I cooked my foot in Hawaii!

My first and only trip to Hawaii (thus far in my life at least) was to Honolulu (Waikiki) and was a complete disaster!

I was really excited when I found a great deal on a companion fare to Honolulu. The only trouble was finding someone that could go with me. I didn't do much traveling with people, because I'm really particular on what I want to do and see when I go places. I don't like to have a schedule or itinerary and I like to figure it out as I go along and be a little more spontaneous than planful. However, I do like to make the most of my trips and I make sure I fit in all the "must sees" and "must dos" while I'm there. I think that's reasonable.

I surveyed my friends to see who might want to go with me and my friend 'L' was all over it. She had wanted to go to Hawaii for the longest time and it just worked out well that we could both get away at that time. I figured L and I would probably have similar interests and want to do some of the same things, so we went ahead and booked it!

The trip didn't start of so well. The flight there involved a man that had rank breath and kept falling asleep on my shoulder and he was a drooler! It was disgusting to say the least. My shoulder was actually wet at one point from his drool. Disgusting! I had to listen to L whine and moan that we weren't in first class and nothing was good enough for her. Yes, sandwiched between a whiner and a drooler...I might as well have been in the neighborhood hole-in-the-wall bar!

When we finally landed, we gathered up our stuff (my luggage was literally the last to come off the plane!) and made our way to the rental car agency. We weren't planning on getting a car, but the package deal we got included it. Of course, the car rental place we chose was not easily accessible and was away from all the rest. After inquiring numerous times, we finally found our way to the car. We asked for a map and headed to our hotel.

We had some trouble finding the place, it wasn't one of the nice hotels in Waikiki, it was just off the beaten path and not really conveniently located near anything! The room was ok, but definitely not a place you wanted to be other than to sleep. Once we got there, I was ready to get out an explore and I was starving. I took a quick shower to get the drool off of me and when I got out and was all ready to go, I found L was sound asleep on the bed. I tried gently waking her, but she was out for the count. I decided I might as well take a quick nap too. We ended up sleeping for over 2 hours! What a waste of good daylight! Since we woke up a little late, we didn't head to the beach, we went out looking for food an nightlife instead. We asked the desk clerk at the hotel for recommendations of places to eat and he wasn't much help. We set off exploring and found some Hawaiian fusion place that was decent but not great. So far, Hawaii wasn't turning out to be the tropical paradise I was hoping for it to be.

I wanted to go out after dinner and enjoy the nightlife in Waikiki, but L was complaining that her head hurt and that the food wasn't sitting well and that she was tired....blah, blah, blah. Really?! I mean we were in Hawaii for only 4 days and you want to waste an evening just sleeping and eating sub par food?? I figured we would just call this first day a wash and put it behind us and I caved in an went back to the hotel upon her request.

The next day I wanted to take it all in and really enjoy all that Hawaii had to offer. Of course, that included the beach! It didn't take much convincing to get L going to the beach. We packed up our stuff and started the trek to the beach 'near' our hotel (it was a decent hike). We staked out a nice spot that was partially in the shade and sun. I have an extreme sensitivity to the sun, so I completely slathered myself in sunscreen (SPF 75) to ensure I wasn't going to burn. This included my feet. While we were laying out on the beach I had buried my feet in the sand at one point and with the sunscreen on my feet it caused the sand to stick. This wasn't really a big deal, you expect sand to stick to you when you go to the beach. What I didn't realize is that sand can actually act as a catalyst for the sun and for the next few hours that we were laying out by the beach the sun was literally cooking my feet (I did not learn this until much later).

When we were done at the beach we went back to the hotel to clean up and go out for dinner. I took a shower and I noticed that my feet looked a little red, but I figured they were just slightly sunburned or maybe irritated by the sand. At that point they looked and felt fine other than a little redness.

We went out to dinner and ended up finding a much better restaurant this time. It was a nice evening. Again, I was ready to go out and hit the Waikiki after hours! L complained again that she didn't feel great and was wiped out from our day. Ugh! Are you kidding me. This time I wasn't so nice and I forced her to at least go get a few drinks. She was always walking about 10 paces behind me and every word out of her mouth was a complaint. I tried to ignore it, but it was driving me nuts! I wanted the Hawaii paradise everyone else always exclaimed about!

