Rizzo's Ramblings...Hi! I'm Rizzo and I'm currently.....

GOING OUT OF MY MIND. Or I am already gone out of it. The other day (yesterday?) I announced that I would begin fundraising for a Diabetic Alert Dog for my daughter. I do that. I get to a point where I am tired of talking and reading about it. I have to start somewhere, sometime, so why not now? I have gotten in touch with a trainer and there is one family ahead if us. We. Are. Next. Well, hold on a minute here. What? We are next? Wait. 

                     (breathe)

At some point, (about 5 minutes after the happy dance) I realized I was going to have to interact with people. Initiate conversation. In person. Gah! It is pretty scary, I have to admit. I'm all right behind a keyboard. I have time to formulate my thoughts. I get infinite time to backspace and proofread. Sometimes, I will spend 10 minutes agonizing over what to say. When I do that I usually just "select all" and then hit the backspace button! You don't really get that opportunity in real life. My huge fear right now is that at some point contacting the local media is going to be a must. I have a strategy that allows me to hold off on that a bit. (I wrote a blog about procrastination...) 

I'm pretty sure this is going to be one of the most challenging things I have done in my life. It is going to be SO worth it!! I hope you guys will bear with me because I am sure I will be blogging about this quite a bit. 

I really appreciate you guys "liking and sharing" that page for me. Much Love!! -R-

Rizzo's Ramblings...Drugs, Drinks, or Donuts

Yesterday I tempted Fate. I knew when I did it that it was a bad idea. When I said "Bring it on, I can handle anything!", I knew I was asking for it. I should not have said it. I should not have asked Fate to do her worst. Although, to some of you, what I am about to say will surely be nothing in comparison to what you are going through. It is really nothing in comparison to what Fate could have dealt. But, I should not have asked for it. You see, a couple weeks ago I got some lab results from my Type 1 daughter's endocrinologist that said her kidney's had begun to show damage. My daughter is 14. The story of her diagnosis can be read here. There is a picture in that blog of a month's supply of pump supplies. My daughter no longer pumps insulin. She is back on the injections. Seven a day. Her sugar is more controlled on injections and we desperately need that control. According to her lab results, now more than ever because her kidneys are beginning to fail. At any rate. Back to yesterday. Yesterday was a scheduled call from her insurance company's Diabetes Managed Care Plan Registered Nurse. I had SO MANY questions about her kidneys and those lab tests. The registered nurse was very alarmed at first. Yes the creatinine/microalbumin ratio test result was very high. Yes, that is a bad sign. Did they test the BUN and creatinine serum levels in her blood? Yes. Yes, they did. Those results were normal. All of a sudden the registered nurse for the insurance company asks me if my daughter could have been on her period when this urine sample was taken. I say, yes, my daughter was on her period. She made an issue of it when she gave the urine sample. She didn't want to pee in a cup. The registered nurse informs me that this is most likely WHY protein showed up in my daughter's urine. (Blood IS protein). The registered nurse informs me that the blood lab work results show that my daughter's kidneys are working PERFECTLY. (Cue the angels singing on high and tears of joy and gratitude and me thanking the nurse profusely.) Then, when I woke my daughter up to do her morning sugar check, her blood sugar was 96. That is the HOLY GRAIL of blood sugars for my daughter.After a snoopy dance in the hallway, I got dressed, got in my car, and headed to work. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and I said to Fate "Bring it on! I can take it!'. Because everything was wonderful. Because my daughter's kidneys are perfect. Because her blood sugar was perfect. Because I am an idiot. Everything at work was non descript. Not too may rooms to clean. None of them were FUBAR. I got out at a decent time without too much cussing or fighting as is want to happen throughout the day where I work. I got home and I made the mistake of checking my mail. I NEVER  check my mail when I know there are no bills in it. I will go weeks without checking it. (I know the mail lady hates me, but it is not for that reason.) Within that small metal box was an ad flyer and my 16 year old son's report card. My brilliant, funny, handsome, 16 year old son. I shouldn't have opened it. I should have thrown it away with the ad flyer. I should have waited for a few weeks. I should have burned it in effigy. Anything besides open it. Because within that envelope, mailed so innocently from the high school, was Fate's punishment to me. For all intents and purposes, my son FAILED the tenth grade. Not because he isn't brilliant. Not because the classes were too hard (even though he WAS in Pre AP English), but because he is a lazy, non motivated little shit. He also failed Algebra 2. The WHOLE FIRST SEMESTER was a line of "F's". The second semester you could tell he tried to not fail, because they were all "A's" and "B's". He passed his Pre AP English SOL with a pass advanced score. But he failed for the year because he didn't do his work. Fate kicked my ass yesterday. Handed it to me on a plate, even. Fate reminded me that there is a reason I should never say "Go ahead, make my day". I am NOT Dirty Harry. I am a plain old housewife. I can NOT handle whatever Fate has to offer. As a matter of fact, I don't WANT to. So, I apologize to Fate. I would even kiss Fate's ass if need be, and that is saying a lot because I kiss ass for no one. With that being said, I have to go. I have to find drugs, a drink, or some donuts.

