Cleanup on Life Aisle Two

Life is messy and I love it that way - always so much better to be out-of-control busy...but still....

So - at work, I'm co-leading the planning and production of 5 national meetings for over 1500 employees at the Huge, all to take place between October 17 - November 7. And my team is going through some transitions as well - all good, but still requires much care and feeding. And I have to travel for work every week between now and November 7. Besides the meetings.

Livin' the dream. (requisite "I don't mind the travel, corporate work gods so don't think I'm whining okaaaay???!!)

At home, I'm throwing an Oktoberfest party for multiple friends, neighbors and generations in late September, doing all of the crafting (sewing pirate bean bags for tossin,' girl and boy pirate bandannas, painting buckets for pirate loot, etc...) for a special Pirate birthday party in early October, having the daughter of friends stay with us for another early October weekend and trying to keep up with the etsy store, my blog, two email accounts and of course, remote Mom.

My mosaic farookas is gone.....for now. (ominous music)

My hard-fought 5 lb loss....is not gone. (even more ominous music)

The fitness center is sending me overdue weight loss messages. (wa wa waaaaaaaaa)

I have stabbed myself fourteen times with the needle on my sewing machine. (laugh track)

My new worry from Dr. Google is that if my husband were to spring an Alzheimer's test on me I would not be able to name more than 5 four-legged animals (zebra always comes to mind...over and over. Can't remember farm animals) so I've got a new Nintendo DS and I'm working Brain Age and Professor Layton puzzles before I go to bed.

Hot flashes wake me up between 4 and 6 am like clockwork ( and everyone KNOWS that women need a solid eight hours...according to MORE magazine.)

Shwew. That's the update. That's all I've got. See you in aisle ten......like, in November some time!

Mosaic Farookas

Exchange with my very nice, extremely smart doctor:

Dr. Smarty: "Huh. Yup, you have kind of a rash there, on your elbow."

Lulu: "Yeah, and it really feels like I was bitten-"

Dr. Smarty: "Nope."

Lulu: "Yes, I felt a stingi-"

Dr. Smarty: "Nope."

Lulu: "But I felt like a stinging and I slapped my arm and then-"

Dr. Starting to be Irritating Smarty: "Uhhhh no."

Lu Starting to be Irritated Lu: "STOP with the noping!!! I'm still pretty new to the SOUTH and I KNOW there are brown recluse spiders and this friend of mine got bitten in Maryland one time and he didn't notice it right awaaaaaay! And his wife had to takehimtotheERandhealmost DIEEEEEEEEEEEED!"

*Breathing hard, still holding elbow up for inspection, starting to sweat (although that could just be a hot flash, different doctor need altogether) and glaring at Dr. Irritating McSmartyPants*

Dr IMSP: "It's not spider bites."

Panicking Lulu: (gasp gasp) "What?"

Voice starting to echo in my head: "It's its not not not spider bites bites..."

Panic rising Lulu: "Is it a TICK?? DO I HAVE LYME DISEASE!!?? Do I have malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever, Japanese B encephalitis, filariasis, leishmaniasis, chagas disease(caused by ASSASIN BUGS!) typhus or the PLAGUE???????!!!!"

Voice of James Earl Jones coming from overhead: "Luuuuuuulu. I'm not your faaaaathuh and you DO NOT have ANY BUG BITE DISEASE AT ALL!! Stop reading WebMD!"

Lulu: "Oh."

Red-faced Lulu: (mumbling). "Then ahhh. It's just a rash, right? No big deal? (nervous chuckle) Just - it'll go away, right?"

Dr. McSmartyPants: "Yeah, it's fine. YOU'll be fine. It will go away."

Dr. Smirking McSmartyPants: "Unless it's mosaic farookas."

AAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.......

(Yeah, bet he'll need some 'topical ointment' now too - for that stab wound I gave him with the tongue depressor....)

Enjoy a bug-free weekend!!