As usual I've been lax at blogging. Call it laziness if you want. I prefer to call it forgetfulness. LOL So much has happened since the last time I wrote that I doubt I can remember it all, so I'll just touch on the important things.
The position with Insphere did not work out. I won't go into details but I decided to break ties with them after I became very ill and in a great deal of pain (to the point that I had a CT-Scan done to make sure there were no problems from my surgery). I worked for about two weeks at a local billing office until my migraines reared their ugly head. It's a shame that didn't work out because the environment was nice as were the people, and it would have provided medical benefits. I had been offered two positions at the same time, one with the billing office and one with another insurance group as an independent contractor, so I contacted the second company and they were still interested. I had started training before some other issues arose. Technically I'm still with them, but I'm exercising some more options and might possibly have another job that would begin later this month (that would offer stable income). I'll know more Tuesday.
Now onto some of the happier things... I spent July 4th weekend in Flat Rock, NC with Gloria seeing For the Glory in its latest incarnation. Michael Lanning was back as the northern captain and several alums from Gettysburg and DC were back as well, but the biggest treat was Mike Eldred as the southern captain. We haven't seen Mike since the first national tour in 2000 so it was a thrill to see him, although I will admit that I missed having him sing Sarah since he's the only man who's ever made me cry every time he sings it. (Ryan did a great job... he just isn't Mike.) We also saw several of the cast (and a couple other alums) do a NYC Writers' show (like a writers in the round) in northern VA the following week, which was also a lot of fun.
We made a rather impromptu decision to see one of the festival's Bruno Pelletier was performing at early in August. As usual the stars and moons aligned for us so we had several shows lined-up and friends to visit while we were there. Our first full day there was August 4 and we had lunch with Mad and then went to the casino with Anna that night. Surprisingly we all won money (even me who doesn't gamble played a few dollars and won). The next day (5th) was Bruno's show - at a village about 2.5 hours from our hotel. It was a gorgeous day for an outdoor festival... until about 8:00 that night. We almost didn't get a show because a heavy storm came through during the second act (Bruno was the 3rd and final) causing her to leave the stage early. We got drenched but we were persistent, and in the end Bruno and co. did go on and put on a great show for the approximately 100 people who stayed. It was after 3:00a when we got back to the hotel and we were both still wet and cold. Friday morning we made arrangements to meet with one of our other friends for a bit late morning. He had a very busy schedule that day but had some time to meet for coffee. Then that night we headed over to Granby to see Michael Dozier and co. in the Equire Show Bar Revue. This is the second summer we've seen it - it's just a lot of fun. Saturday we were off to another outdoor festival, this time to see Vincenzo Thoma sing at an Italian festival. The weather was beautiful although the breeze made it a bit chilly. It was nice to finally meet Vincenzo and hear him sing a variety of Italian songs. Sunday we had to leave. *sobs*
I'd love to say that was the end of our travels for the summer, but it wasn't. We went back to Flat Rock again, this time to see Mike perform a John Denver tribute show. We only stayed overnight but it was worth it. I grew up listening to John Denver's music so to hear one of my favorite performers sing his music was amazing. I'd go again in a heartbeat.
Yesterday I returned from New York after taking Gloria home. The worst part of the summer is always saying goodbye when I leave. I wish there was a way for us to live nearer to one another.
I've also passed the 6 months mark since my surgery. I had my follow-up appointment the beginning of August (just before we left for Montreal) and everything is fine. My iron level is still a bit low for my liking so I'm trying to add more iron rich foods to my diet so I'm not having to take more than one supplement a day. I'm also proud to announce that as of this morning I have lost 106.6 lbs! Not bad for 7 months, eh?
Now I need to go to the library and deal with an overdue library book. Hopefully they'll let me pay the fine and renew it since I still haven't finished it. Then I'll probably head home to work on laundry and perhaps do a bit more beading and list things on my Etsy shop (see link in my links section).
One final thing before I sign off, if you or a loved-one has a medical condition please do the right thing and wear a medical alert bracelet or necklace. God forbid you are in a situation where you are unconcious and none of your close family or friends are able to speak with EMS, you need them to know your conditions. I wear mine all the time so EMS is aware of the gastric bypass surgery which means I can't have a blind NG tube or NSAIDS. Please make sure you and your loved-ones are protected. If you don't like the plain ones check out Lauren's Hope Medical IDs (www.laurenshope.com).
Have a great Friday and enjoy your weekend!