Rizzo's Ramblings...Mental Health Day

As you guys know from my Facebook update this morning, I played hooky from work to lay out in the sun. Well, not JUST to lay out in the sun, but also to spend time with my daughter and to recharge my batteries. From previous blog posts, you (should) know that I am a housekeeper for a hotel (motel?). I have been working 6 days a week sometimes cleaning 20 or more rooms in a day. I was their only housekeeper for a month or more until I had a small meltdown and threatened to quit if they didn't get me some help. They *did* hire someone else, but she is so slow that it takes her four times as long as me to get the job done. That means that I get called in on my "day off" because she can't handle the workload. This happened just this past week. So, today, I called in with a fake ailment so that I could have a day off. I probably wouldn't have done it if A) I had actually gotten a day off this week *or* B) the other housekeeper hadn't gotten TWO days off this week *or* C) it had been raining or a crappy day. I told my employer when I was hired that when school let out for summer break I would need no less than TWO weekdays off. The reasons being that I do not want to leave my 16 and 14 year olds home alone to their own devices five days a week, and because I like to spend time with them. Surprisingly enough, they like to spend time with me, too, and I am going to take advantage of that for as long as I can. School let out last Wednesday. The first day off I was supposed to have got blew all to hell because there was more than ten rooms and the other girl is slow as owl shit. I got the call, I broke the plans I had made with my kids, and I went to work. When I woke up this morning and the weatherman was predicting the perfect summer day with a high UV index I made up my mind to take a mental health day. I called in early enough for them to find someone to cover for me (whether they did or not I don't know). I told them I had suddenly come down with some terrible malady and that I would be unable to work today. I immediately woke up my teenagers and asked them what time they needed to be up in order to get ready to go to the town pool at 12 when it opened. (Don't you love how I woke them up to ask them what time they wanted to be up? I hate it when people do that shit to me! <insert maniacal laughter here>) My son had been up until 4AM gaming with his friends, so he didn't want to go. My daughter wanted to be up at 11. That meant that from 6AM until 11AM I got to sit on my ass and do nothing but watch Facebook and drink coffee. At eleven I got my daughter up, and we were at the pool by 12:30. For the record, I am kind of funny about swimming in a public pool, *especially* with about 20 small children in it, so all I did was soak up the sun. There is nothing more relaxing to me than lying under the sun on a cloudless day and basking in the heat. It's the only time I *like* to sweat. Yes. I know all about skin cancer. I'm a fair haired, fair skinned, freckly girl so I have been warned about skin cancer A LOT! But guess what? I smoke, so I have bigger cancers to worry about!! Besides, the vitamin D is ESSENTIAL to my well being! I swear vitamin D from the SUN is a mood stabilizer. I am happiest when I have soaked it up on a regular basis, and I have a beautiful tan. Think perfectly fried chicken golden brown. That's me. Guess what I use to attain it? Butter!! (No joke. Best tanning "oil" I have ever used!) While I enjoyed a mega dose of vitamin D, I also enjoyed getting to watch my teenage daughter frolic in the water with her friends. Hearing her laugh is one if the best things in this world! So this evening I am relaxed, recharged, rejuvenated, and ready to work tomorrow. I will be in such a good mood for the next few days that it would not surprise me if my boss asked me to be sick more often!! Everyone needs a mental health day! If you have not had one on a while, I *highly* recommend you take one promptly! Now, if you will excuse me, I am going to turn in early because baking in the sun always makes me sleepy. I hope you guys have a great day tomorrow. I know I am going to!!  ( And remember: Take *all* the mental health days! Rizzo's orders!)