Friday, July 5, 2019

undefined 7.5.19

I've been struggling.  I'm swinging from depression to mania again.  And the interval has been tightening up.  I was depressed as fuck yesterday, fantasizing about suicide again.  I'm not going to go through with it, I know that my brain is just telling me fucked up shit and that will pass.  Today I'm wild, ready to go on a bender, or burn down the house and move overseas. Jason is going to Vegas for a work conference in October.  I can go as well if I want to, which I had been considering since I already took that week off work.  We were supposed to go on a cruise, but had to cancel because of the conference.  At first, I was going to go to Vegas with him, then I decided that I didn't want to put myself in temptation's path.  I was plotting how I was going to be sneaky about terrible shit that would be make me feel ashamed and guilty and be disappointing to Jason.  And then there's the whole gambling thing, which if I'm being real, gambling isn't just about money and cards at the casino, its about a lot of different types of risky behaviors that I like for different reasons.  So, I decided that I didn't want to go.  Now, I'm back to thinking that I want to go.  I'm just all over the place right now.    I'm trying to keep myself busy, have been working seven days a week between the two offices, teaching on the weekends, and working on some other projects.  It really does help me to be busy to keep my brain occupied.

This is my current obsession.  Have been down some major wormholes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEYCoSrLPrE&list=RDnEYCoSrLPrE&start_radio=1

Tuesday, May 7, 2019

Jason's birthday cruise

We went on a cruise for Jason's birthday.  A quick banger from Tampa to Cozumel and back.

*Jason's birthday isn't until July, but it is cheaper to go in May, so we went this past weekend before all the prices go up for the summer season.

Cruising with us were Ron and Liz, and my mom and dad.  Curt and Allison were supposed to go a well, but the day before we left, Allison was at Urgent Care with a 103F fever.  Luckily, she had the vacation insurance, so she got her money back.

Jason and I flew in to Tampa on Wednesday night and Sally picked us up at the airport.  The three of us met up with Ron and Liz and went to Armature Works.  That place is badass!  I got some vegan food from  Dixie Dharma.  It was excellent!  Got two not dogs with chilli and mac and cheese.  Jason and Sally got some Cuban food.  Then we all went to a rooftop bar and enjoyed the evening.

On Thursday, my mom and dad flew in and we all met up at the port to board the ship.  It was a little rainy for a few minutes, but overall, a pleasant evening and calm waters.

Friday was a relaxing day at sea.

Saturday was a full day in Cozumel.  We all did a private beach excursion.  It was the same one that Jason and I did back in September.  We really liked it, and wanted our friends to check it out, too. 

Sunday was a full day at sea, then off the boat on Monday.  We took a cab back to my sister's house and watched the newest episode of GoT, then went to the pool for a few hours before flying home.

On the boat, some of the activities we did included going to the shows, the comedy shows, playing slots (not me, kinda have a gambling problem), Game of Thrones trivia (I got second place by one point! But, it was a fair loss), and Cinco de Mayo Trivia (I also placed second in this).  I really wanted that ship on a stick trophy.  Maybe next time.....

All said and done, a relaxing weekend.  And everyone else in the group had a great time, too.  They all said they would definitely cruise again! 


Thursday, March 28, 2019

White Whale


Back in February, I took the Expanded Functions - Restorative II class down in Springfield.  It is a two day course, but prior to that, I practiced at work for about eight weeks.  Dr. Silva and I worked every night and also on the weekends to practice placing the fillings. I felt ready for the test.  Friday was a classroom portion and candidates also had time to practice and ask the dentists questions.

On Saturday, was the test. We had a set amount of time (I think it was 2 hours) to complete the three assigned fillings, then turn them in for grading by three separate calibrated dentists across the state. 

I felt good about my fillings. I knew I was going to get dinged on a few things,but nothing was so fucked that it should be automatic failure. 

Anyway, they said to allow about twelve weeks for the results.  

When I got home from work yesterday, Jason and I had some errands to run.  As we left, I noticed a packaged had been delivered and was on the porch.  I figured it was some bulbs I had ordered a week ago, so I grabbed the box off the porch, jumped in the car, and off we went.

