GetSheila

No more mishaps, in theory

If you follow me on Facebook, you know I had a little mishap last Monday. Nothing serious but it did make me break down and pay REAL MONEY for something I have had my eye on for some time now.

Okay plastic money, with real money to follow at a later date, but whatever.

What happened was this: scalding water erupted all over my right hand when I inadvertently slammed my morning cuppa against the side of the counter as I transferred the hot liquid from microwave to counter.

CRIME SCENE: 

Notice the disparity in height between the table I have been using as a makeshift microwave cart and the counter.

Never mind that I have been making the transfer successfully for the past two years without incident. SOMETHING HAD TO BE DONE. Also, until I took that picture, I had not noticed how ghetto that little area of my kitchen had become. Functional does not equal pretty, apparently.

To prevent any further mishaps, I broke down and ordered a kitchen cart that was too expensive but the only one I liked the look of that would fit in that space:

It is not as pretty in person as I thought it would be but nothing ever is, is it? It certainly tells a better story than the prior slap-dash configuration. Also, notice the equality of counter heights. I did have to relocate the second trash container I use for recycling but it is a small price to pay.

I was finally able to put away the aloe and lidocaine gels and the ice bag at 1:30 the afternoon of the mishap when my hand abruptly stopped hurting. Magic! My friend Alice tells me she learned in her first aid class my hand did not actually stop burning until it stopped hurting, which both grossed and creeped me out, but I was just happy to be out of pain.

LESSONS LEARNED

1. I can operate a mouse with an ice bag perched atop my hand but typing is out of the question;
2. Putting together a piece of flat-pack furniture counts as exercise, and I have the sore butt muscles to prove it (much squatting involved);
3. I seem to have a propensity for burning my hands but this was nothing compared to last time;
4. I will no longer procrastinate when I need to spend money to fix something properly even though I am a genius at attaining functionality through jerry-rigging.

 

Technorati Tags: kitchen cart,home improvements,before and after

Breast Cancer Calling

I am sitting at my computer, minding my own business, when the phone rings. The display shows this:

Needless to say, I did not pick up. Breast Cancer averted for one more day.

Thank god for Caller ID. That was a close one.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

A quick Google search on the telephone number revealed it was actually the Breast Cancer Prevention Fund calling. They would have saved me the search time had they bothered to leave a message but no-ooooooooo, which tells me they were calling to solicit a donation not to educate me on the importance of mammographies. How disappointing.

If they call again, I shall answer and educate them on the importance of ensuring proper name display for Caller ID purposes.

 

Technorati Tags: breast cancer,telemarketers,breast cancer prevention fund

I have gremlins. They live in my radio.

I have a new clock radio. It has two alarm settings, theoretically designed as “His and Hers” but I use them as “Workweek and Weekend.”

I set Weekend for 8:00am as I have been known to sleep until noon. Not that there’s anything wrong with sleeping until noon but then I wake up headachy and cranky because half the day is gone and the mood stays with me. Best to get up and stare at nothing over my cup of tea until the morning coma abates.

The problem with my new clock radio is it is too damn bright at night. Perhaps it is simply trying out its Full Moon imitation but, whatever, it is glaring on even the dimmest setting. I turn it away from me so it doesn’t shine in my face but then I have to reach out and turn it back to me any time I want to see what time it is. Using arm and shoulder muscles in the middle of the night causes awakeness and everyone know that is NO GOOD. As a bonus, however, it does make a nifty night light.

But every once in a while, the radio station changes of its own volition and I know not why. I go along waking to Rock and Roll each morning then – BAM! – one day I wake to Spanish-speaking DJ’s and Tejano music. What the hell?

And why is it so hard to get a radio station in my bedroom in the first place that is not 1) Spanish, or 2) Country? Am I in a Rock and Roll dead zone? Is it because I live in a farming community? WHY, GOD, WHY?

If only they made a good docking station for my MP3 player that is not an iPod. Don’t they know not all MP3 players are iPods? But then I would have to figure out how to get radio on my MP3 player. And set it to come on at a specified time. And remember to both put it in the docking station at night AND put it in my purse before I leave the house.

I sense a growing acclimation to Tejano music in my future. At least it will come in handy with the neighbors.

Technorati Tags: neighbors,radio gremlins,bright clock radio

When your mom has no idea she is being funny

Mom emailed me this recently:

9 Myths About Alzheimer’s | Healthy and Green Living

DID I SEND THIS TO YOU ALREADY???????  EXCELLENT ARTICLE..............

I laughed my ass off. Am I the only one who finds this funny?

 

Technorati Tags: mom,betty,old people are funny

Maytag Gets Dooced

Do you read Dooce? No? Well check out this post anyway. You may become a convert. She had a, um, less than stellar customer service experience when her brand new Maytag washing machine broke down. And it is hilarious.

Isn’t Maytag supposed to be known for its unbreakableness? Didn’t they used to have commercials where a portly Maytag repairman stood around in a blue uniform looking forlorn because he never had anything to do because Maytags never break? Maybe that’s why the customer service is so bad: they rarely have to repair anything so, when they do, they suck at it.

I haven’t followed Dooce for a couple of years but this post made me add her back to my feed reader. Really, TOO funny. Do go check it out.

For those of you unfamiliar with Dooce, it is a blog written by Heather Armstrong, the most famous blogger in the world (or if not, pretty close.) She was listed as one of 2009’s thirty “Most Influential Women in Media” by Forbes magazine.

Pretty awesome for a girl who started out blogging about poop and her mental breakdown.

 

Technorati Tags: dooce,maytag gets dooced