Vice Grip's CD release party was tonight-finally. Seemed to take ages for this day to come, I've been so excited! Hee! A smaller band like this, in a small venue has such a different feel than going to see DD, but I really do love it. I love them both in their own ways.

I finally got something to wear to the show, yesterday. I wanted something new, but not too dressy. I got like a sleeveless top that goes past my hips so it looks pretty good. A deep V-neck. Very pretty, and looked good with jeans. Doors opened at 6, and Tony didn't want to go that early. A bunch of bands were also playing, and when we got there (around 7:30 I think?) one was already playing, I think we'd missed at least one other, and the place was packed. I managed to get pretty close though, staking my ground! Of course, one of the bands had people doing this mosh pit business, which I can't handle, and it was all around me. One guy was crowd surfing and landed on my head. I told Tony it was a good time to go get a drink. I told him i can't handle having a strange guys land on my head! But that for whatever reason it was ok to have Simon land on my head back in Atlanta in 05, lol. Tony says well he wasn't a stranger-lol! Yup, I've "known" him since I was a wee teenager!

I was able to worm our way back up front though, with just one line of girls in front of us. It was hotter than hell in that place!I could more bands played and with the heat and the fact that I'd forgotten to take my pain pills, I was feeling a little miserable and totally impatient for VG to come on! When they did, the crowd went wild! They really managed to pack that place. Pretty much everyone in the audience had the black X on their hands signifying them being underage. yeah, it was weird being the oldest, but honestly I didn't care!

They really rocked! Everybody bouncing, screaming like little fan-girls, singing along.....set was WAY too short though! They did have an encore though and did 2 songs. Tony was taking pictures and I have yet to even check them out.....will post some tomorrow if they came out!!

So now I am tired and in pain and pretty keyed up, but I *don't care*!!! I had a blast and that's all that matters!

So I went to Kohls today and ended up buying a new bra. When I took the receipt out of my purse at home I noticed something very....odd.



Ummmm, WTF??!!

Shit, just the other day some old dude told me I don't look a day over 30! LOL......

Well, the weekend is over and it's back to work tomorrow. It went too fast. I've been so exhausted this past week, getting over being sick, the pain, working 3 days in a row at that shit job. So Saturday I slept till 1 freakin o'clock. Seriously! I was just so tired! Then I really didn't do anything at all the entire day. Except go out to eat. Can't remember...oh yeah, we went to Applebees. For once, I didn't get their dessert! But I might have if I hadn't left there feeling sick. When we got there I got their Red Apple Sangria, which tasted wonderful! I proceeded to slurp it right down. Then I had some french onion soup and for an entree I had a half salad, the one that is spinach and shrimp and red peppers with a hot bacon vinegrette. Yummy!!!!!! I ate it pretty fast cuz it tasted terrific. Then I snatched maybe 5-6 of Tony's fries. Suddenly I had a cramp in my stomach and my right arm start to hurt really bad. I figured it was probably gas or something, because when I accumulate a lot of trapped gas I get referred pain into my shoulder. I felt so horrible I had to excuse myself and I went and sat on a bench outside. Oichysis.

Today I was up a little earlier and a weeny bit more productive. I did a little bit of work on my resume. Before I add anything about my current job I needed to make room.....so I condensed the other stuff quite a bit. It took a little bit of time, esp with formatting, etc. I however, did not get to actually putting in my current job. I can't think of a way to make my job sound 'good'. I should try to get my hands on a job description and start from there. If I have time to look......

That is another problem. I swear, Easter really doesn't seem to have her head on straight. This coming week she gave 2 nurses and one tech vacations. Of course Billie is now gone too, but she didn't know that, but still, even with her, she left us wayyyyy too short! Plus tomorrow she gave one other nurse, who has already been on vacation for 2 weeks plus 1 day straight-another day of vacation.Um, hullo! Crazy much?! This leaves us with 1 secretary, one tech, and 3 nurses. We'd gotten used to that staffing pattern at McAuley before the consolidation, but we were HALF as busy then! As it is, one nurse will have to be in the daycenter....all day. Too many bodies out there. Another nurse will spend a great deal of time up front doing charge role and manning the (stupid) triage line. Typically the nurse who does that has had no time to held with patients. Leaving the 3rd nurse to run around like mad doing every last thing in the clinic proper. I'd be doing either the front or the clinic. Either way sucks. It's too much for one person, way too much!!!!!