Our evening was rather boring and I finally caved to L again and went back to the hotel. When we woke up the next day my feet felt really tight and when I looked down at them, I noticed my right foot was extremely swollen and my left foot was getting a little puffy too. There wasn't any sign of a blister yet. When I stood up my feet were stinging and it was rather painful. I figured this was going to go away naturally and wasn't going to turn into anything serious. We were going to the Dole plantation and to drive around Oahu since we had the car. As we drove out to the plantation, I literally watched my feet get larger and larger and larger. As we went on the tour, a blister started to form on my right foot. It was the craziest thing you ever saw, my foot seemed to be alive. This blister was growing and my foot was getting larger by the minute. We drove up to the North Shore of Hawaii and explored the beach and watched some of the surfers. At this point my foot was throbbing and a VERY large blister had formed on the right foot and smaller blisters were forming on the left. I couldn't even get my foot in my flip flops anymore and putting any weight on my foot was extremely painful!

We drove back to Waikiki and to our hotel. When we got back to the room I called my mom for advice on what to do about my foot. The advice she gave me turned out to be the worst thing I could have done! She told me to take a needle and to pop the blister to release the fluids. I was terrified to do that because it was extremely painful and the blister was huge! I did it anyway. After that, my foot became this raw, bloody, fleshy, disgusting entity. The pain was beyond belief. I couldn't do anything. I went down to the lobby to see what first aid they had available, hoping they might at least have some gauze or bandage that I could protect my foot with. All they had were tiny band aids and after looking at my foot the guy just gave us the full box of them. So, I tried to make the best of it and had this patchwork of band aids all over my foot. It was pathetic.

The next day we were flying home and the nightmare didn't end! We were driving back to the airport and were already running late, and we couldn't find the directions on where to return the rental car. We found almost every rental agency but ours! I had lost all my patience and I was yelling at L and I threw the map at her. It was pure drama! We finally found the way to return it, then we had to wait for like 15 minutes to get a shuttle back to the terminal. We were so late! We were going to miss our flight. We got the shuttle and at the terminal we were going to have to run or we were never going to make it to the gate. I could barely walk, let alone run....I couldn't get any shoe (flip flops included) to fit on my foot. So I was running around barefoot with about 20 band aids flopping on my raw and oozing foot! I hobbled as fast as I could to the gate and we made it at the very last minute. We were seated in the back of the plane and I hopped back to get to my seat (which was the middle seat), and I had to beg L to give me her aisle seat so I could stretch out my foot. She was so selfish! Of course, during all of this, the flight attendant took notice of my foot and the pain on my face. I thought for sure she wasn't going to let me fly. I convinced her I was ok and it was just because we ran to the plane.

The whole flight was miserable, my foot was throbbing, stinging, and the pain was unbelievable. I had NOTHING I could take, not even Tylenol. I was suffering and I had to do everything I could not to just cry or scream.

Once we landed back in Chicago, I slowly limped to the baggage claim to get my stuff and make it to my car. L had the nerve to ask me to drive her home, even though she lived downtown and could easily take a cab! I just screamed "NO, I'm going to urgent care!!" I did just that. I drove straight to urgent care with my band aids dangling off my foot at this point and exposing a foot that looked like it had been attacked by a flesh eating virus.

When I arrived at urgent care the nurse asked me if I had poured acid over my foot. She could not believe that I could have such severe burns from just the sun. The burns on my feet were third degree and the doctor said I was lucky I didn't wait any longer or I could have lost my right foot. OMG!!

They gave me bandages and cream to start the healing, but walking on my foot was not possible. Just standing up caused so much stinging pain that I would pass out. I was out of work for over 2 weeks and when I did finally go back I still couldn't get a shoe on my foot, so I had to wear flip flops and people wanted to throw up when they saw my foot.

Needless to say, my Hawaii trip was one of the worst vacations I've ever had, and I still shiver when I think about going back :(

For two years I had a permanent tan line on my feet that looked like I always had a brown sock on. Now, I just have scars that look like birth marks. I am thankful it healed as well as it did.

Never bury your feet in the sand when they are covered in sunscreen!

Random Acts of Debbie asks that you take a moment and comment, good or bad, I welcome it all!

Freshman roommate hell!

When I was preparing to move away from home and go off to college, I was actually excited at the idea of living in a dorm and having a roommate. I had heard from so many before me that their college roommates ended up being some of their closest friends during and after college. I couldn't wait to meet someone new and experience this adventure together.

I had heard the one off stories of people that didn't have great experiences, but figured those cases were pretty rare. I was nothing but excited and didn't even think twice that I might be one of those unfortunate few that would have a bad experience. Then I met Andrea G. from Missouri City, Texas and it was all downhill from there.

