Last night, my dad woke my mom at 2.30am complaining of sharp pain in his back and pressure in his chest. It seems as though it was intermittent, but they called 911 anyway. Medics weren't sure just what it was, but they didn't think it was a heart attack. At the hospital, they monitored him and took X-rays and blood tests. He was released around 11am, since he was comfortable and the pain had gone by then. Docs have no idea what it was. It wasn't heartburn or indigestion or a heart attack, and that's all i really know right now.

My mom emailed me this hours ago and i haven't really been able to think about much since. I called their house and got voicemail. I hope it's just because they were both tired and needed some rest. Since they got home from the travel adventure, their business has been keeping them without much of a breather...

• tear*

So, this morning at 7.25am i am laying in bed and i wake to my cell phone ringing in another part of the house. Too far for me to want to go get it. It feels like it has been ringing for a long time, even though i know it only rings 4 or 5 times before moving on to voicemail. The ringing stops. And starts again.

Since (e:Uncutsaniflush) is at work, i think to myself that perhaps something is wrong and he or someone at his work is trying to get a hold of me. So, i haul ass out of bed. I don't get to the phone in time. But i see i have 7 missed calls. And 6 voicemails.

I listen to them. None of them make sense. Or maybe it's me. Maybe i am not awake. Most of them just have someone saying, "uuuhhhmm.... call me", but one has, "uhmmmm.... call me when you get this" and another has "when you get this call your husband". Since my voicemail says my full name and number, i think someone is fully aware of who i am and that there is something definately wrong!!

While looking through the call log to get to the number, my phone rings. I answer. The person hangs up. As i am dialing, my phone rings. I answer. The person hangs up.

Finally, after 15 calls, i get my shit together and call the number. Someone answers. I tell the person that i have received a dozen calls from this number.

And the person says "uhmm... yeah... i thought you were someone i knew."

The only response i could think of at the time was "you mean it took you 15 calls to realize this?"

Happy Good Monday Morning, Peeps! Hope yours started better than mine.

Travel

Over the Easter weekend, my parents decided to go away on a holiday. They haven't been anywhere besides here to visit us, to Michigan to visit my Aunt and Uncle and up north to see my brother in over 13 years. Can you imagine?!

Sadly, the flight parts of their journey were an exercise in frustration. They decided to fly out of Buffalo for the first time, and i assume the last.

They got to the airport before the crack of dawn 2 hours ahead of their flight time and waited in the check in line for over 2 hours. And missed their flight. They couldn't do anything electronically because they used a travel agent... and i think the fact that it was a Canadian one didn't help. So, they got a flight the next day... that had 2 connections instead of just the one. I am sure my father needed plenty of mood altering meds for that!

On the way home, they got to the airport for their early morning flight, after having dropped off the keys to the rental car, checked in and while at the GATE, were told their flight was cancelled because the pilot was sick. The next flight was the following evening.

Thank goodness i told them to take my phone number (remember, they may be cool in one way, but when it comes to phones and tech, they are just as parental as yours!). My mom called me asking me to look up and call their dog sitter and ask if she could keep the dog for another day and a half. And, to call the employee of their business to tell her to not come in to work for a day.

I haven't heard from my parents since they crossed the border and were kind enough to call me to tell me they were almost home safe. I assume they are buried in work...

Education

I just called the G.E.D. testing hotline. Nothing yet. Or at least i hope that is what they meant by the fact that they have no record of my Social Security number!!! We were told we could call the number 3 weeks after we wrote the test... and it was 3 weeks yesterday. Perhaps i will call them daily to find out.

Nowhere near the talet of some (e:peeps), but i like to take a snap or two here and there. Here's what was in our wee lil digital camera up until about an hour ago...


OK, not from the Botanical Gardens, but hey, at least SOMEONE is happy the weather was cold for a while...

Lots of kinder with the bestest of their Sunday best on the afternoon of Easter. But we had fun anyway.






My new userpic when i have PMS??










The century plant is outgrowing its home...


























Last but not least, my beloved tulips...

(e:Uncutsaniflush) and i just updated and upgraded our membership for the Buffalo Zoo. In the envelope with our new membership cards and parking passes, we got tickets for 5 free train rides and 5 free carousel rides. We know we won't use them.

Anyone here with kids that wants them? Or without kids that has a skinny ass and can fit into the small train seats? (e:Mrmike), are your kids still young enough to want them?

I haven't posted a journal in almost 3 weeks. Huh. Wonder why. Maybe i haven't had anything to say. Myabe i thought my life was too boring. Who knows.


Hair

I have been needing a haircut for a long time now. I reckon if the smoothing gels and gunk i have can't keep my split ends at bay, it might be time. I think it's been almost a year since i got a haircut. Even me, and my very slack and outdated hairdressing skills cringe at that.
(e:Jenks,38686) posted about hair the other day, and (e:Chicoschica) commented she goes to a place called Now Salon. So, i figured what the hell, i will try them. Although i thought the woman doing my hair was pretty good, her hours are limited and the salon (Salon 806 on Elmwood) has a snobfest attmosphere, so i haven't been back in... well, about a year. So, i have an appointment today at 4pm, after my dental appointment, for a cut. If i don't like it, i have just over a month to grow it out or get something new before we have to head to Tennessee to our friend's wedding.