Anyhoo, trying not to get all worked up about it before the time comes. I just want to get up early enough to stop and get some ice coffee before I go in.

I've been feeling like crap, physically. Heel hurts horribly. Finger and toe joints hurt. Legs and hips hurt. Arms ache. Shoulders hurt bad. I added my muscle relaxant back into the mix. I really want to cut out some meds, and I thought I was doing ok without it, but after a couple weeks, I found out nope, not doing so well!!! Sick of meds. I'm a walking pharmacy, I take more pills than some of my patients!

Oh! Vice Grip was on the radio tonight! they were on 98.9 "The Buzz" here locally, and online. They were interviewed (they are so cute and funny!) and the station played 2 songs from their new album. (Of course ones already put up on their myspace, but cool to hear on the radio!). Their new CD comes out Saturday, their CD release gig, can't wait! Even Tony's coming, lol! He actually saw them with me before, by default, because they played when I went to see Shiny Toy Guns, who he likes some. He doesn't like the loudness though, or the 'screaming girls'. I don't think he's fond of being up front either...not me, I steak my space and stay there all night!

OK, gotta rest for my horrible day tomorrow.

And I want to!

OK, you've all heard me talk about Vice Grip on and off for months (ad neauseam, perhaps?) Well, they've got some exciting things going on for now so I am trying to get the word out to everyone I possibly can! Some of you will read this more than once, so I apologize! But here's my *very heartfelt* spiel!

Several months ago I 'discovered' Vice Grip, they (along with Liam and Me, another AWESOME band) opened up for Shiny Toy Guns locally here in Rochester NY. Check them out here: www.myspace.com/vicespace Since then I have come to totally adore their music! It's the kind of upbeat music that brings you up when your down...that you want to sing out LOUD in the shower, or with the car window open on a hot summer day.....

They've got some super exciting stuff going on right now! Tomorrow (Thursday 7/17) they'll be playing The Warped Tour in Cleveland OH, and the 18th (Friday) they'll be at Warped again in Detroit MI! If you have a chance, check them out! Then Saturday 7/19 they'll be back in Ohio (Bryant, Ohio) playing a show that you can check out too!

They also have a new CD coming out! It's called 'If You Show Me Yours!" and will be released 7/26! You can preorder now (all info is on their myspace page).....they have a CD release show on that date locally here in Rochester at Waterstreet, only $10....if you live nearby check it out!!!!! You won't be sorry!


yayyyyyy! Can't wait to see them the 26th! Nothing's gonna stop me this time! (after all, I already have the tickets, heehee!), I've already been sick, I've made Tony *promise* to come with, I'm not working, and hell there's always pain pills if this damn flare keeps up! w00t! Any locals, if you decide to come, please come and say hi! If you don't know/remember what I look like, I'll find a pic....just got my hair cut/colored so I feel back to *normal* now, lol!

I guess I am just sick of it all. The pain was so much better for a long time. Then back with a vengeance. Frankly at my rheumatologist last week I kind of think he blew me off, and spent most of the time asking me stupid questions about where I work-not so much what I do, but about how it is run, etc....what is PACE, etc. I could barely get a word in edgewise to tell him about the eye thing. I mean, I had a fever while I was there, and felt like crap, and ended up at my regular doctor's the next day and he hadn't even mentioned the fever.

Anyhoo, after that the pain got worse. Maybe flaring up from being sick, and made worse by skipping my Enbrel Sunday (which I have to do if I am sick, esp if I am sick enough to go on antibiotics). But I also feel more fibro-ish pain, which has nothing to do with Enbrel, and has made sleep really difficult.

