kapachino

Author: Kathleen

  • Jury Duty

    Today is my day off, and I spent a portion of it going to jury duty. This is my first time that I couldn’t claim an exemption from going, and although I know I could have just skipped it and probably wouldn’t have ever seen the consequences, that’s just not the type of person I am. Also, I thought it would be an experience. My father-in-law sat on a murder trial once – not that I would want to have THAT kind of experience, but still.

    Anyway, I was very impressed with the whole process. I arrived and sat in a comfortable assembly hall and read for a short while before they began announcing the panels. I was in the first one they announced, one of 36 potential jurors. We were herded to a different room and accounted for by the bailiff, then walked three blocks to the new civil courthouse. Our tax money was at work in that building; it is very nice. We were given a number (I was 24) and lined up in order, then entered the courtroom and sat down to face the judge and two attorneys. I was kind of nervous, kind of interested, but still didn’t want to be picked.

    As soon as we sat down, the judge told us that we wouldn’t get to hear the very interesting story the two lawyers had prepared, because they had reached an agreement before our arrival. The good news was, we got to leave. Part of me felt let down, but mostly I was happy because that left more time for me to play Mario Galaxy. (Which is what I had spent my morning doing, and what I will return to doing in just a few minutes!)

    Anyway, including commute the whole ordeal was less than three hours – not bad. I have done my civic duty and am feeling very patriotic, and now I need to collect some stars and try to save the princess.

  • Weekend Update

    I’ve had every intention of posting more frequently this year. Then I went out of town for our fifth annual Angel Fire, NM girls getaway, and since I’ve been back I’ve been getting back into the swing of working and taking care of things at home. Whenever I go too long without posting I get into a self-defeating cycle of feeling like I need to make a really GOOD post, which causes me to put off posting until I have something really GOOD to say. And the longer it goes, the better the post needs to be. Well this time, forget that. Here are some random things.

    My wonderful husband turned 30 this week, and his family got him a Wii. One cool thing about being married is that sometimes you get presents by default. I hope to someday soon have some spare time to play a video game every now and then.

    I have had a patient this week who is a real handful. She must be the adult form of ADHD, because she can’t sit still, is extremely needy, and is noncompliant. She has been caught twice smoking in the bathroom. Also twice she has snuck off the floor without telling anyone to go downstairs to smoke, and then she’s too weak to make it back so hospital staff has to bring her. And on the very day that my boss gave us all a lecture about preventing falls in the hospital, she fell. But I know it’s not my fault, because it happened not 15 minutes after my boss herself had actually spoken to the patient about not getting up by herself. Anyway.

    So there is my random update. Lately it seems the only chance I have to update is when things are slow at work, and right now I’m eleven hours into a twelve hour shift, so please forgive me.

  • 2008 In Review

    This was a pretty big year for me, so I decided to reflect a little. For the new year I like to make resolutions that are important, but obtainable. Last year, my resolution was to stop texting and reading while driving. I have almost completely cut this out. I admit that I have made some mistakes, but overall they are rare. I do still read at stoplights sometimes, but that’s it. So I’m going to call that one a success.

    2008 was also the year of Huge Life Events. See for yourself:

    Also, I gave up sugar for Lent this year. Makes me realize that I really need to cut back on my current intake. This was the year that we lost our dog Molly, and David’s Aunt Sue. Singing at her funeral was one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. My brother-in-law and his wife announced that they are pregnant. Today we found out they’re having a boy. We saw Coldplay live – and I found out that I’m too old for arena concerts. Besides my own, I was in two dear friends’ weddings. I survived a hurricane at the hospital, and worked 30 hours straight. I became obsessed with the Twilight series, and then quickly got over it once everyone started getting annoying about it.

    This year, I resolve to use the expensive road bike I bought a few years ago. I will ride it, and at least once this year I will enter a bike race. I’ve already started by taking it in for repairs, where I got completely chewed out for not taking care of it. But I’m turning over a new leaf.

    This year I also hope to furnish and decorate my house. I hope to become a mentor to a new nurse at work. I hope to be a really great aunt to my future nephew. I hope to complete a Bible study. And I hope to love better all the time.

    Happy new year, everyone!

  • It’s Not Just For Looking Pretty

    Oh right, I have a blog, and it’s something I’m supposed to WRITE in. I guess I’ve given myself kind of a break, because of the whole my-husband-had-surgery-right-before-we-moved-into-our-new-house business. We are having a lot of fun being there, but it sure is a lot of work. We still have a lot of walls to paint, fixtures, furniture, and other necessities to buy, as well as unpacking and organizing to do. There are times when it’s overwhelming, because I simply don’t have the time or energy to get it all done anytime soon, which is what my personality dictates. David told me the other day, “You know how I can tell that you’ve been really tired lately? I can leave a mess in the living room and you don’t even say anything.”

    Anyway, my sister-in-law gave me a hard time about neglecting this thing yesterday, so please accept my apologies. I will try to do better. SO…here are some things that have happened:

    >My husband had surgery for a condition he has in his hips. It’s going to be a long, difficult process to fix, and please pray for him because he’s in a lot of pain all the time.

    >One of our dogs, Eddy, probably tore her ACL. The vet said it could just be sprained, but after two weeks of rest and a week of anti-inflammatories, she’s still not putting any pressure on it. Poor girl wants to be just like her dad.

    >I was the matron of honor in a wedding, and I gave my first toast. I was really nervous, but it went well. David danced with me on his crutches, and it was cute.

    >Christmas came and went. I worked on the 25th, and it was the busiest day I’d had in weeks. Only the sickest of the sick don’t get to go home for Christmas. No fun.

    >BUT, we celebrated the night before with David’s family, and the day after with my family. It was all very merry. I don’t have any pictures because my camera is dead, I lost the charger somewhere along the way of the 5 houses we stayed in, and the new one I ordered doesn’t work.

    >The book we’re reading now for book club, The Pillars of the Earth, is excellent.

    One more thing: If you are a friend of mine, and you are a female, and you live somewhere in my vicinity, and you are interested in being my bike riding buddy, please let me know! This year I am resolving to use the nice road bike I have, and enter a race at some point. But I won’t ride alone, so that makes it difficult.

    Alright, that’s what I’ve got for now. Happy Sunday!

  • “Home Is The Nicest Word There Is.”

    Since David and I got married, we have lived in five different houses. I currently have four different house keys on my keychain, none of which are my own. Our belongings are spread across west Houston and Katy. And then my husband went and had himself hip surgery, for which he must be on crutches for six weeks. All of a sudden his activities of daily living aren’t so easy anymore, and this has been an adjustment for both of us. I think that for any newly married couple this would be difficult, and my personality, which thrives on organization and orderliness, makes it even harder.

    After all of this, we finally – FINALLY! – have a home of our own:

    We closed on Tuesday, and we are moving in on Monday evening. The sellers are technically leasing the house from us for a few days. David and I keep joking that we should go over there and check on them – make sure they’re treating OUR house right! I know that moving will create its own stress, especially since we have next to no furniture, but we are just so excited and relieved.

    Sorry I’ve been gone awhile. My status as a nomad has made updating very difficult. I hope to be back with some regularity once we get settled in our new home.