The Stress

So I am sitting her in the waiting room of the cardiologists office, trying to decide just how much stress can come one persons' way.

He may tell me I can have my medication or that I am screwed or that he has no idea.

Kaz and Mac are fighting and annoying each other because summer vacation has started. Their end of year concert was cancelled and all of the children left in tears because some idiot parent had their kid tested for swine flu, and it came up positive. SO PANIC ENSUED. *eyeroll* Meanwhile, 30 or 40 other kids have been on and off sick for weeks, all with the same symptoms, which means that our school, just like every other private and public school in Toronto is riddled with swine flu. And it's no big whoop! Sniffles and aches people. One day of fever. That's IT.

If people really were that terrified of swine flu due to an actual physical vulnerability, they'd get the Flumist vaccine, which is a live vaccine and actually does offer some protection against a wider range of the flu viruses, not to mention the pneumonia vaccine. Or say---how about washing their hands? But do they do that? Hell, no.....much better to spread panic and stupidity everywhere we go.

My BIL P is being subjected to horrifically bad health care in the hospital he is in Montreal. No one is giving a shit about his physical problems like the strokes he has had, or the liver failure or cardiac followup on his quadruple bypass or doing anything to diagnose or treat his issues. They just keep adding and adding more and more psychiatric drugs. They recently had a giant team meeting and admitted that they have no frigging clue what is wrong with him. However, the Docs really don't think we should bother to investigate or get second opinions.

Guess what I think??

Guess whose husband isn't listening to her??

Sigh

My other BIL Ph is in the throes of a bad divorce and custody fight and it's almost over. I haven't blogged at all about it, (on the off chance my blog was ever discovered) but Mr.Cotta and I have been trying to be supportive of him and it may be safe to talk about, but holy crap, thank goodness we are nearing the end! The custody fight was bizarre, and would you believe, my niece is fourteen? Yet no one seemed to give a shit what she thinks except the judge thank God! (My niece wanted a half and half time split that worked around her school, sports, and social life. She also wanted it to be flexible and casual because she doesn't like fightiing. Instead they called the lawyers and went to war.) This week, they are in the final throes of who gets what in the house. Then he moves out and it's done.

Ironic aside for some of my audience--my niece was an IVF baby and yet---things did not work out so perfectly, eh? Parenting and marriage after IF aren't so easy and maybe getting a live baby doesn't solve anything after all.

More stress; trivial kind, we have so many freaking ants in our house, the roof job is a disaster, the dishwasher broke, the freezer on the fridge is broken.

I swear, I couldn't make this shit up if I tried people.

Updated to add: Cardiologist says my echo is perfect and I have an exceedingly perfectly healthy heart. Now to do battle with my GP.....

New faces, new look maybe?

Two blogger meets to describe; first, I hung out with Patti and Mark, Pam and V., and Gil and her hubs down from Ottawa, at Pam's house. It was great and we had loads of fun. I could not bring the boys, they were sick and teething and studying for exams. But maybe next time? Anyway, everyone was wonderful, and I can't wait to get together again.

I met some very lovely women at the Toronto BlogHer meetup this past Saturday and I enjoyed myself immensely. Thank you for taking me Lisa! (She was my beard. Just in case.) In fact, after chatting with Her Bad Mother and everyone else, and mentioning that story about CATSA and breastmilk on planes (is that like snakes on a plane...?) guess what I saw today? This! Awesome, thank you thank you to everyone who reads and tweets and does whatever to help fix our Canadian mess!

I think that BlogHer '09 might work out even if I will be hiding in the corner behind my computer. Mostly because it seems that everyone else is going to do that as well, so it will be a crowded corner. Heh.

One funny thing. Last year Mel had blogged about blogger cards and how they get handed out with all your info, and you know I've been dithering about what to put on my badge and tell people. Well, it turns out that at blogger get-togethers, everyone introduces themselves as their real name and then says their blog name. And if you don't say your blog name, or url or something, then there is a long weird silence. Like---well---who are you?

And everyone is nice and nobody cares about details, but, I have to wonder, they are also likely not as crazy as me or as much of a naked blogger as I am. Although, after reading Niobe's confessions posts and Julia's secrets post, that may not be true, turns out y'all are as interesting and fucked up as I am, but nobody admits it except me. Two weeks ago, I was convinced that I was the only nutbar in the blogosphere, but now it's fer sure, I am not alone. Which is awesome, right? I need company! Otherwise people will think I am just talking to myself.

But to get back to my point, I need cards people, and not just the goofy plain typed ones with my real name and address for playdates. I need one with a design! Which means my blog likely needs a damn design! Something it has never really had. I just picked a blogger template and changed a few colors and started typing. Since I never actually look at my own blog, but just read comments on email, it never occurred to me that we might need to put some lipstick on this pig.

Until now.

So what should I do? Where do I start? I have no ideas, beyond hating the color green. Also hate peach. And I need some one to do it all for me including installing, because I actually can't do any of it. I can pay someone? I can type, and I talk a good game, but I'm always afraid to fiddle with settings. Plus cards. I know there are local places that print them, but how? Do I email it? Email what for that matter? Or draw something with crayons? Chalk on sidewalk? Sanskrit on paper?

Anyway, if you have any ideas for facelifts or bloglifts or contacts, pass 'em on. I may not remember to put on face makeup at this thing, but I'd like it if my website looked good. And if I do it on my own, the only look I'll dream up will involve the theme, "Cheap 'n Crummy."

Help!