that if you do have to go there, double check everything that comes into your room. Also, look to see who made what, even though you may not know the names of people, it could save your life. For instance, if one of the technicians that is rather good at what she does, didn't catch this, I would have feared for the poor guy to get the medication. The story goes that there is a technician who is fresh out of school, and normally, they would have you train everywhere else in the pharmacy for six months before getting into the IV room, but this fellow was allowed in there as soon as he was hired. He claims that when he is tired, he can't do math, which is the whole job description when in the IV room and he decided to take an antibiotic that was needing to be reconstituted out of the sterile clean room, into the dirtiest place in the pharmacy, known as the break room, and place this vile into the microwave so he could dilute it faster. Someone caught him and demanded to know what the heck he was doing. Needless to say, instead of writing this guy up or firing him, they place him on the graveyard shift, where he can do the most damage. I tell Mike each time I hear stories of what is going on there, that I can't believe they got rid of me...then again, I didn't kill people, and that may be why I was kicked out. Guess it's better to kill patients off, then save them...again, I am glad that I am no longer there.

Mike's family came out for Thanksgiving. It was good to see them, and we enjoyed their company. I tried a few new recipes, though I have no photos to show, and I will have to post the recipes another time, as I am writing this at nearly 1am. We missed having the Tobins out for the holiday, but because of the newest member of the Tobin family, it was understandable.  The weather for Thanksgiving week was amazing! We only had one really cold day, and the rest was in the 60s.

Mike had a horrible migraine this morning, but has calmed it down since then. He even went to bed early to try and clear the whole thing. I'm hoping that he succeeds. I don't like to see him hurting and wanting to do things that are fun, but unable to because of his health.

I had two photo shoots within a week of each other. The first one was the day after Thanksgiving with a nurse that Mike knows, and has introduced me to when we first started dating years ago. She and her husband had me do their Christmas pictures last year, and wanted me to do them again this year, which I enthusiastically accepted. This last Friday, I took pictures of her sister in law's family. I still need to download them and work on them, so I am hoping to have all of that done soon.

Our Charlie Brown tree is up and decorated. Mike always mentions getting a real tree someday, but I am not completely sold on the idea. One, I'm allergic to them, and secondly, I've always had the fake trees, which saves money in the long run. Yes, I know that the fake ones don't look as nice, but some of them do. I guess it really doesn't matter to me either way, but I'm just not sold on them.

I am excited about Christmas though. I'm a giver and I like to get people things and see their reaction. A lot of the time, I can get things for people that they've mentioned once at the beginning of the year, and surprise them. I've succeeded in this numerous times.  I am not sure what the plans are for Christmas this year. I don't know Mike's schedule, and no one in the family has mentioned anything to me. Most likely I will get a last minute invite...if you'd call "Christmas my house at ___pm" an invite. Either way, I won't know anything until after Monday.

Monday, my mom is coming to bake cookies with me. I look forward to this every year. It's silly, I know, but it's the one tradition that has always stayed the same, no matter the changes in our lives. I have fond memories of baking cookies and decorating them with my mom and brother. I invited my brother three days ago when my mom said she was game for cookie making, and didn't hear from him until today when I practically demanded an answer, and even then, I didn't really get one. I complained to my mom of course, who had gotten the answer from him...why he sent her the answer, when I'm hosting, is beyond me and it frustrated me to no end...I vented a little to Mike, which I feel badly about. I know how much my family can bother Mike when they get under my skin. I don't mean to go off on them to him, but I don't have anyone to talk to about them.
The thing I have to remember about my family is this: there will always be the double standards when it comes to my brother and me. There is no getting away from this. For as long as both of us are alive, and I continue to put myself in my family's presence, this will always be an issue. I will never understand it either. We were both raised by the same person, taught the same things, yet we are two completely different people. I am reminded to always thank someone, whether through email or card and is expected to do it, while he walks. I am supposed to let people know if I am coming to any get togethers and when, when he is allowed to blow people off and just show up. The list goes on, but I fear that I am borderline complaining, and it's inappropriate to continue.

I've started writing again. I've got a few great stories going already, and I'm trying to get them complete, but my problem is that I want feedback on them before I continue further. I want to make sure that things make sense, that the story flows, and sounds interesting, so on and so on. I've given a copy to a couple of people, but haven't heard a word from them. It can be frustrating to be told that they will read it, and then not have it happen...so, if you'd like to help me out, please let me know and I'd be happy to forward something to you. I am looking for blunt honesty and critique. I want to maybe polish it up nicely for publishing.

Family drama continues, but what else is new? My mom moved into her new quaint little house. I have my opinions on it, as well as other matters that is not my business or my life, so I cannot mention them here. I also have many opinions and choice words for my sibling's life, but again...I bite my tongue and stay out of it. Though I've already made it know that if something major happens to a little person of blood relation, whether life changing of the bad sense or not, I will not idly sit back and say nothing. It will be a side of me that no one has seen before. But until then, I will not speak up until the time is needed.

I have new photos on my site, and more to come, so be sure to hope over and look at them too!

Well...I don't really have much else to say, so I guess I should call it a night. And thinking back on everything I have written...I probably shouldn't even post this, but I don't feel like editing right now, and I needed to post something new. So, with that said...I leave it at that.

Until next time!