It Just Got Longer

Shannon got sent home from work today.

Apparently, she broke out in the same type of rash that Michael broke out in earlier this week. She wasn't feeling all that great when I talked to her on the phone earlier, either. :(

Thanks goodness she is a sick day camel and started this school year off with 51 available sick days.

A Long Week

A Long Week So Far...

It has been a long week here at the Tidwell household. We've had our first bout with having a sick child.

I'm playing Mr. Mom today so that Shannon could go back to work after missing the first three days this week. My mom is going to watch Mike tomorrow. Hopefully, he will go back to daycare on Monday.

Mike apparently has contracted a virus that just has to finish running its course. Saturday night he was fussy, and then Sunday afternoon he started being very lethargic, running a fever and not eating very much. He initially scared us during his first visit to the doctor. We thought he might have an ear ache, because he didn't want to lay down, he only wanted to be held upright. When the doctor looked at him, his throat, eyes, ears, nose..everything was clear. So, they sent us to the ER to draw blood cultures and obtain a urine sample....and a spinal tap if needed. The mention of a spinal tap immediately makes us think that there is a chance he could have contracted Meningitis.

Long story short, he's going to be fine. He's got a lovely little rash that the doctor said was normal with viral fevers, so that is going to keep him out of daycare for the rest of the week.

Now to the aggrivating thing. We showed up at the doctor about 8:30 Monday morning with the receptionist inquiring about any change in employment with Shannon, because the insurance company told the doctor that coverage for Michael had been cancelled as of Sept. 1st. To make another long story short. We were admitted to a room 45 minutes later, after Shannon had gotten the district and the insurance company on the phone together to verify that coverage should still be in effect and the proper paperwork sent where it should, and for them both to tell the doctor's office that everything would work itself out. Like I said, 45 minutes later, and after three other people get in front of us that had later appointments, making it after 10:00 before the doctor finally got around to seeing Mike.

At the time we were still thinking it is probably an ear ache, it was just a source of aggrivation. Afterwards, however, when we are talking about spinal taps, it scared us and really majorly pissed us off. We are generally easy going people that don't want to cause a scene, but it slowly dawned on us that had it been Meningitis, that hour and a half could have been the difference between life and death.

We went back to the doctor on Wednesday so that his regular doctor could check him out because of a relapse of symptoms. (one of the other doctors in the office saw him on Monday). His regular doctor is a partner in the office, and we politely explained the situation to him. The answers he gave satisfied us, about how with a three month old, they should asked us if we minded paying out of pocket if necessary and taken him on back, and definitely should have made him a priority after the receptionist has talked with the insurance company that the problem wasn't our fault and would be worked out. He said the matter would be addressed at the next faculty meeting and apologized. That made us feel a little better.

The sad thing about it, was that they had a lot of problems, quite frequently, that parents are mad at them for treating their kid when they were sick and for what ever reason the insurace was lapsed at the time. The result is that the parents can get billed for as much as several thousand dollars and they expect the doctor to pay it because they feel it is his fault for treating the kid when they knew the insurance wasn't right.

So, yeah....that's been our week so far. Now, Mike is telling me that it is time for me to change his wet diaper and start getting a bottle ready.

Rodenator!

Watch this video and tell me if you thought it was as funny as I did.

Hook 'Em!

Speechless

summer move forward and stitch me the fabric of fall

wrap life in the brilliance of death to humble us all

how sweet is the day I'm craving a darkness

as I sit tucked away with my back to the wall

and the taste of dried-up hopes in my mouth

and the landscape of merry and desperate drought

how much longer dear angels let winterlight come

and spread your white sheets over my empty house

summer move forward and leave your heat anchored in dust

forgotten him, cheated him, painted illusions of lust

now language escape, fugitive of forgiveness

leaving as trace only circles of rust

and the taste of dried-up hopes in my mouth

and the landscape of merry and desperate drought

how much longer dear angels come break me with ice

let the water of calm trickle over my doubts

come let me drown

angels no fire no salt on the plow

carry me down

bury me down

and the taste of dried-up hopes in my mouth

and the landscape of merry and desperate drought

once I knew myself and with knowing came love

I would know love again if I had faith enough

too far is next spring and her jubilant shout

so angels, inside is the only way out

-Drought by Vienna Teng

I'm starting to remember why I stopped blogging as much. I get frustrated by the lack of content that I actually manage to share.

I don't want to be shallow and boring. I'm not. It just rarely translates into these the Internets for other to see very well.

I spend an entire day analyzing some deep introspection of my own personal darkness that I might like to share, only to find the words and feelings lost once I get in front of the keyboard? And the best I can muster at the time is, "Gee, aren't we all glad it isn't so hot anymore?", or "Wow, who else is glad football season is finally here."

There was a time when it wasn't this hard to share my innermost with those privileged few. Even the things that I manage to share with Shannon lately, are sparse and shallow enough. Is that secret chamber getting darker? Am I losing touch with who I really am? Is it just the poison of a monotonous daily life and lack of sleep? Is it the feeling that some of those you counted as good friends at one time aren't really there for you anymore, and don't really want you to be there for them?

Who's to say?

In the meantime, however, I am stoked about legitimate NFL football starting TONIGHT baby!

A Darker World

I don't know about y'all, but my world is a little bit darker today.

CNN reported this morning that Mr. Steve "crocodile Hunter" Irwin, was killed today by a Sting Ray, while filming a documentary in Australia.

evidentially, the string ray thrashed at him and drove one of it's tail barbs through his chest and pierced his heart. I always knew we would hear about Mr. Irwin's untimely death, but I always thought a snake would get him, not a sting ray.

He had a great sense of humor. He recently filmed an ESPN commercial where he wrestled the Florida Gator's mascot to the ground in ESPN's offices.

Very sad.

Wow...

Has it really been since May 12th since I have posted my last blog post?

Like I said...wow.

A LOT of stuff has happened around here since then. Most notably, Shannon and I have had a baby! And for all of y'all that posted little comments about my lack of blogging...I don't remember seeing a lot of stuff come out of y'all camp when you had a two month old baby you had to take care of in the house!

*kisses* I still love you, regardless.

Most (all probably) of you that would read this have seen my MySpace pictures of the baby. I'll try and spend an hour or so away from my gaming to post up some new picture we have lying about.

As Melanie said, I have been using MySpace for my brief blogging, mainly out of convenience.

Now that I am using it again, I have to say that I still like blogger quite a bit, so look for more entries here.

Lost: Season 1

Shannon and I finished the first season of Lost on DVD last night. Overall, I'll give it a B+.

My biggest complaint, thus far, is that they don't give you even the faintest bit of even a hint of answers concerning the island. At the cliff hanger after season 1, they have done nothing but give you more and more clues.

Having talked with people that have kept up with it, this seems to be the M.O. for season two as well.

I really like the back story flashbacks, especially Hurley's. He seems like such a cool guy.

My favorites thus far are Locke, Kate, Jin, Charlie, Hurlye, and Sayid.

I wonder if anyone else didn't really feel bad that Arzt got himself blown up.

And if there is anyone reading this right now that has already rolled their eyes and thinking that they are so stinking tired of hearing about this stupid show that they didn't care to watch the first time....yeah, I thought the same thing. Stop fighting it! Go get the first season on DVD and just catch up. You can't beat them, so just go join them.