We're Moving House Soon, and I Don't Talk About That In This Post......

My toe, as everyone is wondering, is fine. Apparently not broken, as the pain faded after a few days. The bruising spread to the entire top of my foot, but is finally fading also. This week has been an exciting one for my poor toe... not only was it almost broken, but then the same toe was run over by a speeding tricyclist. I was at work, and managed not to scream. I still don't know how. I don't think that was why the bruising spread, but who actually can tell?

I had a sick adventure this week, too. The wonders of working in Early Childhood is that until your immune system catches up with you, you catch EVERYTHING that the children bring into the classroom. This includes icky-vomitous nasty stomach bugs. Which I caught. Tristan called me on Wednesday night, as I had gone to bed early, and after talking to him I realised that I really felt nauseous. Spent an hour or so in the bathroom, threw up 4 times. Went to bed. Woke up a few hours later. Repeat and rinse. By this time the acid from my stomach was no longer in my stomach and had spread throughout my throat and mouth. It was bad enough that I was not going to be able to sleep through it burning a hole in my esophagus. I dug through the medicine box and found, to my delight, a present left by Kelley when she was here. A liquid antacid. Anise flavoured. Bought at Boots (the 'chemist' - i.e. pharmacy.) Grimacing in advance, then telling myself that beggars cannot be choosers, I took a swig. Ew. So gross that tasting it almost made me sick again, but boy-howdy does the antacid from England work so much better than any I've ever had in the States. 5 minutes later, the burning was gone. Then back to bed me. I had to be up early for work the next morning.

7 am, and I was up calling work to find out if they still wanted me to go in. No answer. Off to work I went, hi-ho, hi-ho. I worked 8 - 9:30, and was told that I look awful, and was asked if I have a history of being 'sickly'. I calmly (I think) explained that it had been a year since working with children, and I was in a new country with new bugs. My immune system is a desert rats'. Not some water-logged river-rats'. They did not understand, but did send me home.

I popped into the store on the way, and made sure we had stuff for the BRAT diet. (We only had rice.) Bananas and wholewheat bread for toast made it into my basket. There was no applesauce, so I add apples to make my own. Then, sparkling water. Now, I have to add a side note about sparkling water. It used to be that I didn't like it. But now I do. It is nice and fizzy and sugar free and yummy goodness. And I was hoping it would settle my stomach. 4 liters in my basket. Luckily I had my backpack. It gives one a new perspective when one has to carry all one's groceries home on one's back. When sick.

Home. Didn't even manage to put all the groceries away. Threw the water into the fridge, fell into bed. Slept. Until 3 in the afternoon. Threw up again. And again. Drank water. Ate banana. Had warm, freshly made applesauce and toast for dinner.

Woke up the next morning feeling so much better. Back to the Work grind.

On an extended note, I really don't like my job very much. I am working in an early childhood center, or at least they claim to be an early childhood center. I actually think it is more like a day care. I work in the preschool classroom, ages 3 - 4, and I can think of so many things I would do differently. The staff in the room are quite content to sit back and do as little as possible, and I work extra hard to cover their slack. The room is filthy, and I have been in the process of going through it during the day and cleaning it, center by center. The other staff have asked me why, and told me that it just isn't worth it. But the children must be affected. I don't want to go into the centers, so what makes me think that the children would want to? They don't teach the children how to take care of the toys or the books. It frustrates me. Christi, I have to say that every day at work I wish fervently that you were here and we were opening an early childhood center together. It is what I day-dream about. We would be cutting edge, and the UK would tremble in awe.

On yet another note, I have 2 huge projects for University next year. One is a literature review, and while I don't know exactly what I am doing (they want something to be VERY narrow scoped, and I haven't gotten it narrow enough, I think) what I have so far is implementing critical literacy in the early childhood classroom. I could use advice, any research, commentary, or even help on narrowing my topic. I am already doing a lot of reading on it. I will also have a large research project in the spring of 2009. I want to do a comparison study between a reception classroom here and a kindergarten classroom there. That will, of course, depend on if I have the money to fly to the US to DO the research, but I would be open to being pointed towards some kindergarten teachers there that might be interested in participating in something like that. There might even be a tie in between classrooms, if the someone is that interested.

Last thing. Ashley made it fine to the States and is now with her Daddy. She almost missed her flight from Houston to El Paso, but the airline was nice and held the plane. I arrive late on the evening of the 17th, for my three weeks of Boo-goodness. I'll update you on all of the Ashley-flight fun next post.

Lookie What I Did!