Marquette does a summer preview before you start your freshman year and you get a chance to meet your roommate (if they come of course), check out the campus, and mingle and socialize with other students and parents. I went with my dad and was super excited to see if my roommate would be there. I knew her name, because they had sent me the information ahead of time. We were in one of the auditoriums listening to some speech when I heard someone say "Andrea G." and I immediately scanned the room to see if I could determine who she was. I found her and immediately got a bad vibe. I shook it off and decided to go up and talk to her and introduce my dad. When I approached she gave me the up and down look and seemed to have an expression that said "don't talk to me" as I got near her. I excitedly said "Hi! Are you Andrea??", and she replied "Yes. Why do you ask?" I told her that I was her roommate and a look of dread came over her face. Great, this was not the start I was hoping for, and even my dad said he got a chill when she spoke.

I tried being social and getting to know her, but she fluffed me off and made some excuse to leave with her parents. Neither of them even said hello to my dad. They were all incredibly cold and rude. I wanted to give the benefit of the doubt that she was just nervous and taken off guard and maybe she would warm up when we came back in a month or so and started school.

This initial experience weighed on my mind over the few weeks as I prepared to pack up and move off to Milwaukee for school. I desperately wanted to have a good experience, after all I was leaving home and going 2500 miles away, and I didn't know anyone even remotely close!

I was going off to school by myself because my parents didn't have the money or the time off to fly or drive our there with me. I had to pack what I could fly with and the rest of my stuff was going to be shipped to me. I thought I had carefully packed everything I would need that first week of school, since my boxes wouldn't arrive for at least 5-7 days. I was bringing an enormous amount of luggage with me. I had 2 large suitcases, a carry-on, and a HUGE storage locker. I didn't even think how impossible it was going to be to get all of that off the plane and to campus by myself!

When I arrived in Milwaukee I got one of those rolling carts and starting flinging my luggage off the carousel and onto the cart, banging my knees and hurting myself as I went along. I got it all stacked and managed my way out to the shuttles and found one to schlep me off to campus. Luckily, the guy was pretty nice about all my luggage and managed to get it all into his van. He had to take less passengers because of all my stuff! When we arrived to my dorm he unloaded all my stuff on the curb and left. There I stood, all alone, and no conceivable idea of how I would get all of this stuff upstairs to my room. I strapped the carry on to one of the big suitcases and grabbed the other one with my other free hand....but then there was the storage locker. It had a large rope on it and I tried strapping it around my neck and pulling it that way. It was the saddest display you ever saw! As I was crawling towards the front door of the dorm, I saw Andrea's parents and they just looked at me, knowing exactly who I was, and didn't even offer to help me! I crawled and crawled, huffing and puffing, and turning purple from being strangled by the locker....then a good Samaritan appeared. One of the other girl's father saw me and immediately got the locker off my neck and offered up his family to help me get up to my floor. Thank goodness!

When I arrived to my floor they helped me bring in my stuff, and the girl who's dad helped me, walked into my room to set down my carry-on that she had helped carry up. Andrea was in the room and had already staked out her territory. When she saw the girl come in she beamed with excitement thinking that was her roommate. Then I walked in behind and thanked the girl and her family for helping me and a look of disappointment came flooding back over Andrea's face. What a bitch!

As soon as I was in the room and taking a look around, she said "I didn't want bunks, so my dad separated the beds and that one (pointing to the corner where she had stuffed my bed) is yours. You can have that closet and that desk." Wow, thanks Andrea, that's so generous of you! I didn't pay her any attention, I just wanted to get settled in and I really needed a nap after all that travel. I went to open up my locker and suitcases and quickly realized that in all the anxiety of packing I managed to forget sheets, blankets, and pillows for my bed! Somehow I put those things in the shipped boxes! Andrea observed this revelation and seemed to enjoy the misery that came over me. I asked her if I could borrow a pair of sheets and if she had an extra blanket, just until mine arrived. She said "I'm sorry, I don't feel comfortable sharing my linens, I don't really know you." Are you kidding me?? I told her I would wash them, but she refused. I didn't have my bus pass or anything yet, so I couldn't just get out to the store and buy sheets or a blanket. I had packed a couple of towels and ended up using those to sleep on for that one night. She seemed to greatly enjoy this and her parents were amused too. Sick people.

