It’s My Imagination

Feeling Nostalgic

March 21, 2008 on 8:48 pm | In Some of This Some of That | Comments Off

I’m not really sure why, but I’ve been feeling rather nostalgic lately. Perhaps it’s because my girlfriend sent me an email with the dates of our high school’s Homecoming in the Fall. It got me thinking back, way, way back.

I don’t like to think so much about my high school years, but college, that’s another story. I had quite a few good times in college. Some of my best memories are of going to concerts. Some of the performers I saw back then were just getting started, little did I know that almost 30 years later they’d still be around and on tour! I remember seeing Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, I think they were in Houston. One of my favorite bands in college was The Police and later Sting on his own. Of course, now they’re touring again as The Police!

I think it would be cool to go to these concerts today, what a great walk down memory lane. While the bands may be older, one thing that hasn’t changed is the difficulty in getting good tickets to these events. If you’re looking for a ticket at a good price and from a company with great service, check out needaticket.ie and you’ll find not only concert tickets, but theater and sporting event tickets as well.

Tags: concert tickets, needaticket.ie

Orthodontics

March 21, 2008 on 6:54 am | In Family Health, My Imagination | Comments Off

A month or so ago, I took my daughter for a consult appointment at an orthodontist who is listed under our insurance plan. He has a very good reputation, his office was very busy and the staff were all very nice. After a fairly thorough exam, we were given a treatment plan that was fairly basic, nothing out of the ordinary, and a time frame of 18 months from the time she actually gets the braces on to the time they’re removed.

All of the information I was given was expected, she was all ready under the care of an orthodontist in Illinois. She was to have had her braces put on last summer, but we moved. What surprised me on this day was the cost, $6,500 for the full treatment. This is about $1,500-2,000 more than we expected. Our insurance is paying a maximum of $1,500, so everything above that we have to pay.

I did take then take her to a second orthodontist. Unfortunately, this one we weren’t comfortable with, there were only one or two other patients and it was a very strange office layout. We could see one patient having work done while we were sitting in the lobby. The cost? $2,500. What a huge difference! I felt though that we would probably be hit with a lot of little add on charges as time went on with this one. He wanted to start her treatment right then and there! Of course, he had the time, no patients waiting. We declined and left.

I have since set up her first four appointments with the 1st orthodontist. However, after speaking with our new dentist yesterday, I have decided to take her to one more orthodontist for a third cost opinion. Our new dentist used to practice orthodontics and he too was very surprised at the high cost we had been given. He concurred that there was nothing out of the ordinary about my daughter’s teeth, they were just crooked. While he also agreed that the orthodontist we were planning on having do the treatment is very good, he felt the cost was too high and we should get another quote.

So, on Monday, I will be calling another dr., this one is Not in our insurance network, so I have to also see how that will work. I realize that it is not all about cost, but I just can’t help feeling that we are going to be paying more than normal and that’s just hard to live with.

Tags: orthodontics

Ways to Pass The Time

March 20, 2008 on 1:25 pm | In Some of This Some of That | 2 Comments

I finally started reading a book I’d purchased a few weeks ago. The main character is a gal in New Jersey who leads a very interesting life, to say the least. She has a grandma that is full of spunk and vinegar and this particular book centers quite a bit around her.

I think I only got as far as the 2nd or 3rd chapter, but the grandma has stumbled across a duffel bag full of money and, because she found it on St. Patrick’s day, she believes it is her “pot of gold” and thereby, she feels she doesn’t need to turn this money over to the police. Instead, she heads to Atlantic City to spend some time in the casino. She’s such a character, she adds a lot of humor to the story.

Anyway, in reading previous books by the same author, with the same characters, one thing I’ve learned is that the senior citizens in New Jersey really enjoy spending their time at the casinos. They love playing the slots and, as in the case of grandma, machine poker. It got me wondering about seniors in real life. I visited a casino in Indiana a couple of years ago and I was shocked at the fact that most of the clientele were seniors! So much for having to live on a fixed income!

In today’s internet world, I wonder how many seniors utilize online contests and game websites. I think the benefit is that these individuals, who may not be able to get out and about, have access to something they enjoy, particularly if, once a member, there are unlimited chances at winning cash or a prize.