I think I might have broken my toe today. Stephen and I were rough-housing, and I ran into the living room. I, being brilliantly talented and not a bit clumsy, hit my toe on NOTHING AT ALL (or the floor, I'm not really sure which) and cracked my baby toe on the left very well. The pain was excruciating. I cried, it was that bad. Stephen reached to touch it, and I screamed when he did. I told him I thought he was broken. He said that it was not, I had just jammed it really well. After hobbling my way into the bedroom and moaning for a bit on the bed, I managed to touch it. Dear god. Moving it was impossible. It just hurt too much.

I looked up the symptoms of a broken toe. Mentioned excruciating pain (which I had,) inability to put weight on it (which I could do, though it hurt really badly,) severe bruising (none.) So I just dealt. We got ready to go for a walk. I put on 2 pairs of tight socks (hurt to put them on, but felt good after) and took some ibuprophen. We hobbled out of the door.

This is what we discovered when we got home and I took of my sock.






It is also really really swollen. And still painful. So, I think I either broke it, or really seriously bruised it. Looks awfully purty, doesn't it? I am so proud of me. Still clumsy. I was worried that I was growing out of it.

07:09 pm - The TeaCup Goodness - livejournal post

Hey Wifeypoo

I went to Whittard's today and took pictures of all of the teacups that we have the possibility of getting. I am sharing the pics with you so we can discuss and choose which we want to get for our shared teacups. Anyone else who wants to make comments can, too... but we don't have to listen. ;)



This is the rose teacup that we spotted online. It is prolly the most delicate and girly of the teacups. The lid is flat (it is the only one that is) and could potentially be used as a teabag holder. ('m stretching here.) It is, however, very pink. This might be a good or a bad thing, depending on perspective.

These next 2 are the same theme, (Nursery Rhymes) but different cups.



The 3 Little Kittens. The Other side has a picture of the mittens in a pile.



Polly Put the Kettle on. The other side has her getting biscuits ready for tea. These don't have flat tops. (I don't actually think it matters much.) They are all white, so will match no matter what our kitchen colour. These have matching bowls and teapots for both 1 and 2 servings of tea. There may actually be a whole line of matching stuff.

The next 4 are also a similar theme, called 'The Great British Brew'. They are bright and colourful, but all of them represent things that are distinctly British, which also may be a good or bad thing, depending on your perspective. All the other sides match the front, and say something about 'The Great British Brew'.



London Bridge. This cup is blue.



The Underground. This cup is also blue. Brighter than the London Bridge ones.



The Queen, Red cup. As though you couldn't tell that from the picture. ;)



Shopping. Yellow cup. As in bright yellow.

There you have them. It doesn't matter price-wise which we choose. They are all exactly the same price, as they are all on offer right now. So shall we discuss which ones we like? I have an idea (more a guess, really) which we might choose.

Hope your trip back from Albq was safe. Talk to you soon!

Deja vu.

Happy Midsummer!

Today's Sunrise: 4:36:58 BST
Today's Sunset: 21:18:12 BST

(BST = British Summer Time. Subtract 7 hours to equal Mountain Daylight Savings Time.)

I think it is a good thing that I have people like Dan around to keep me motivated to write on this blog. He says:

Hi Amy,

I've been checking your blog to see an updated health post. How are you doing? Are you getting psyched to come back to the States?

The sick thing is an interesting tidbit right now. No, I am not healthy. Yes, I am sick. But I am sick again rather than still. Which I suppose is better. My chest is not full of gunk, though I go in for an x-ray on Monday just to be sure. I, however, have come to the conclusion that whoever told me that it takes 5 to 7 years to develop allergies in a new place LIED. (And I say that with venomous emphasis, just in case you were wondering.)

I had seasonal allergies in the states: mulberry pollen got to me just like it did everyone else. There must be something here, though, that I am really allergic to in the air. I have been hacking and sneezing repeatedly and strongly, and glad for doing it as it itches my throat when I do. (When I am not sneezing to itch my throat, I am rubbing my tongue as far down it as I can to try and itch it that way.) My nose is running, my throat is sore from the nastiness draining down it, AND my eyes and the inside of my ears are so itchy that I seriously consider scratching them out.

These allergies don't feel like allergies from mulberry pollen. They feel like the allergies I get when I roll in the Bermuda grass and my eyes swell up and I break out in hives. So today Stephen and I took a trip to the local chemist (pharmacy) and I found the anti-histimine Loratadine. I hope it is my friend. I am really tired of being sick.

The weather here has been about 65 to 70 degrees F. The other day a colleague was telling me that it was obvious that summer was here. I hesitated to ask. She told me that this was about as hot as it gets in the summer. Egad! I feel like an icicle. My sweater is still my best friend, and I never leave home without it.

