Hospitalized
Topic: Personal
But don't worry. Obviously, I'm fine.

Short version: Taken to the ER after having chest pains and shortness of breath. Discovered I have a hernia so my stomach was pushing up into my diaphram. Will be making a follow-up appointment with an internist tomorrow morning.


Long version: Since Anthropology was cancelled today, I decided to go to Karido Kick at the gym. I got there early so I thought I would do today's sit-ups and stretch first. After 25 sit-ups, I started to feel a sharp pain right between the ribs but under my breasts. I discovered that I was having some difficulty breathing/shortness of breath. This was at about 5:05 or so. I went out on the patio area to get some fresh area. After staying there a few minutes and not feeling any better (in the past when this has happened at random times, the fresh air and controlled breathing did the trick), I decided that I should just go home and see what I could do. But on the way downstairs to the locker room, I started having trouble breathing again and went outside and sat on a ledge. I was out there for about 5 minutes. By that point, it was going on for 15-20 minutes and my hand was starting to tingle. I went back inside and asked for help at the counter.

They had me sit down and called for help. The facility supervisor came over and started taking care of me or rather try to figure out what was going on. I had said an asthma attack because, having never had one, I thought maybe that was what it was. He got some oxygen going for me sort of and they called for an ambulence. A UPD officer showed up to help out. They then had me lie down while continuing to take slow deep breaths. During that time, the tingling got worse in my left hand and started in my right and also in my left ear. After what seemed like forever, the paramedics showed and checked my lungs and oxyidation level or something, put the little heart monitor on and asked about what was going on. They weren't really sure what was going on either without further tests and were going to take me to the hospital. The officer asked if there was anyone he could call to meet me there and I gave them the South House number (the only one I know by heart) with Matt's name. After sitting up for a minute and then standing, I suddenly started to feel completely normal. The pain was gone and my breathing was returning to normal. They still suggested I go to the hospital and be checked out. Having no idea of what happened and how to prevent it from happening again, I agreed. I attempted to give my locker combo so they could bring my stuff (like identification and insurance card) while I was put in the ambulence. I say attempted because I gave the wrong order of the combo so we just left without. The paramedic put an IV hookup in my hand just in case and took my vitals again.

A few minutes later, I was being wheeled into the emergency room of the Sierra Vista hospital. I had my vitals rechecked, got into a gown and told them everything that happened. Then Matt and Leigh came and kept me company for a while. Then the actual doctor came in and I told him what happened and he ordered a chest x-ray and an EKG. The EKG came first and the technician for that was right: the setup for the test took longer than the test. They put this little strips over my body?one each leg, one shoulder, two on chest, 4 under left breast?and then had to connect to each of the strips. Less than a minute after that the test was done. I was third in line for an x-ray so I had to wait a bit but then the x-ray guy came and took a chest x-ray. Sometime in between all of this, an admission lady came asking for more info and the insurance. She then had to leave to make copies of the documents I needed to sign because I was actually reading them and it was taking to long for her to stand there too. Then one of the nurses came back in and put a "muscle relaxer" into the IV. I asked why beforehand and basically it came down to calming my nerves. So I let them do that. And I'll tangent for a second here to say that IVs really aren't comfortable. I mean, if you don't move at all while it's in, it's okay but even just putting your hand somewhere else gave a weird sensation. Not pain, just discomfort. Anyway, the admissions lady came back with my copies and started to read them over. Then Matt and Leigh were let back in

Then the doctor came back in with my x-ray and showed that I appeared to have a hernia and that the stomach was pushing up into the diaphram. Which definitely makes sense with the sit-ups. He said the shortness of breath was actually me hyperventalating. So he recommended not eating just before excerise and to make sure I breathe properly whenever exercising or lifting something. He also said something about the gases coming back up and causing some burping which I was definitely experiencing. Then I got the happy news that I could go home. At the discharge, I was given some papers that explained most of the things that happened to me. Pretty good information actually.

Matt and Leigh took me back to campus to pick up backpack and consequently my apartment key and insurance key. Since the hospital was on the way back to my place, we stopped by so I could give them that information and avoid paying all of the $2,100 bill out of pocket. Then they took me home at about 9:30 where I talked with my parents. Per their advice, I'm going to try and get an appointment with an intermist tomorrow.

Definitely an eventful, although terrifying, evening and not one I hope to repeat ever again.

Flyers Galore!
Now Playing: "Shake Ya Tailfeather" by Nelly, P. Diddy, Murphy Lee on "Bad Boys 2 Soundtrack"
Topic: Random Rant
I've been putting up flyers for the yard sale Saturday in just 4.5 buildings the past two days (.5 because 2 building are joined together but have different numbers, go figure). Tuesday I just had some trouble getting into the class rooms. When I went back after Anthropology, I noticed that in some places, my flyers were already posted over or taken down! (I'm looking at the take downs in a positive way?the person didn't want to forget the information). I took down the offending flyers that dared to use my pin and post on top of me and am now printing more copies of my own onto their backs. It's actually a wonderful system. I started out with about 40 flyers on my own paper. As I went around putting them up, I took down old, outdated flyers. I have since been printing our flyers on the backs of those. Recycling, saving the cost of paper and copies for th club and it also clears the bulletin boards a bit. The ones in the classrooms aren't too bad but the ones in the halls are just bad.