It only got worse from there. My mom and I had worked out that I would call her at 8pm every evening to say goodnight and catch up for the day. I didn't really think this was that late and we worked it out so my mom would be home from work, since there was a 2 hour time difference. The first night when I called her, Andrea was staring at me the whole time as if she wanted to vaporize me with her eyes. The second night she started tapping her fingers on her desk when I called my mom, and by the third night she was yelling at me. She said that 8pm was far too late to have phone conversations and that if I wanted to do that I should go to the common area and talk to my mom there or at least take the phone into the hallway. How is 8pm too late?! The next night when I called my mom, I did it at the same time and in our room, I had a right to live there too! Andrea pulled the phone cord out of the wall! Then she told me "when I ask you to do something, I expect you will listen!" She was nuts!

I went to my resident advisor and told her what was happening and she just told me to give it some time, that it's always hard to adjust to living with a complete stranger and she was sure we would gel soon. I was more concerned she would kill me in my sleep!

She monitored everything I did and seemed to have commentary on everything. She tried to convince me that I would be better off living in the engineering dorm and that "those were more my people". About a month into the semester I had to get a campus job as part of my work study program. We had a cafeteria in our dorm and they had plenty of jobs that paid better than most. So, I took a job working in the cafeteria. It was a good gig, because I got free meals and they paid well. The first night I was working the food line, she came through with some of her new friends and she started making fun of me and said "this is how the poor kids pay for college" and then she would be difficult in what she wanted for her meal. Several times she nearly got me fired!

When it came time to pledge sororities, I was asked to pledge for an engineering sorority on campus, and I thought it might be a cool thing to be part of. I didn't really see myself as a sorority girl, but I wanted the full college experience. I decided to go ahead and go through the pledge process just to see what it was like. I was on the phone telling one of my friends back home about the sorority and Andrea was in the room with a couple of her friends. They were giggling and laughing like crazy and I could tell they were listening to my conversation. Andrea kept writing in her notebook and then they would laugh really hard. When I got off the phone they had stepped out to get dinner and she left the notebook on her bed. I went over and glanced at it and it said "the roommie is trying to join a sorority, how sad is that?? I didn't know they had 'special ed' sororities here!" and then it said "I bet she can't wait to call her mommy and tell her how well she is fitting in!" What a bitch! She didn't even know me and yet she decided she just didn't like me. Other people liked me, I was making friends, but I couldn't crack this NUT (literally).

About two months into the semester and just before we were going home for the holidays, one of the girls living in the suite down the hall dropped out of school. This happened to be the same suite Andrea's new little pals lived in, and she immediately jumped on the opportunity to move in. It was the best Christmas present I've ever gotten in my life!! No more bitchy, psycho, control freak roommate!

I was supposed to have a new roommate when I came back for my second semester, but somehow student housing screwed up and I ended up with the double to myself for the rest of my freshman year. It was pretty cool, especially since I met Alicia (she lived in the dorm next to mine with Miss Vernon Hills, IL). She didn't always love her roommate and ended up spending a good deal of time hanging out in my room. It worked out for the best, because we became really close friends and then moved in with each other Sophomore year. So, my tragic story had a happy ending...just much suffering to get there.

The summer after my freshman year, I returned home to Oregon City to work for the summer. Some of the teachers at my high school had reached out to me and asked if I could come to a panel for the seniors to give my perspective on my first year of school and what to expect. One of the first questions they asked me was "how was living in the dorm and what was your roommate experience like?" I couldn't lie to them, I had to give them the harsh reality that it's not all sunshine and rainbows! By the time I was done sharing my experience they all looked terrified. Oops.

All I have to say to Andrea if she ever reads this is....I really hope you didn't major in psychology and if you did, I hope you worked on yourself first...basket case!

Good luck to all future freshman out there that find themselves in roommate hell!

Random Acts of Debbie asks that you take a moment and comment, good or bad, I welcome it all!

Pardon my tire tracks on your back!

My mom bought me a pair of Skecher's shape-ups for my birthday. I was kind of excited, but also nervous at the same time. If you don't know what shape-ups are, they are a uniquely designed shoe by Skecher's that are made to firm and tone your muscles. They are made so that they force you to walk correctly. So, they have this arched design so you kind of roll back and forward in them. Now, for a person that is accident prone and falls a lot, this is kind of scary. Seems to me these are the exact kind of shoes that would do me in. Yet, I certainly could benefit from firm and tone muscles by simply wearing them when I'm walking around all the time anyway!

I've had them for about a month now and have probably been on 6-8 walks ranging from 20 minutes to an hour. I had not had one fall or accident! In fact, these shoes were incredibly comfortable and I felt like I walked better and safer than I ever have....until tonight that is...