As far as being excited to head back to the States, I am! I can't wait for the heat. I can't wait to see my family. I can't wait to hold and kiss Tristan and read him books. Still waiting on the inventor to show up with my portal for instant travel.

There is news going on in our world too. We are house hunting again. Our lease is up at the end of July. The rent is going up, and we can spend less fairly easily. So the weeks before my trip to the States will be filled with work and packing. Woohoo fun.

Remember the job Stephen applied for? Well, just the other day we were sitting in our favourite coffee shop talking about it. We decided that it had been too long without hearing anything, and that must mean that he had not been called back for an interview. We get home and Stephen finds an invitation to interview in his email inbox. It is July 10. We will let you know what happens.

Ashley leaves the country on Tuesday. She will be flying internationally all by herself. She is almost adult-like. She will have her old cell phone when she flies into Houston, and will be staying the night with her Uncle Jim.

That's the current scenario. We will keep you posted!

Captain Bubbles End of Year Post!

Captain Bubbles again to update my avid readers!

Sorry it's been so long Folks! I've been struggling through some end of the year stuffs. Things like Exams, studying, getting ready for my trip, distributing my time during my trip, etc. So in first news, I had an english exam about two weeks ago. It went well: Three essays, one right after another, three hours total. One on Drama, 'A Streetcar Named Desire', One on Poetry, on the Theme of Identity, and One on Thomas Hardy's, 'The Return of the Native'. The one on poetry was my strongest essay; I actually enjoyed it, but I ran out of time so the essay was incomplete.

In my science class, I have gotten numerous A* (or A+ for Americans) and my teachers predict that I am going to pass the class with an A. Next year I'm going to be taking A-level Biology, Chemistry, Psychology, and Maths. I have one exam to go, in science. It's coming up on the 23rd. I've been studying for that. The day afterwards I embark on en epic journey! I'm going home, to visit my family and relax for the summer. It'll be fun; time for everyone to see an older version of me.

It's rather hard to update you all, when like I don't know what you want to know! It's not like my life is a bundle of amazement's! So, blah-dy blah blah. OH! So like, there's this boy... His name is David. He is extremely cute! Blonde hair, broad shoulders, and, get this! The other day (while my friends were going through a phase of throwing me into bushes for fun) David threw me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and then carried me across the patio and placed me down gracefully in front of the bush, made sure I was okay, then pushed me in the bush, very ungracefully I might add.

My friends are quite strange. On Monday you sure missed out on a very amusing sight. My friend Victoria and I are both in a photography class, and currently we have been looking at some of the photographic work of Gregor Schneider, who did a segment on photos containing people in body bags. So as a result, Vicky and I did a teenage spoof response where I was in a garbage bag (body bags for poor people) and we had people come up and hug me, the walking body. Also we did a video of the walking body's story of her visit to Africa. It was great fun and highly embarrassing because I was the bag, and was laughed at.

So yea, I don't have too much else to say. Anything you guys want to know? I'm curious to know, and I also would love to actually have something to write about!

Love you all!
Ashley

I have pictures for you all, but Stephen's away and I can't get on to the site to upload them. Sorry guys! If you want to see some of them go to www.redpaperflower.deviantart.com

Calling All Teachers! (and sap lovers)

Dar sent me this in an email chain letter last night. I'm sharing, and there is a story afterwards.
































While I don't really like sending on chain letters, and I don't tend to buy into the sappy email-that-makes-you-cry thing; this particular one struck me. Not because of the saving of the boy at the end, but because of the fact that this may have been some teacher's idea, and it was definitely illustrated in the midst of some teacher's classroom. How brilliant! Even though the people who took the pictures were not the original authors of the chain email (according to Snopes.com the original began circulating in 2005, while the picture version is new this year and is still being researched), what an awesome multi-media project for kids in school. Now, of course I'm speculating, because I have no way of knowing if it really was some teacher that used this as a lesson: but it is something I could absolutely see myself doing. (Though I don't think I would turn it purposefully into a chain letter.) I thought my fellow teacher-y types, and those who enjoy a good sappy email would enjoy it.

It reminds me of a little funny.

Someone sent me an email about a 'dangerous file' in 2002. I fell for it, deleted said file (which turned out to be needed), and emailed it onto everyone that I cared about... including Stephen. At the time it had been a year or so since we had last talked, and so he sent me an email back. A mild chastisement for sending on an unresearched email, and a nice love note at the same time. He also helped me to fix the damage I had caused by deleting the file in the first place. That was the last time I have ever sent anything on, and the first time that I used Snopes.com. All because of Stephen.