Well, today my mind was pretty much put to ease about the eyes at least. I still need to go back for visual field testing, because they do that separately, but he did the exam today (yay, dilated pupils twice in the span of 2 weeks!) and said my eyes looked very healthy. Of course with me it's always something else. This morning I started with chest pain and after 2 straight hours I decided I'd better call the doc. I had no other symptoms at all, but it hadn't eased at all, even though I'd taken pain meds for the other pains. It is also not like heartburn/GERD pain I sometimes get. So she had me come in for an EKG. Which was normal, which wasn't surprising cuz I had no other symptoms. On exam she elicited many much pain by putting pressure on my chest-OUCH! She feels it is related to inflammation in a joint there...some joint starting with an M, I don't recall the name (not one I remember studying in school, LOL!). Afterwards I was wondering if she was talking about costochondritis, but she would have said that, surely? She felt warm compresses would help and prescribed some KIP gel, which is apparently a gel with ketoprofen, Ibuprofen and another I can't recall, starts with a P I imagine! A compounding pharmacy has to make it, and insurance "might not" cover it. The pharmacy doesn't run insurance checks, they just bill you and then you submit the paid bill to your insurance and hope it is paid. It runs $88. So without insurance that's a hell of a lot for something that might not help for a pain that might be gone tomorrow.....however, it has not related all day. Nothing has helped. I've got a nice microwave-heated herbal warm pack on it now.

I also have a killer headache. I was so busy today. I also had my hair done and had to run a couple errands. Lately I've been sleeping like shit, last night was awful...I don't get tired till really late, then I go upstairs and toss and turn in pain, even if I take Ultram and Tylenol. So tonight I took 2 Vicodin from my stash and hope they work. They're about a year old now....and only about 20 tabs left, so I try not to use them.

I'm seriously considering doing a prednisone taper for the flare up. I have to go back to work tomorrow after being off sick a week, and I am in so much pain I can't even imagine!

So tonight I am feeling extra sorry for myself :(

So what did I think of today? First time really *doing* stuff after being sick/resting so much. I feel pretty awful. Headache comes and goes, and when it comes it's pretty bad and it has that teeth ache sort of feeling. But it's much better and no more fever, back down to 96.7-96.8. What DOES feel bad is the rest of my body. Don't know if it's my fibro flaring, RA, both-or what. But I hurt everywhere! Ugh. Then I skipped my Enbrel last night because of being sick, and I really don't want to take it again till it's due, so that doesn't help. GUH! So I am pretty hurty.

Anyhoo, so I was out and about with Vince today. David came over on the spur of the moment last night but I had so much running around to do and some things with Vince, leaving him tagging with me for a couple things, really didn't want to drag Dave too, so he stayed here, and Trev was at work. So Vince and I drove by the small Wegmans on E. Henrietta Rd to pick up an application for the new GIGANTIC one being built across from it. (it's HUGE, Rochester, HUGE-UH) He seems to think he is a shoe in just because they are going to be needing to hire more people, but he doesn't realize that Wegmans is not the easiest place to get a job. But he's gonna try and I'm proud of him.

Next we went to Dunkin Donuts and I got a sandwich and a Lite Latte and he got a donut and picked up an application there. w00t!

Then on to get my blood drawn. They were more crowded then I expected for 2pm. Sheesh. The girl at the desk was none to pleasant either. It went slow (the waiting), but once I got in it went quick-finally a girl used a straight needle on me and zoom, zoom quick as a wink it was done. I actually thanked her for using it on me! You can't even feel it going in and it goes so much faster. A butterfyl is a godsend for crappy veins, but I've got pipes, lol!

Then to my parent's house to mow the law and water the plants, then to Target to pick up some stuff. So you can imagine I was beat when I got home. Yet I still had to work on some laundry. I should be in bed now, but I'm kind of keyed up, plus had a caffeinated diet pepsi with dinner-DUH.

I have my appointment with the opthomologist in the morning, early. It's way out by where I work. Sheesh. Then in the afternoon I have an appointment for a MUCH NEEDED haircut with color/highlights and getting my eyebrows ripped off (haha). Yay! I'm looking pretty shaggy and flat headed. Plus I want that nice coppery shine back in my hair :)

OK, I ought to take my sleepy pills and maybe my Tramadol too so I will be set to got to bed. Nothing worse than tossing and turning restless and in pain. Uck.