I was walking around in search of a vegan cupcake or some kind of vegan dessert. I had such a craving for something, but I didn't feel like driving anywhere. I wasn't sure I would have any luck finding something downtown, but figured it was worth exploring. Since I was going out walking, I instantly put on my shape-ups! Time to work those calves and glutes...lol!

I have a bad habit (or maybe it's not really a bad habit, just a habit) of rocking on my feet and standing on my tip toes when I'm bored standing at a don't walk sign. I get lucky a lot and usually don't have to stop, or I just change direction so I don't have to stop. Tonight, however, I did have to stop and it was at a VERY long light. Before I knew it I was doing the rocking thing and standing on my tips toes and getting all anxious for the light to go to walk. With normal shoes that's not really that risky, but with shape-ups the rocking back and forth can really throw you off balance...and for a person that already has balance issues, that's a recipe for disaster!

So, I was standing at the edge of the sidewalk and I came off my tip toes and back on to my heal (mind you the arched heal that kind of flings you back when you are not actually walking), and I started to fall backwards and lost my balance. In an attempt to correct myself I pulled forward by wildly swinging my arms and throwing myself forward, but I was a little too zealous in my correction and managed to fling myself forward and fall off the sidewalk just as a bicyclist was approaching and I fell almost on queue to when he approached and his bike went right over my back across my shoulders. He lost control of his bike and fell off and I was laying face down on the street with a tire track across my back. To make it even more humiliating, there was a cop waiting at the light and he turned his lights on and came over to the "scene". He said "I've never seen anyone do that in the 20 years I've been a cop." He suggested that I stay at least 5-10 feet off the curb when waiting at a crosswalk and that maybe I use the "buddy" system. Great, he thought I was "special". The bicyclist was kind of pissed and yelling at me...thanks for the sympathy buddy! You just ran me over! Ok, ok...I did fall and I did cause him to fall, but jeez, I still got run over.

My lesson is learned...I will most definitely stop standing on my tip toes when I'm in the shape-ups! And, yes officer, I will stand further away from the curb in the future.

Random Acts of Debbie asks that you take a moment and comment, good or bad, I welcome it all!

On top of the world!!

The title says it all...I feel on top of the world! This week has been another week of milestones and amazing experiences. I feel as though I'm really starting life all over again with a completely different outlook on the world, and it feels amazing!

On Friday I went with a friend to a trapeze class and actually learned how to swing on the trapeze. What an experience! Once upon a time I would have laughed at anyone that would have asked me if I wanted to go to a trapeze class with them and laughed even harder at the idea I could fit into the belt, climb that VERY tall ladder, and even dare swing from the trapeze bar. Now, my reaction was quite different. I immediately said yes and I had no fear other than the fear of falling (which we all know I do quite a bit of!) and the excessive adrenaline of climbing up that high and falling into a net. Before I lost weight I did plenty of adventure sports, but I could never do them carefree and just truly enjoy them. There was always the stress of whether or not I could get into the equipment, meet the requirements, perform the tasks like everyone else. I would get so worried about those things that when it came time to do anything, the moment would always be overshadowed with stress.

I wasn't even good at trapeze, I couldn't master my knee hang or back flip, and my "banana" form never was quite right, but it didn't matter. I just did it an enjoyed myself and knew that I wasn't bad because I was limited by my weight, I was just bad because I have no balance, coordination, or grace of any kind! lol!

I was already on a high from trapeze and on Saturday when I went to urgent care and weighed in, I discovered I had lost 5 more pounds....which meant I had officially lost HALF of my body weight. I was ecstatic. That, in itself, had me on a natural high. I almost forgot why I was urgent care and was going to leave after I weighed!

It doesn't even end there! The best is yet to come. Today, I went skydiving in California for the first time! It was the most incredible and amazing experience of my life. I proudly wrote in my weight on the form we had to fill out and didn't even think twice about being able to go up! When we had the option of wearing a jumper, I didn't get that nervous scared feeling in my stomach that they wouldn't have a jumper that would fit me. In fact, I wore a large jumper and it was kind of hanging on me, I should have totally gone with the medium! Medium!! that's so weird to say. When the instructor was strapping me into my harness and had to keep tugging at it to get it tight, I felt somewhat exhilarated that his issue was getting it tight enough on me and not how to get it to just fit! When we were up on the plane and I had to sit in his lap (ooo la la btw), I didn't have a single worry about doing so. No thoughts of crushing him, of hearing that awful groan when you take the wind out of the person, and no concerns about having enough slack for him to strap me to him (again...ooh la la!! they were all hot!). For the first time I just enjoyed the experience (just like with the trapeze) and it was so new to me. I took it all in...flying through the air at 120 mph at 13,000 feet about the ground. I just smiled and absorbed all there was to see and my instructor was able to spin us around and do tricks without any effort or issues at all. When we landed, I did crash and burn, but not because I was overweight, just because I'm Random Acts of Debbie! He toppled over me....hehe, I didn't mind that either :-)

I am completely on top of the world. I feel like I have a second chance at life and this version is so much better!

