Rewind!

Since I have not blogged all semester until this May, I am going to back up or "rewind" to the beginning of the semester and give you enteries by the month.

Are you feeling the warm temperatures of springtime and impending summer? Let me take you back to January then when it was cool - cold - or freezing, depending on which day it was. We didn't have much snow in eastern Kansas or the "KCMO" metro area. But we did have some days of beauty and inconvenience!


"Vacation days and mis-counting"
I was on Christmas vacation and enjoying my time off. The faculty are given extra days off. So between Christmas and New Year's Day we have the whole week and don't have to use our vacation days. Well - my "forgetter" started out the semester getting cranked up (it got worse as the semester wore on.) I came back to work a day early because I didn't want to use up all my vacation time, only to find out when I got to work I had more days to use than I thought!! Oh well, it worked okay - I got to take the day after MLK Day off, too. That's always nice. When there's a Monday holiday, I like to take Tues. off too when I can. Then I don't have to drive the 85 miles to the city to work. I can just stay home and enjoy an even longer weekend. ( I always have Weds. off - because I work 20 hours the first two days and 20 hours the last two days.) Yes, it's a strange work schedule, but hey, I get a "5 day" weekend when I take the Tuesday off with the Monday!!! - We need one once a month, don't you think????


"New Laptop"
I got a new laptop for Christmas. Probably sounds like no big deal. But this is my first one! I have been wanting to get one for 10 years. It finally worked out to where I felt like I could afford one and still have a desk top. My husband likes it, too. When I'm away at work, he'll lay in bed and watch DVD movies on "my" laptop. In fact I think he's used it more lately than I have. I probably would use it even more, but it does not have a floppy drive. I know, I know, they don't make them that way anymore - but my desk top still does, and doesn't have a CDRW drive. So it makes them incompatible - a real pain! (Don't tell me - I just haven't had time to bother getting an external drive. But maybe one of these days I will.)


"Ladies Luncheon"
On a Friday in January, (13th) BRBC (a church) invited the ladies from CBCTS to come to their ladies missionary meeting. We do this about once a year. Usually it is in December, but this school year, the December meeting was cancelled. So we went in January. This year I was asked to share about the work in the Library. This is a church that my family and I attended 25 years ago when we lived here in the city. So I knew many of the ladies and they remembered us and our kids. It was kind of like a 'reunion.' I shared the work of the library and what all has been accomplished or changed in the last 5 years since I came. Most of it I cannot take credit for, I don't believe. Somethings are "goina" happen no matter who's sitting in the director's chair. I also shared with them the efforts of trying to revive the Friends of the Library. I briefly mentioned some family news (some good, some not so good) and before I knew my 5 minutes (or whatever it was suppose to be) was long gone. But I enjoyed the visit. It was hard to leave and go back to work. But I had ridden with others and didn't have any choice!


"Hanging on"
In the middle of January I had a dental checkup. I had had a bridge put in after Christmas. That was an interesting experience, albeit better than I expected. For the first time in my life, I have a rather decent smile with straight bottom teeth. But I think I would recommend going the do-it-when-you-are-younger-and-get-braces route if you can. Oddly enough, it is strange to feel something in your mouth that is 'foreign'. It has taken a little while to get used to the feel, and to some extent how to talk with this strange formation.

The Wednesday night, after being to the dentist that afternoon, I started getting a sore throat. I have battled sinus infections for years. So, I was sure that was what was happening. The dentist had given me a RX for an antibiotic. So on my way to work Thursday morning I stopped at the drug store and got it filled. By Thursday afternoon, I was not feeling good at all. I went to my guest room on campus and laid down. By Friday, I ended up going home early. Saturday was mostly spent on the couch. By Sunday, I could not believe how sick I felt. I had not had a respiratory illness like this since I was a baby. [Ok, I could say "ever" but according to my mother, I was ill many times my first year of life and in and out of the hospital several times, with bronchitus and pneumonia.] Sunday afternoon I ended up in the ER and spent the next four days (counting Sunday) on the couch in the Living Room - morning and night. I tried sleeping upstairs in the bedroom, but when I laid down flat my head will fill up and I would start coughing. My husband nor I would get any sleep. So I'd go back down stairs either to the couch (propped up at one end), or in the recliner.

By Thursday I felt much better and went back to work. Oops! Bad mistake. I went home again early that Friday. This pattern went on for about 3 weeks. Finally by the middle of February I was feeling much better. I could not believe how long this 'bug' hung on and on. About a month after it started, I felt like I could actually say I was over it. Boy! I don't want to have to go through that again! Argh! Every body at work was wonderful, pitching in and helping out where I dropped the ball. JM is a jewel. She should get the biggest crown someday, for serving others. The library didn't miss a beat with her keeping things running for me.


"Maybe nextime"
Well, I like to put in links or some kind of information that will help others, so this blog isn't "all about me." But I really don't have any I can put in, for this month. I guess the advise I'd give at this point is: don't get sick!! :-) It isn't fun. (Have days off from work, but you're so sick you can't enjoy the time off!!) :-)