The heat may be frying my brain

Seriously, it has been extremely hot for the past month it seems like. I'm tired of the high pressure in the Gulf. I want two to three days of sweeping rain with comforting thunder. I would also like those two to three days without work so that I may nap in the afternoon comfortably while listening to the rhythm of the rain.

Chances of that happening? Most likely: zero.

However, I did venture out into the heat on my days off to spend some time with my mother and friends doing fun things. Tuesday, Mama and I went to Dauphin Island and visited the old haunts of her youth. We stopped at the old gas station (pretty much now rebuilt) where she got groceries as a child, saw the lot where the island home of my great-grandparents once stood, and went to the shell mounds/beaches before going to the Estuarium. We didn't necessarily want to go, or pay the fee to get in, but it was hot and there was nothing to do. Amy met us there and we proceeded to eat at the Oar House (funny name when said). It was good food. That night, Joe and I went to Mobile to watch a movie at a co-worker's house. We got lost on the way there thanks to the wondrosities of MapQuest. Not always something to trust. It was fun, though, after I calmed down.

Tuesday, I spent time with Joe. It was nice to see him in a less-stressed setting (for me). We worked on his Granny's birthday gift and got lunch at El Mexicano. They are never, ever as inviting as Nestor's is. I heart Nestor and the crew. Anyways, I ate dinner at the house and hung out with Mama before going to see Transformers with Amy's Dauphin Island crew and a few friends of past. I met up with Lydia by accident and got to watch the movie with her. Joe and I save Lydia, John, and their friend, Jason, seats. It was nice to watch a movie with my sister. I hope we can do it again soon.

Amy's crew (including high school friends Rucker and Chelsea) took up the entire row above us. It was good to see Amy. It reminds me, however, of how much I am going to miss have the luxury of having her down here. She will be gone to the coldness of Minnesota once again very soon. I wish her well in all her finals at Dauphin Island.

Today, Mama and I went shopping at the Gulf Shores Target and Foley Tanger Outlets. I always like the Gulf Shores Target. It seems to be bigger and have more stuff. It reminds me also of Super Target. I spent more than I would have liked on new summer wardrobe options, but in this heat, I need more shorts/summer weather bottoms because jeans aren't cutting. I spent 10 minutes outside Walmart the other day in jeans and felt like I was dying. I came home soaked in sweat.

I filled in for someone at work today. I don't like to think that I have to work the next four days, including two 9 hour shifts this weekend, but I will be making the money. As I say, it's my transition into the real world, which grinds against the student part of me, which somewhat longs for the independence of Mobile, where I definitely don't work weekends and have nights open. The job in my future will hopefully be a 9-5, not a night consumer. But I do enjoy days off still.



On a last note, I did get the room I wanted. A semi-private room near Joe and Jessica where I can live on my own. I don't mind sharing a bathroom with someone considering I've done it all my life. I'm hoping my bathroommate is Asian because they are typically clean.


Until I write again!

Ellen

Whosits, whatsits

Ignore the title. I couldn't think of a proper heading for this post. I'm still not sure of one.

I am alive. I just don't post as often as I should, I suppose. I'm back into the swing of things at work, regaining the schedule that I need to make money. However, I am fairly certain that I am missing a paycheck from a few weeks ago.

This week is a closing week for me. I was supposed to close today but got sick from the intense heat near the registers/my lack of current hydration. If you doubt the heat, it's a constant mid-80 near the registers due to the doors being opened constantly. It's even worse on register one.

I miss having a day off on the weekend. I will be making the money next week.

This weekend will be hard for my family and I. It is a reminder that along the path this year, we lost a member, a very important member.

I love you, daddy. I still miss our moments of chatting before bed at night.

Post-surgery

My mouth is getting better day by day. The surgery went well. Apparently, God only gave me 3 wisdom teeth to take out. Nice, I guess? I got in, they gave me drugs, put me on a nasal tube with oxygen, and I remember very little after that.

I remember them giving me shots and it hurting, but I don't remember anything until waking up with cotton in my mouth and the nurse saying, "We're done!"

I mumbled through the cotton, "you're done?" and no one could understand me. Luckily, the nurse understood my mumbling enough that I was trying to signal for my glasses that she was ushering me out the door without. I weakly walked out with the nurse's help and slid into my mama's car with her help.

Anybody know why Wendy's is closed or was closed on a Wednesday at 10am? The one in Fairhope was very closed, and that baffles me. Instead we went to sonic, and I mumbled "malt shake" to my mom and someone how signaled I wanted chocolate flavoring. The cotton pads in my mouth were a hindrance to me, I must admit. I was ready to speak as soon as I got out despite the fact I had just had surgery.

Sleep, soft foods like yogurt and soup, and ice packs ensued that day, along with a slew of pills. Yesterday, I was more puffy and sore, and it was hard to hold open my mouth. Believe me, my mom and I communicated via hand signals and my low-talking for a while. We went out to Burke's, the church, and Walgreens. I got me some khaki's and size 12 jeans. Woohoo.

Today, I still can't open my mouth much more, but the soreness is subsiding. Some Aleve should help out. The Lor-tab makes my muscles stiff and my skin itch, so i don't like to take it. It makes the pain go away sure, but i'm only going to take if I really had too. There's a special on the Travel Channel about the Nazca Lines, and my dad said there is no hills in the Nazca deserts. Somehow I wish he was here to argue with him about it, but not really. I hated that argument.


Ellen

Before I'm incapacitated

Just wanted to say I have my wisdom teeth surgery tomorrow. Almost 21 and getting my teeth cut out! I won't be able to post anything until I become coherent again. Probably late thursday or friday.

Mama came back from Mrs. Kinard's farm today. It was good to see her again...I always miss her dearly when she's gone, more now that Daddy is gone. The dogs were relatively good despite her absence. Ripley let Joe touch her last night! It was a good thing considering Ripley is still quite shy around people. She's getting used to more and more people now. I believe she could get used to Amy if she stayed here for a little bit.

I got my haircut. I'll eventually post a picture. It's not too much shorter. I got 1 1/2 inches taken off, so it's a lot cleaner cut than it has been and looks pretty good. The hairdresser thought I was someone else completely than who I was, which I thought was funny. People have gotten my name wrong a lot today.

Tomorrow it will be my surgery and sleeping...yay for sleep!!

-Ellen

Love is all you need

This is me with my beautiful nephew, who was asleep at the time. Gus took it for me. I love this picture because I think it shows how I truly love that baby, and that he is a lovely product of my sister and my brother-in-law.

I gave Emily a poem today for Will's room for a late mother's day present. I think she liked it. I'll post it on here when I get some time.

I get to go on a date with Joe tonight. We're going to see Up!, the latest pixar movie. I have never missed a pixar movie in theaters, so I am excited to see this latest addition.

It makes me happy to think that one day I will be able to share my love of movies with my nephew.