Now I'm just focused on what's next....hmm, a base jump? rock climbing? kayaking? So many things to do!! Of course, I have to fit it in while I'm getting certified to be a skydiving instructor!

Random Acts of Debbie asks that you take a moment and comment, good or bad, I welcome it all!

Officer...I'm not drunk!

When I used to work at Hewitt, I would pull some really late nights, and I mean LATE nights. If it was a 'prod load' night, I could be there until 1 or 2am. There were times I just stayed the night. Those days could be really draining and leave you feeling quite exhausted!

One evening I was pulling one of these late night shifts and it had been an intense night with lots of issues and many "fires" to put out. I ended up leaving work around 1:30 in the morning and I was totally beat. I worked in Lincolnshire, IL and had to commute home to Kenosha, WI which was about a 45 minute drive or so. I was driving with the window down most of the way, so the cold blast of air would keep me awake. I drifted a few times, but I managed to keep myself pretty alert. I was doing really well!

I made it all the way to my exit and I was only a few turns from home. I approached a red turn light and put my blinker on to indicate my turn. It was a little after 2 in the morning by this time. As I was waiting for the light to turn green, I leaned my head against the window, just because I was so tired...it felt like my head was a million pounds.

Next thing I know I hear tapping on my window...tap, tap, tap...tap, tap, tap...tap, tap, tap....and I finally came to and realize there was a police officer with a flash light streaming into my window and tapping on my window with a night stick. I was so confused. I realized I had drool streaming down one side of my face. What had happened?? I was kind of dazed. I rolled down my window and asked the officer "what's going on?" He replies "do you know how long you've been sitting here?" I had no idea what he was talking about, I was just waiting for my green light. So I replied "I was just waiting for the light to change officer." He chuckled a bit and he said "are you trying to tell me in the last 2 hours that light didn't turn green?" Two hours?! What?? I looked at the clock in my car and there is was "4:15am". Holy crap! I fell asleep with my foot on the break, turn signal on, and my head against the window! He had said he circled a few times in the last couple of hours and noticed I had just been sitting there.

I didn't even know what to tell the officer. I just said "I don't know how that happened officer, I had a long night at work, and I was exhausted. I guess I must have nodded off when I leaned my head on the window." He raised the flash light to my eyes and was staring me down. He said "Ma'am, are you drunk? Have you had a little too much this evening?" I exclaimed "no! I really did work very late, I can give you some co-workers to call and verify, really officer! I'm not drunk!" He asked me to get out of the car and go through a few sobriety checks. My balance wasn't the greatest (but that's because I'm me, not because I was drunk!). I managed to convince him that I wasn't drunk and that I really did fall asleep from pure exhaustion.

He was very concerned about my ability to make it home, but I told him I only lived a few more minutes away and I was wide awake now! He insisted on escorting me home and followed me until I got to my apartment complex and parked my car. As I got out of the car and grabbed my stuff to go inside, he rolled down his window and said "next time you might not be so lucky and your foot will slip off the break, it's a damn miracle that didn't happen! I suggest you either move next door to your work or find yourself a new job!" Words of wisdom officer.

Random Acts of Debbie asks that you take a moment and comment, good or bad, I welcome it all!

Intense conversation

When I woke up this morning, I checked my horoscope on my mac widget, as I do every morning. Today it said "you will be involved in an intense conversation with someone you meet on the street." I was intrigued. So many possibilities. Then again, maybe this was just going to be another encounter with a hooker on the streets of Escondido! I was anxious to see how the day would unfold and what this "intense conversation" might be.

I paid close attention throughout the day to observe all that was around me to see if there were any signs or clues of when this conversation might occur. Nothing exciting happened as I made my way to my car in the morning, nothing on the drive in, nothing upon my approach into work. It was a quiet morning, very little co-worker interaction...I was beginning to think it just wasn't going to happen. I also wasn't sure what would really qualify as an "intense conversation".