I remember that the computer I was using at the time has stickers of things in a garden on it. Little carrots and rabbits and baskets and trowels and such. I remember being ashamed at doing something silly and being called on it, but being so happy to have gotten an email back from him at the same time. I saved those emails. I still have them. The funny thing? So did he.

Is the Sun Even Shining Today?

I am noticing a pattern.

Days in England that are rainy happen. Stereotypically, they happen daily; but in actuality it is far less than that. British people just like to make it seem worse than it is. In New Mexico, when it rains, it is sunny beforehand. Then the clouds pour in, thicker and thicker, until the sky is dark and gloomy overcast. the darker it gets, the harder it rains; and if it was really really dark, then you know you are in for hail and tornadoes and you'd better be in the house. Here, it is just... grey.

Today I can tell the sun is up because I can see. But there are no clouds. It is just like the sky is missing. Just grey. Sometimes lighter grey, sometimes darker. But still grey. This is a strange sensation. It feels like I live in a completely different world.

This other-worldliness manifests in other interesting ways too. Sunrise, for example. I don't think I told you all, but in the winter it was dark at 4. Yes, 4 in the afternoon. Kids came home from school in the dark. I came home from school in the dark. The sun would rise about 7:30 in the morning, and set at 4. People went to work in the dark and came home in the dark, having never seen the sun. I still shake my head at that phenomenon.

Now that it is fast approaching Midsummer the tables have turned. The sun comes up at god-early 4 in the morning! Sunset is at a fairly normal time... 8:30 or 9. But 4 in the morning? Perhaps that wouldn't even be something I would notice if I would close my curtains against the sun that early... but here's the thing. There is no AC here, which is fine... but the breeze at night is nice. And closing the thick heavy sun-blocking curtains also blocks the breeze.

I wake up less at 4 in the morning when the sun comes up. But for a while, everyday, 4:30 Amy is awake. Suns up! I'm slowly training myself to block out the sun, which feels a shame since there is so little of it at the other side of the year.

On an update note: I finished my anti-biotics today. Called the doctor yesterday, as I am still wheezy and congested, to find out if they wanted to extend the course of anti-biotics. Let's just say that not all doctors here in the UK are as nice as the one I saw. I was told that he didn't know why I'd been put on such strong anti-biotics, that I wasn't coughing enough, that it was all in my larynx, and that the first doctor probably hadn't even listened to my lungs. I tried to correct him... but sometimes it is better to be a duck and let it all just slide off your back. I get to meet this guy next Wednesday, as he DOES NOT want to see me before then. Suddenly, I am not looking forward to going to the doctor.

Danger, Will Robinson! Too Many Blogs!

I have spent my day transferring all of my old blogs from Myspace onto this blog. And I realised that I miss all of the people who read my Myspace blog and sent me comments. I'm not quite sure why it is harder to get people to read it here... perhaps the lack of reminder makes a difference. So, I have been thinking about a solution. Since it is harder for people to get to this family blog, I am going to start cross-posting my family blog to Myspace, and vice versa. Whatever is commented on Myspace I will transfer (don't worry... with no links back) to the comments of my family blog. I won't transfer any family blog comments to Myspace, though. I desperately miss everyone, but it is just too much for me to continue to have two separate blogs that I keep up with, as my lack of posting on Myspace shows. Maybe if they are one in the same, it will help. So as not to overwhelm anyone, I won't transfer the entire year's worth of blogs from the family blog onto Myspace. Just a few that I think are good. Plus the most current. Then I'll just cross-post, occasionally. So if anyone wants to read everything, there are going to have to go to come here. This family blog is the definitive spot for all of Amy's blogging from now on. On the same note, all of my old Myspace blogs have been moved over here, along with some of my LiveJournal Blogs. That explains why there are suddenly so many posts. I miss all you people so much. I want to touch base with all of you. Soon. So let's keep in touch, shall we?

Lovely Goodness... or Not.

So much to tell you all... and since I am stuck home in bed I have plenty of time to do it.

Why am I stuck home in bed, you ask? Well... that is part of the story. I wrote in the last post that I had been sick a while back. Well, I kinda lied to you all. I made it sound like I had gotten over it... but I never really did. I didn't want anyone to worry, and I figured it was just a persistent virus or something, so it wasn't a big deal. But I kept coughing and coughing, and coughing fits were actually slightly disgusting with snot flying everywhere and hacking up great green gobs of greasy grimy gopher guts. Breathing was difficult, liquid, and painful; and it felt like someone had wrapped a steel band around my chest. I was still pretty insistent that it was a virus, but I just couldn't shake it.