We got down the street, and I see it is from the school, and inside was the box with my typodont with the test teeth.  At first, I was devastated because I thought they only sent the box back to you if you failed.  But then, in the bottom of the box, was a letter of congratulations, the grading rubric, and a certificate of completion.  I had passed!   I was super excited because this test has something like a 70% pass rate.  So I join just a small percentage of dental auxillaries in the state who are allowed to place Class II, III, IV fillings under the orders of the dentist!  







Work official, with THE typodont:






Monday, February 18, 2019

Birthday in Florida - Universal

I decided to go to Universal Studios and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter for my birthday this year.

We left on Wednesday and flew to Tampa.  My mom picked us up and took us to my sister's condo.  We went to get Taco Bus for lunch and met up with one of Jason's friends from here who had moved to Tampa with his wife about a year ago.










On Wednesday night, we went to St. Pete with mom, Sally, and TJ.  We went to a taco shop.  It was probably about 60 degrees, and we were sitting outside in hoodies and crushing beers.  The clerk brought us our food and was like, "So, you guys aren't from around here, huh?"  LOL. 

On Thursday, we drove to Orlando and met up with Bobby and Joyce.  The four us went out and played pinball at this dope bowling alley that had a pinball room in the back room.  Then we went to get some beers and gator tacos at Black Hammock.







On Friday, Jason and I drove to Universal and met up with Kim, Jeff, Karen, and Barry.  We stayed at the Pacific Paradise, which is park of the park.  It was about a 15 minute walk to the gate, but the best part was that a Fast Pass (to jump to the front of the line) is included in the price of the room.  Most rides, we waiting for 11-15 minutes.  Longest wait was 25 minutes, for King Kong, at the end of the second night.  It was both mine and Barry's birthdays on Saturday, and we got big orange buttons to wear all day from the guest service tent.  All day long, people were telling us, "Happy Birthday!"  And we got a shout-out over the PA in the Men In Black ride, and the whole room sang "Happy Birthday" to us in line for E.T.  :)




The park is spectacular.  Not just Harry Potter, but all the areas they have built.  Going in, I was kinda like, "I don't really care about the rides, I just want to see Hogwarts and Diagon Alley" but the rides are awesome!  There were only three traditional roller coasters.  Everything else is a 3D experience where you are in a car that is controlled by a robotic arm and you watch an omni-max movie and feel like you are really whipping around and speeding.  There are water misters, flames, and fans depending on what is happening in the ride.  Its actually really cool.  And for waiting in line--you wait in line indoors in a climate controlled warehouse.  And the line is also part of the experience.  For example, you enter Hogwarts to ride the Harry Potter ride, and the line takes you through that castle and you can see the staircases, the Great Hall, the talking pictures, etc.  In Gringott's, you enter the bank and see all the goblins working at their desks, and that is the line.















Speaking of traditional roller coasters, one of the parks has a craaaaaazy awesome roller coaster and you can pick a song to listen to while you are riding.  Jason and I did't even have to think about it---we selected "Kickstart My Heart".  Goddamn.  It was perfect.  The song was edited so it kicks in when you take the first plummet.  And there is a GoPro mounted in front of you in the car that records the whole ride, then you can watch it when you're done.  Also, for crowd control, people who work there ask how many in your group, then assign you a lane.  They assigned us the front row!  It was great!  I was totally spent after riding it.

So, we also bought a pass for both parks, so we got to ride the Hogwart's Express in between the parks.  I started crying a little bit when we got to Platform 9 3/4.  I got some ice cream at Fescue's, and Jason got some Every Flavor Beans at Honeyduke's.  We also ate at the Leaky Cauldron and the Three Broomsticks.  The food was excellent and they have really mastered the crowd control. It was very impressive.  I drank some pumpkin juice, didn't have the butter beer.























We did the park all day on Friday.  Friday night, went to Pat O'Brien's for dueling pianos.  Jeff got turnt!  We did the park all day on Saturday, then I came back to the room and passed the eff out!

I went down to the pool on Sunday before we left, but there was waaaay too many kids in there.

We drove back to Tampa, then got tacos and margs with mom and Sally before flying home. 

All said and done, a great birthday weekend.  I would def go back to Universal.