Dreaded Dentist

Today, both (e:Uncutsaniflush) and i are going to get a check up at the dentist. I hope hope hope that i have the same news this time as last time. No cavities. First time ever 6 months ago that it's ever happened.


Weddings

I am so very much looking forward to our trip to Tennessee next month. We haven't been in far too long.
(e:Uncutsaniflush) is going to be a penguin in the wedding, so of course, i had to go buy myself a nice dress. Besides, most of my dresses are black.. or very inappropriate for a wedding.

It will be an outdoor wedding in Townsend, at the foothills of the Smokey Mountains. And i am very happy for both of them. Our friends, Chris and Kimberly, are the outdoorsy types -- do-gooder tree hugger vegetarian leaf lovers. Chris is sweet and kind and patient and so deserves to be happy. Kimberly very much seems to be his other half. We didn't get the chance to know her as well as i wish we could have... we moved to Buffalo instead, silly peeps that we are.


School

No school tonight. In fact, i haven't been in a few weeks. My last journal was written after we got back from Toronto. I should have gone to school that night, but i didn't. Got a call from my teacher. He called to tell me when my G.E.D. test would be. I passed the Predictor with ok enough marks to write the G.E.D.

Unfortunately, the next available days for the test were Wednesday March 21 and Thursday March 22. We had been planning on surprising my mom on her 60th birthday with flowers and taking her out to dinner -- on March 21st. I decided to write the test instead. We had the flowers delivered. Went to see her this weekend instead, the first weekend it was possible.

I think i probably passed the test. Not sure. The first day was the Reading, Literature, Sentence Structure Corrections and Essay tests. I think if i did well on any of it, those portions were it. The next day was Science, Social Studies and the 2 Maths. I think if i bombed any of it, the Maths were it. But i hope i did well enough on the rest of the test to carry me, so long as i squeaked by on the maths.

I wish i could remember more of it, but my brain was complete mush for days afterwards. Eight hours of testing over 2 days is kinda intense. I still thank (e:Libertad) profusely for journalling about Cuba... something he wrote about came into play on a few questions on the Social Studies test. And i so wish i could remember what the questions were.


Elephants

I was watching PopUp Video on VH1Classic a few weeks back. One fact they mentioned during a Blondie video for Rapture was that baby elephants are called "punks". I laughed and thought no wonder i like them. Yet, i have googled and searched and have yet to find anything to back that up. All the info i am getting just says they are called "calves", which is what i thought. Males are bulls, females are cows and babies are calves. I wonder... were they referring to teenage elephants??!?!

Not that i have been everywhere there is to be, but i have travelled a little bit. The UK, France, Germany, East and West coasts of Canada... and i have to say, so far, my favorite city of them all has to be right in the old neighbourhood of the part of the world i grew up in. Toronto.
(e:Uncutsaniflush) had a whole day off work and we decided to take advantage of the nice weather and go on a mini-adventure. Yep, you guessed it. Toronto.

We drove to Burlington then caught a GO Train to Union. Picked up ourselves a day pass for the TTC (since it is March Break -- or, as it is called here, Spring Break -- we got a family pass for $8.50 for the both of us for the day).

Had lunch at Richtree Market We both had some yummy rosti potatoes, (e:Uncutsaniflush) opting for sausage and a beer with his, a salad and soda with mine.

Then, we walked a direction i rarely go -- east. Along the Esplanade to the back of the St. Lawrence Market (e:Paul), you would adore the seafood they had there. Looked super fresh.

Our destination, other than enjoying the walk, was the Distillery Historic District. I have never been there. Didn't even know it exsisted.

Lots of constrction going on in that 'hood...


But otherwise, it was so beautifully old...










The shops were prosh, but interesting. Arty, but not too snobby (huh, in Toronto, who wudda thunk it?!). I would recommed going between Wednesday and the weekend, though. We were there on a Tuesday and not a lot of the smaller art workshop / stores were open Mondays and Tuesdays.

It must be srping, the traffic cones are starting to bloom!!

Today would be a good day to have a dog. Not that i need the excuse to go and take a walk. Maybe i can borrow Ava and Nolan...

We feed birds in our yard, even a raven or two.



We like the idea of having somewhere outside we can keep a bag of birdseed. We had a few mice in the autumn this year and last, so we didn't want to keep in inside. We didn't want to keep the seed in just it's bag outside, since we've seen a rat under the birdfeeder. We have also seen a hawk snag a pidgeon, so we hoped the same hawk had snagged the rat (and his rat friends).

So, we got this Rubbermaid trash can. But apparently, the rat and his rat friends can chew through it....





Or it might be squirrels...

I am still waiting for the results of my Predictor test.

It was a week ago today my teacher, Mark, called me to tell me i scored a 12.9 on the maths TABE and was eligible to write the Predictor. A week ago tomorrow i wrote it...

I went to school on Monday and Tuesday and another student was surprised to see me. "Didn't you write the predictor?" he asked me. "Yeah", i said, puzzled, "but if i didn't pass it, then i need to do more work and if i did, i still need to write the actual G.E.D. and either way, i need help with math." He laughed. He's a smart kid, and progessing a lot, but i think his motivation isn't quite the same as mine. Or at least, that is what he said, but in his own words, "i ain't in no hurry".

Neither am i, i reckon. I waited over 20 years to go down this road, so i guess a few more days won't kill me.

Now, no more procrasination. Math awaits...