I went to Jimbo's Naturally! for lunch (I love this place, btw!) and as I was in the deli section perusing all the available vegan options, I noticed an old man that crept up from behind me and cut in my place in line. Normally, I would have said something or made a point that I was annoyed (I don't believe old people should get to do whatever they want!), but I was in a good mood today and was still indecisive on what I was going to get when it was my turn anyway, so I looked the other way and let it go. He ended up taking forever! He was sampling and asking questions, and then ended up getting like 10 things in these tiny quantities! That's besides the point though. I was nice during this whole experience, I even smiled at him (this might have been what caused the next event).

Once he was done and it was my turn at the counter, I had my chance to talk to the really hot deli boy! Aye aye aye! Muy caliente! His smile made me want to melt. Anyway, I ordered the vegan ratatouille and flirted a little with him, but I didn't take up nearly as much time as the old man! When I received my food, I turned around to go towards the check out, and as I flipped around this really old lady was standing behind me and sneering at me like I just stole her purse or something! I wasn't sure what it was I would have done, I didn't even know she was there, and I never made eye contact with her until I turned around. I thought maybe she liked he old man and was peeved I smiled at him...or maybe she was into the hot young deli boy too! As I fluffed it off and started to walk away she turned slightly and snarled "little bitch!" at me. What did I do?! I didn't even know how to react. Maybe old people are like animals, they know when you don't like them, and they act out! I don't really hate all old people, just the ones that drive slow! I couldn't really do anything but walk away. It's not like you can really ever win by arguing with an old lady!

I pondered as I waited to check out if this was my "intense conversation". It did qualify as slightly intense. I didn't want to exclude myself from other opportunities for an "intense conversation" so I did go for a walk around the usual corners of e-hell and it was a slow day on the streets...no solicitations, no hooker brawls, and no more intense conversations!

Random Acts of Debbie asks that you take a moment and comment, good or bad, I welcome it all!

Bald tires...bad luck!

It was just another average Monday driving into work. Well, actually that's not true. It was rainy, I nearly ran out of gas, and I hit a highway patrol cruiser when my bald tires failed to stop my little Hyundai Sante Fe on the rainy and somewhat slick street.

As I left my house this morning I was hoping for a positive Monday. I thought by putting the positive energy out there it might just happen! I was about 2o minutes into my drive when I glanced down at the dashboard and saw the bright orange gas light practically screaming at me. The gas needle was all the way below the 'E' and just kind of bobbling there. That's never a good sign. I tried to get over to get off on Miramar and get gas only to have a Salvation Army truck completely cut me off and blow my chances (damn you Salvation Army!). I had to go a little further and try getting off on Mira Mesa. I was successful, but pulled into the one and only pump that was malfunctioning! There were 10 others not in use, but I managed to pick that one. Had to wait another 10 minutes while the guy inside figured out how to reset the system so my card would stop processing. I finally got my gas and was on my way.

The rain was creating a bit of a hazard for me, because I need new windshield wipers...so it was just kind of smearing the rain back and forth, keeping my visibility bad. Plus my car kept hydroplaning. Through all of this I managed to get to my exit and found myself behind a highway patrol car. I figured I needed to keep good distance and not pull any of my last minute maneuvers in cutting anyone off trying to get off on 78 East. I was being very cautious!

As I exited and strolled down the street to turn on Broadway, just a minute from work, I came to a stop as the light turned red. The police cruiser was still in front of me. I didn't stomp on the breaks, I came to a natural stop, but something happened and my breaks almost felt like they locked and then my car just started to slide in the rain. As I inched closer and closer to the cruiser I just closed my eyes and hoped I didn't hit! Closing my eyes probably not a smart idea! Then I felt the thump and realized it had happened :( I looked up and the patrol car immediately flipped on his lights and the door opened. I tried to look as sad and pathetic as I could, hoping I might have just hit a sympathetic cop and could tug at the heart strings a little! The guy looked like he wanted to rip me apart and then feed me to the dogs. I was a little scared. As he came to my car he asked me what happened. I told him I came to a natural stop and then my car seemed to lock up and just slid. He looked at my tires for a second, then looked at me again, then kicked the front tire and looked at me again. Then he cracked a partial smile...this was unexpected. He told me that it was time for some new tires and I really needed to make sure not to go so long on the next set. He told me to get my brakes checked as well, and then said "you're going to spend enough money getting this "girl" into shape, so I'm going to let you go today, but if I see you driving around on these tires again, I'm going to pull you over!"