What do you think? Do any of you play online games? How about your grandparents?

Tags: online contests

Thursday Thirteen

March 20, 2008 on 8:18 am | In My Imagination | 10 Comments

Thirteen reasons I fear going to the dentist. (I had my check up appointment yesterday).

As a kid, it seemed that every time I went to the dentist I had a cavity and we all know what’s in store for us if we have a cavity.

Great big needles filled with novocaine, need I say more?

The sounds at the dentist office:  drills, saws, screams

The smells at the dentist office:  cleaning solutions, dental chemicals, novocaine, mouth wash smells

Being told I need to floss.  I’m 47 years old, I know I should floss, but I also know that it’s not likely that I will, so don’t waste your breath telling me what to do.

Telling me how to brush my teeth.  Again, I’m 47, if I don’t yet know how to brush my teeth, do you think I’m going to change my ways?

Having anyone stick their hands in my mouth.

Having sharp tools poking around in my mouth and gums.

Being asked a question while someone’s hands and sharp tools are in my mouth.

Having x-rays done.  I have a bad gag reflex whenever those little sharp edged cards are wedged into my mouth for an x-ray.

 Wondering if there is anything in my nose that shouldn’t be there while my head is tilted back and someone has their hands and sharp tools in my mouth, making my nose visible to the world.

Having a multiple people put their hands in my mouth.  First the hygienist, then the dentist, then the hygienist again.  Assign one person to me and be done with it!

Being made to feel that I don’t know how to take care of my teeth.

Because we relocated in April, I had to find a new dentist.  This is never an easy task for me because I really do have a fear of going to the dentist.  I prefer to find a local dentist in a small office who will tend to me personally rather than having to see both the dentist and the hygienist.  Unfortunately, after almost a year of looking, I was unable to find the ideal dentist.  So, I found what I hope is close.  I will have to see the hygienist for cleanings, but I can ask to be scheduled with the same one every six months so I can build some sort of level of trust.

I had some very bad experiences as a kid and my fear stems from those experiences.

I had my first appointment yesterday.  The dental assistant did all my x-rays and the dentist did the exam.  He was very gentle and didn’t tell me how to brush or floss which is a definite plus.  I also don’t have any cavities, another HUGE plus.

I go back Monday morning for my cleaning, hopefully that will go well and I’ll be done for another 6 months.

Do you like going to the dentist?

Tags: dentists, thursday thirteen

Strolling With An Oyster Down Memory Lane

March 19, 2008 on 10:42 pm | In Some of This Some of That | Comments Off

I’ve been doing my usual nightly blog surfing and I ran across a post that brought back a lot of memories for me of when my husband and I were dating. We were both living in Southern California at the time and we spent many of our dates at restaurants on the water around Redondo Beach. It was really fabulous being so near the ocean and eating all that fabulous food.

For our first wedding anniversary we took a trip to Lake Tahoe, another beautiful spot in California. I remember the hotel having an oyster bar, and, while I refuse to eat raw oysters, there was a group drinking oyster shooters. If I recall, an oyster shooter is a raw oyster in a shot glass full of vodka (correct me if I’m wrong). This is just so not appealing to me. I love oysters, but the oysters I eat have to be cooked and cooked well.

I can’t even recall the first time I ever ate oysters, but I do know that in all the years my husband and I have been married, I find myself craving them when my birthday rolls around or when we’re celebrating our anniversary. I think that may be because it’s about the only time I can convince him to take me to my favorite seafood restaurant where they cook a fabulous fried Gulf oysters. They also serve a cooked oyster on the half shell covered in a hollandaise sauce that is delicious as well. These are the only two ways I’ll eat oysters.

While I’m not too likely to ever be inclined to eat a raw oyster, I do know many people to eat them. If you’re so inclined, you should be careful and sure that you are eating have been through a post-harvest treatment process that allows them to be eaten more safely. There are actually three types of post-harvest processing in the commercial oyster market that can make eating raw oysters safer.

1. individual quick-freezing (IQF)
2. low heat pasteurization or heat-cool pasteurization (HCP)
3. high-hydrostatic pressure (HPP)

If you’re not sure that your oysters have been through any of these processes, I’d advise you to have them cooked!

