This was a busy week, more than just plumbing. Last Sunday I was worried because Rocket Boy's car wouldn't start and I was afraid he was going to have to use my car to get to work. But he used the battery charger to get his car running and then took it to the store where he bought the battery last summer. They tested it and determined that it was defective! So they replaced it free of charge and his car behaved beautifully all week. See, some good things have been happening.
Monday afternoon, RB was scheduled to meet with the orthopedic surgeon. I wanted to go too, so he came home from work around 1 pm and we went in my car. The news from the surgeon was not exactly what we expected. Basically, as we had learned from RB's MRI, his shoulder is trash, and the only possible treatment is a "reverse shoulder replacement." But there's no rush! Because his muscles are already atrophied -- practically not even there anymore -- you can do the surgery whenever you want. So we decided, tentatively, to wait until spring, when RB will be more accustomed to his job and he won't have to drive in snow, etc.
After the appointment we went over to Discount Tire and got new all-weather tires for my car (paid for with RB's unemployment money -- he's not getting that anymore, but still has a lot of money on the card that he hasn't spent yet). There was a huge waiting list which we joined at about 2:30 pm, and the car was ready around 6:30 pm. During those four hours we walked to a cafe and had chai, went to the Bookworm and spent a long time browsing, and finally went back to Discount Tire and sat with everyone else, petting people's dogs, looking at our phones, waiting.
But I have new tires! I got Nokians -- it's a Finnish brand. They were cheaper than the Michelins, but supposed to be very very good on ice and snow. So far I absolutely love them. I feel so much better with new tires. They are also very quiet, which I wasn't expecting.
Monday afternoon I had gotten an email saying that the Christmas wreaths that Teen B's high school band was selling as a fundraiser would be ready for pickup on Tuesday between 3:30 and 5:00 pm. Unfortunately I was scheduled to see the oral surgeon in Westminster at 4 pm to check on my implant. And while she's usually on time, that day she wasn't. I was sitting in the chair listening to her talk to another patient who had a lot of complications -- an abscess for which antibiotics were needed, but the first antibiotics hadn't worked, so the oral surgeon prescribed a different antibiotic, and they were about to leave on a trip -- meanwhile, I'm trying to stay calm, taking deep breaths, and watching the minutes tick by on the computer screen hanging above me. Finally at 4:24 she came in to see me. My implant was of course perfect, healing wonderfully, and she'll see me in February.
Released at last, I drove like a bat out of hell... but a careful bat out of hell... all the way back to Boulder in the beginnings of rush hour traffic, and I made it to the high school by 4:55. I parked, rushed to the door near the band room, and they gave me my wreath. Success!
Then I drove to the Meadows branch library to attend a lecture on KrampusNacht -- and it was canceled. I was going to use that as a treat to reward myself for all the nonsense I'm dealing with, but no.
As soon as they let us back into the rental house, we're going to have the same thing done there, with the same kind of water heater. Maybe in a few days.
On Thursday, Rocket Boy saw his regular doctor to talk about his blood pressure and such. He's been taking lisinopril to lower it, and it was suddenly too low, 100 over 70 or something like that. So for some reason (I wasn't there, just going on RB's imperfect retelling), Dr. J. brought out an EKG machine to observe RB's heart and determined that he has an irregular heartbeat. So now he has to see a cardiologist! I'm trying to remember how when *I* saw a cardiologist, a few years ago, it turned out to be nothing serious. But mostly I'm freaking out, as is my husband. Oh well. He is 71, after all. Stuff starts to happen. But so much stuff! It doesn't seem fair at all.
Trying to stay positive and Christmassy, trying, trying.
The music was lovely and I particularly enjoyed the parts where the audience has to stand up and sing along (carols in the beginning and the Hallelujah chorus from Handel's Messiah at the end). I love to sing the Hallelujah chorus, but those high notes (for the first soprano part) are SO high and my voice is not that high anymore. I was afraid I was annoying the people around me, shrieking away, but afterwards Rocket Boy said, "Well, you do have a pretty voice," (without me prompting him), so I guess it was OK.