So, I guess you can call me clueless about tires, because this is the longest I've ever kept a car, so I've never gotten to the point where new tires were needed! The Sante Fe has 85,000 miles and its original tires! Oops!

It was a manic Monday morning!

Random Acts of Debbie asks that you take a moment and comment, good or bad, I welcome it all!

Snuggie tragedy...it's not all fluffy and warm

I got my first snuggie for Christmas this year. I guess my mom couldn't handle the idea I didn't have one yet! I have to admit, I wasn't SO upset at the idea of getting a snuggie. I probably would have never gone out and bought one on my own, but I didn't mind when I was presented with one Christmas Eve! Especially since it was freezing in my parent's house! It made the cut of xmas presents and came home with me to San Diego.

We were having some cold nights in San Diego...yes, that happens! We have Winter here too you know! So one evening when it got a little chilly in my condo, I took full advantage of being a new snuggie owner and pulled it out its box and wrapped myself up all warm and cozy. I was definitely enjoying it and I had even called my mom to tell her I was using the snuggie and how much I liked it.

I had noticed that it was awfully long, which seemed a bit annoying, but figured it was also nice because I could cover my feet. I was laying down in my bedroom with the snuggie wrapped around me and decided I was thirsty and should go get some water. I got up to walk into the kitchen and I took about 10 steps when my feet got all tangled up in the snuggie and I lost my balance. I'm not sure how I did it, but I was so entwined in the snuggie that it tripped me and I had no way of gaining control and preventing the fall. Timber! Down I went! Arms flailing, feet trapped, falling face forward.

Unfortunately, I had made it most of the way to the kitchen, so when I tripped I was just outside the edge of the kitchen where the granite counter top begins. So, as I fell forward, I hit my head really hard on the corner of the granite counter. It was about 8:45pm when I had gotten up for water, I remember looking at the clock. After I fell the next thing I remember was coming to on the floor with the snuggie still wrapped around my legs and my cheek pressed to the kitchen floor. My vision was very blurry, but I was squinting hard to try to make out the clock on the stove. I wiped my eyes several times because I thought I was seeing it wrong. Did it really say 9:40pm?? What happened to the last hour?! That's when I realized I had passed out from the fall. I felt around my head and found the large bump on the left side of my head where I had hit, and as I tried to stand I was dizzy and a little disoriented.

I pondered for over 30 minutes going to urgent care (as I should have for a head injury!), but I just couldn't bear the humiliation this one would bring. As it is, the urgent care staff already thinks I'm a walking disaster. Could I really go in there and say I tripped over my snuggie, hit my head on the kitchen counter, and passed out for an hour?? I couldn't do it! They would have that in their minds every time I came back. I couldn't show my face in urgent care again! I took my chances that I would be ok and skipped the urgent care visit for this disaster!

Don't be fooled by the snuggie ads that have you believe these are good for all people, that they will keep you warm, safe, and happy. Those people are actors to force you into believing the snuggie is your best friend! This snuggie is definitely NOT my best friend. It is dangerous and should come with a warning label. Join me in writing to the makers of the snuggie in adding a warning to the box at least! I can't be alone....I encourage all victims of the snuggie to come forward and share their stories!

BOSU Betrayal!

Last December I bought my trainer, Charlie, a BOSU for xmas. I was excited to give it to him, because he had said he wanted one and talked about a variety of workouts he had done or could do on the BOSU. I thought it was the perfect gift for a personal trainer! I gave that BOSU a good home and yesterday it betrayed me...

It was my normal Wednesday kettlebell session with Charlie. It had been an average day, nothing bad had really happened, so I should of known something was impending. I usually have something happen to me on a daily basis.

We started with our normal warm-up exercises with the neck, back bends, squats, etc. Then we moved on to do some leg raises. This involved me jumping up on the pull up bar and bringing my legs up towards my chest. Seemingly safe task, right? I can't reach the pull up bar, so I use the BOSU to give me the extra boost to jump up to the bar. The first set of 5 went fine. Then I went into the second set. I was on the BOSU and I jumped up to reach the bar and grabbed hold of it. Some how I lost my grip and came down from the bar landing on the BOSU, which helped propel me off of it and then I fell backwards and slammed my head into the wall.

The BOSU I gave such a good home had turned on me. It flung me from its graces into a wall. Why BOSU? Why?

I will forgive but I will not forget....oh BOSU, how could you??

Random Acts of Debbie asks that you take a moment and comment, good or bad, I welcome it all!