My birthday rolled around this week and in honor of that, I’m hoping to head out and eat a nice dinner of fried oysters, french fries and cole slaw, one of my favorite meals.

Tags: beoysteraware.com, food, oysters

Whose Line Is It Anyway?

March 18, 2008 on 3:57 pm | In My Imagination, Some of This Some of That | 4 Comments

I was blog surfing this afternoon and SlackerHeaven had this video posted. My daughter and I watched it and we laughed so hard! This is one of our favorite television shows, but I had never seen this episode. Richard Simmons is funny anyway, but he really went all out for this. Absolutely hysterical, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Tags: comedy, Whose Line Is It Anyway

Time Management

March 18, 2008 on 12:15 pm | In Some of This Some of That | Comments Off

Okay, I feel like a slacker. My time management skills could really use some work lately!

Every year I make it my personal goal to have my tax documentation ready to send to our accountant by the end of February. Well, here it is, the middle of March and I just spent the entire morning finalizing everything and making copies so that I can FINALLY take it to the post office. Now of course, it’s storming outside like crazy and I’m not wanting to leave the house!

At the beginning of 2008, I attempted to create smart goals for myself, attainable goals, to allow myself to feel a sense of accomplishment when I’ve reached a particular goal. Unfortunately, due to my poor time management skills and my addictions to blogging and sewing, I’m having trouble staying on task long enough to meet any of my goals!

I do believe that any time in the future that I am goal setting, I am going to either have to push myself harder to stay off of the computer and away from my sewing machine, or, I’m going to have to give myself extra time to reach my goals.

I can say that if the weather begins to improve, I will head to the post office and get this stack of paperwork mailed off, along with the letter I typed up apologizing (once again) to the accountant for my lateness.

Tags: goal setting, smart goals, time management

Texas Weather

March 18, 2008 on 12:00 pm | In Some of This Some of That | Comments Off

The weather is absolutely insane today! We live just northeast of Dallas and it has been a steady downpour of rain since about 8:30 this morning. That’s 4 1/2 hours of steady rain fall! Our back yard is beginning to look like a lake and, because the end of our driveway is part of the drainage for our cul-de-sac, I can’t actually see the end of the drive way anymore, it’s under water.

I really need to go out to the post office to mail our taxes, but I’m waiting, hoping, that the weather will improve. I can assure you that there isn’t an umbrella made that could withstand the high winds we are currently suffering.

This is a picture of the weather map provided by weatherbug.com just moments ago.

Tags: Texas weather, weather

Keeping Busy During Spring Break

March 17, 2008 on 8:12 pm | In Blogging, Family | 2 Comments

My daughter is out of school this week and, because we have no travel plans for the week, I need to come up with some creative activities for us to do. We spent today playing our new board game, “Clue”. We own the junior version of the game but today we purchased the regular version and have all ready played a few rounds.

I was blog surfing earlier today (before our Clue marathon) and ran across infektia, a blog with a variety of information. The post that caught my eye today was More Hama Beads Creations with a picture of of the Super Mario Brothers inspired designs the blog author had created. It reminded me of the fact that we all ready own a huge bucket of those beads for creating anything our hearts desire, so I definitely am adding that to our calendar of things to do this week.  I’ve also purchased some flower seeds and planting containers, so we can work on getting our flower garden growing.

I’m just happy to have the week off from my alarm clock and I know my daughter deserves a break. She’s been working really hard at school and could use some downtime.

What do you do with your kids when they’re off from school?

Tags: infektia

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

March 17, 2008 on 8:06 am | In My Imagination | 6 Comments

2008 is speeding by in such a fashion that before we know it, it will be Christmas!  Okay, I need more time before Christmas arrives!

Valentine’s Day seems like it was just yesterday and now, here we are, it’s St. Patrick’s Day all ready.  Thursday will be the first day of Spring, thank goodness!  I think we’re all ready for that day to arrive.

Do you do anything special to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?  There is always the wearing of green.  I will be wearing my green socks in honor of today.  I’m also making my daughter a green pancake for breakfast.  She has informed me that everything we eat today has to be green; I hope not!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all of my 2 or 3 readers, I appreciate you coming by!

Tags: St. Patrick's Day