Oh, and the best part? I saw a boy in the chorus who I recognized from the Boulder High choir last year. He was one of my favorites. I call him Riff Raff because he reminds me of the character from Rocky Horror Picture Show. I was looking at the chorus -- so far away, and we hadn't brought binoculars -- and suddenly I recognized him (he has a distinctive hairstyle). "It's Riff Raff!" I hissed to Rocket Boy. "Where?" "Second to back row, over on the right." RB found him too. And later I found Riff Raff in the program (I'd forgotten his name, but I found him in the yearbook at home and then checked the program again and there was his name.) Last year, after graduation, Teen B said to me, "You'll never see Riff Raff again." But he was wrong!
It was kind of a ripoff. Well, not kind of. Parking was $16.50 (it would have been $25 if we'd parked in the garage). And everything cost so much. I ended up buying a small pin for $10 (probably would have been $1 anywhere else). Rocket Boy and Teen B each had a plate of spaetzle, $12 each with no sauce. And finally I bought Teen B a skewer of strawberries dipped in chocolate with peppermint bits on top. Five strawberries. $18.50. So, $69 in all, is that right? So ridiculous. Think of all the people and animals (tortoises, birds, etc.) that could have been helped with that money! I don't think I'll ever go there again. Still, it was fun to get out and go somewhere we've never gone.
I also had a useful talk with Teen B about colleges, because one of the places he's applied is CU Denver -- which is on the Auraria campus, along with Metro State where Teen A wants to go. I said, "If you don't get in to CU Boulder but you do get in to CU Denver and CSU in Fort Collins, which would you choose?" And he said, "CSU." I said, "Even though it's so far away?" And he said "Yes, I don't like Denver."
I'm not sure why we're wasting CU Denver's time, applying there, but anyway, it's good to have choices and he may change his mind. Still, a useful conversation.
Oh, it's not so bad. Maybe. I just so badly don't want to deal with it. Today I spent time telling Rocket Boy, earnestly, how much I don't want to deal with it and how awful it makes me feel. He was sympathetic. But what can he really do? He has to go to work. I have to handle it. So I'll try again this week.
What do we have on the schedule for this coming week?
- Monday I'm going to try to work hard on cards. I should have gotten them done last week, but, well...
- Tuesday is Colorado Gives Day, so I'll try to figure out how much I can give away and still be able to pay plumbers and restoration people and whatnot. I'll also do some more work on cards. Tuesday night is the high school choir concert, so Teen B and I will go to that.
- Wednesday I'll try to finish the cards and get them mailed out -- IFFFF the stamps come by then. I stupidly ordered holiday stamps online, not noticing that they wouldn't be delivered until Wednesday at the earliest. Oh well.
- Thursday I might start baking. I have tentatively decided to make nine batches of cookies this year (twelve being too many and six being too few), so I should get started. Or I might go shopping. Ack, I forgot that this is supposed to be shopping week. Oh, for heaven's sake. OK, might need to think about this.
- Friday I could make another batch of cookies. And go shopping. And deal with the restoration people. Or whatever.
- Saturday we have tickets to go to Blossoms of Light -- but it's also the Parade of Lights in downtown Boulder. I thought Teen B wouldn't want to go to the parade, since he didn't want to go last year, but when I mentioned it (after buying the Blossoms tickets) he said, "Oh, no, the parade!" But it's too late to switch our tickets, so we're going to try to go to the parade at 6 pm and then drive rapidly to Denver to go to Blossoms (our tickets are for 8 pm). Whatever. It will be fine.
- And Sunday is the harp concert (I was wrong last week, I said it was today, but it wasn't). It is also the last weekend day before final exams (they have one more day of regular school on Monday and then exams start on Tuesday), so I'm sure I will be spending time that day helping the twins study.
It will be OK. Keep telling myself that.
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