Then Ashley the Lovely ended up with a seriously infected ingrown toenail. Now honestly, you wouldn't think that much of a big deal, but it is. It is when you live a sedentary life as a couch potato, or a normal life as an active parent (As Kim did, once upon a time;) but it is a really huge deal when you rely on your feet as much as we do. And Ashley's feet are her mode of transportation, so when she couldn't walk on them without extreme pain... time to go to the doctor.

That in addition to the fact that I was down to my last scopolomine patch with much flying coming up this summer, and my job was being pretty insistent about my needing to have an epi-pen, since there are bees in these here parts... I decided that I would have my cough looked at too.

The doctor, a Doctor Barton, was the stereotypical older Englishman that you envision. He has a cane. He has white hair. He wears a bow tie. He has the accent that we Americans define as the epitome of English accents. And he took one listen to my chest. Then listened again. And again.

"You have pleurisy," says he.

Pleurisy is the inflammation of the lining of the lungs, and has a tendency to go hand and hand with pneumonia. Which is what he is worried about. The lower right lobe of my lungs is the most tender and goopey, and when I cough and Stephen pounds there, it helps because the cough becomes more productive. It was this lower right lobe that he said was where all these fun things were happening.

So, I have super strong anti-biotics. I am on day 5 of them now. The cough is slightly better, but is by no means gone. It doesn't hurt as much to breathe, and I don't feel like I am breathing through water. I will be having an X-ray this week, and then possibly another one the week after. That will either confirm or deny pneumonia, and may change what we are doing to treat this. I am desperately hoping it is NOT pneumonia. I am also desperately missing the dry windy hot places that this desert rat thrives in. I blame this lung thing on the weather and infernal cold of England.

Ashley is also on anti-biotics for her toe. It is doing much better. Dr. Barton did nothing for the ingrown bit of it because the infection was too bad, but that just means that we get to go back together next Wednesday. Me to be checked again and her to have the ingrown part taken care of.

In the process of all this, I now have 2 Epi-pens (one for work and one for home.. and watching Stephen read the directions and play with the Epi-pens was quite entertaining. At least now he can save me if I get stung) and 10 additional scopolomine patches. I also have acidophilus, and a yeast infection thanks to the anti-biotics. I love being sick. (ha!)

A funny side story that might just make up for being miserable: The anti-biotics that I am taking smell quite nice, as they are coated with some sort of stuff to make them easier to swallow. Stephen is attracted to nice-smelling things. He just can't stay away from them. He opens the medicine jar and sniffs them. Often. And asks if he can please just lick them before I take them as they must taste lovely too. Soooo...

I let him. Ashley watched and burst into laughter. He looked at me, then did. Slowly, with anticipation, he licked my anti-biotic before I took it....

... and was disappointed. He says they smell much better than they taste. So now he just opens the bottle and smells them. It makes me laugh every time... which turns into a coughing fit. Every time.

On the not-sick front, Stephen has sent in an application for a new job today. It is a learning technology job at a University in London. It is a significant (possibly 5 digit) pay raise for him. If he gets it, it means that until I graduate he will be commuting to London... but our potential plan is to move somewhere between here and there, so that his commute is shorter and balanced by the equal one I will have to make. Since the school that I think I would like to teach at is in London, that would make the transition after I graduate an easier one to make. No one will be settling for a job so the other can do what they want. We will keep you all informed of the result of the application. But, to be honest, Stephen is awesome enough that I can't imagine they won't want him. And I am not biased in the least.

It dawned on me that it is less than a year before I graduate with my Bachelor's degree.

Spring is here and though it is still cold to me, it is much warmer than it was. The rain is nice, though not as constant as I was led to believe. Ashley tells me that it is SO HOT, though I take a sweater everywhere I go because I get cold. She hasn't adapted...not at all. ;) My favourite part of the spring is the babies. Baby ducks and baby moorhens are everywhere. My favourite, of course, are the baby moorhens. Their parents stay together to raise them, and moorhen parents take the cake for trying hard... though they are really dumb about it. Most moorhen babies are lost, sometimes before they even hatch, because the parents were not quite as thoughtful as they could have been when placing nests. But they make up for it in hard work when the babies are actually born.


Moorhen babies are little black balls of fluff. On the river by the house, there is a family of moorhens with small ones. It is nice to watch them grow. They are very cute, and since they are not as good at swimming as ducks, they holler after mama and daddy to slow down and wait for them. And they eat all the time. I feel slightly sorry for the parents. I don't think they have had time to rest since the babies came.

Though resting is something I am now getting back to.