So Tony and I have been Netflix-ing Six Feet Under and just finished the whole series. It was a great series, very well written, and the last few episodes just blew me away. The last one, esp. Maybe it's party because we watched them all so close together, 5 seasons condensed into several weeks, but it's like you just feel so deeply......silly I know. The last 3 episodes were hanky material. We watched the final episode last night and not only was I pumping the kleenex, I was trying not to freakin sob! How ridiculous is that! It was really heart wrenching though....touching. Then sad too, because it's over. Weird to feel this way. I've been here before, but I just feel so.....weird. Just weird.


BTW in other news, I feel a wee bit better.....showered and put on fresh jammies, but later dressed and went out for lunch. Promptly realized just how exhausted I am! So now I am home and back in my jammies. I am sick to death of being sick though. This is a great comfy chair but I can only take so much! I can't bear the thought of rinsing my sinuses anymore either.....ichy......

Trevyn's not moving out. Big surprise (not). Not enough money. He asked us for money to help him get started out, but when probed further he realized that he really didn't have enough right now to do it. He really needs to focus on getting his drivers license (so he can become more independent in getting around) and getting his GED (more opportunities). Plus he has to actually have that second job before he jumps into the world in which he needs to actually be working 2 jobs!

I feel sooooooo shitty! So I stayed home from work. I almost went in, then Tony said I should call in and go see my doctor today. He's right, I did say that last night. Good thing too, cuz I feel worse today than yesterday-worse each day as they go on, in fact. So I went on in and had a fever, and her nurse tells me I don't look good, and helps me up to lay down while I waited. She turned off the light so it wouldn't bother my eyes.

So I have a 'respiratory' infection. Kind of generic, but covers what turned out to be a pretty bad sinus infection, left ear infection, throat infection (but not strep), and possibly moving into my chest. Lovely. So I'm on Avelox now and have orders to take Mucinex *regularly* (not sporadically!) for now, to put hot compresses over my sinuses, continue rinsing my sinuses (yuck) and REST. She said no work til Monday. Well, for me that means no work tomorrow. (then-I'm not even working again til Wednesday). It's nice to not work, but sucks to be sick!

I am so listless I don't want to do anything. You know it's bad when I can't even tolerate the radio in my car. I came home and napped for a while, after putting a nice warm compress over my sinuses. But it's hard for me to sleep.....I'll have to remember to take the Provigil out of my med box tomorrow, should have thought of that this morning....plus, I can only tolerate laying down for so long because I get stiff and painful. Oh and yes, there's that-today my joints seem to be aching big time. They weren't like this yesterday when I saw Dr T! My personal guess? I bet that I am flaring because of the stress my body is under right now.

OK, I'm about to die now. Crawl under some dark blankets and not come out for a week!

I just don't feel well. It's been coming for a couple days, but today I just feel awful. It's like an ear/sinus thing. Ear pain, headache and all around feeling run down and like shit. At my appointment with the Rheumatologist today my temp was 99, which is no big deal, but for me, kinda. I'm one of those people who hovers at a high 96, low 97 degrees. This was after a Tylenol too. I tried taking sudafed (the real stuff) which didn't help, which is just as well cuz that crap raises my BP like nobody's business! I also partook in a big sinus rinse procedure. Yuck. Not much luck, although I'll try again later. It's not like I feel congested, I don't even feel like I have a drip or anything. Just pain. Uh. It's horrid.

Meanwhile I got an ok check at the RD. He agrees the left heel pain is Plantar Fascitis (sp?). I told him about how well I was doing and how I got slack on the enbrel, and that landed me here, with the pain coming back. OK, so we'll just get back on track. He also told me to stop the Plaquenil, based on my eye exam the other day. It's better to just be safe. I have the appointment with the Opthomologist next week, and he says to see how it goes. If there's no problem then good. However, he'll probably not restart the Plaquenil unless I have a problem. The chance of a vision related problem with the Plaquenil is quite rare, so he seemed ok.

I'm actually contemplating whether I should stay home tomorrow. yeah, I do feel that bad. Blech.