Since I had to wait about 20 minutes for the Escort Van, I decided to clear up the board on the stairs in the Math building. I don't think the school ever clears those off. Why? Because I found a flyer that the Math Club posted almost a year ago on there for root beer floats during UU hour. That was probably the oldest I found. Most others were one from last quarter.

Flyers on this campus are just crazy. I mean, I just finished printing out 60 more copies of the yard sale flyer all on old flyers. My last 40 or so were also recycled flyers. And that's just 4.5 buildings! And not even all the floors and not all the rooms!

Tomorrow/later today, I'll be hitting the comp sci building (forgot to do it this morning in my hast to just leave after 1.8 hours of staying late) and then hopefully education and business.

Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Mood:  not sure
Now Playing: "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" by Green Day on "American Idiot"
I walk a lonely road
The only one that I have ever known
Don't know where it goes
But it's home to me and I walk alone

I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Where the city sleeps
and I'm the only one and I walk alone

I walk alone
I walk alone

I walk alone
I walk a...

My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then I walk alone

Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Aaah-ah,
Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Ah-ah

I'm walking down the line
That divides me somewhere in my mind
On the border line
Of the edge and where I walk alone

Read between the lines
What's fucked up and everything's alright
Check my vital signs
To know I'm still alive and I walk alone

I walk alone
I walk alone

I walk alone
I walk a...

My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then I walk alone

Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Aaah-ah
Ah-ah, Ah-ah

I walk alone
I walk a...

I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Where the city sleeps
And I'm the only one and I walk a...

My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then I walk alone..

Grandma Ruthie
Mood:  sad
My Grandma Ruthie passed away last night.

I found out about this morning after work. My mom left me two messages on my cell phone and before I even spoke to her I knew that it was about Grandma Ruthie. On the first message it sounded like Mom had been crying.

My mom, Justin and Tiffany are flying to New York to attend the funeral. If it wasn't so complicated for me to go (and had I spoken to my mom earlier than when I did), I would have.

I really wish that I insisted more to see over spring break when I was in New York. As it now stands permanently, I haven't hadn't seen her since August 1999, haven't hadn't spoken to her since winter break and just wrote her a letter in January.

Grandma hasn't been in very good health recently. She had been hospitalized and then got a live in care giver. We never took her complaints seriously because it seemed that she was always complaining about her health for the past few years. At the very least, she can finally be at peace and she lived long enough to be a great-grandmother to my cousin Scott's son, Justin.

I caved
Topic: Apartment
Alright, who bet that the internet-free-at-home lifestyle would only last a week? Well, you won.

Having to walk across the street in the rain just to check my e-mail is just a little much. Not being able to print useful information without first bringing paper over to the lab sucks. And lying on the floor because you really really don't want to do school work and have no other alternatives to procrastination, sucks.

And going back to dial-up would suck. With DSL not an option, I looked at Cal Poly's deals with internet providers and decided they were more or just as much money as Charter. So I was browsing around Charter's website and saw that they're having an online promotion thingy of just $20/month with free modem lease for 3 months (before tax of course). Considering that I would only need the service for about 6 months, and that SBC was charging me like $26/month, this sounded like a good deal so I went ahead and signed up. So it will probably be another week before it's up and running since I'm not really available during the day.

Anyway, since I'll be playing some role playing game with Nick tomorrow, time to go home and actually get some work done. Suck. (That seems to be the word of the day today doesn't it?).

Ah, the distraction dependent world I live in
Mood:  silly
Now Playing: iPod battery went out earlier so just the fan of the Math Lounge
So last night after I was done with my test and checking e-mail and such in the Math Lounge, I decided that I needed dinner (after stupidly leaving it in the fridge that morning) and was trying to decide what to do for it. See, it was raining so I really didn't want to walk around that much. I was thinking I could go to the Avenue but that they close at 7:30 so I would have to move to the library anyway. But there wasn't anything to eat near the library. Then I thought, "wait, I could just go home and have dinner. With no TV and no internet, there's nothing to distract me later from my homework!"

So as I was walking to the bus, a plan started to formulate. I would catch the bus home, call my Grandma (she had e-mailed me back about my new address saying she would try to call this week) since I was going to be home early, have dinner while watching the episode of Monk I taped Friday and then go upstairs and do work.

Naturally, this is not how things went. I ended up missing the bus. Not sure how because I didn't see it pass me but whatever. So I wait the 10-15 minutes for the Escort Van. So I don't get home until 5:40ish. I did call my Grandma and talk to her for about 20 minutes. Then I went downstairs to start making dinner. I talke with Kathryn for a bit and then I went to turn on the TV and VCR which I had set up that morning and amazingly enough, there was reception! When I hooked it up that morning there hadn't been but now there was! Kathryn and I got so excited (aren't we sad?). Kathryn immediately went to go try her's and her's worked too. Well, she still doesn't get anything above channel 14 but she's happy just with NBC. So I watched Monk while having dinner and then I programmed the VCR for my shows (oddly enough, I forgot to include Monk) during which I got sucked into the Law & Order ep on TNT. But I was a good girl and turned it off about 10 minutes later (and no, the episode didn't end at that time).

All in all, I didn't even start work on my senior project until about 7:30. About 45 minutes after what it should have been. Oops. Distractions are dangerous but they are also so wonderful. At least it's only one out of two previous distractions. I think I shall try an internet-free-at-home life style for a while and see how it goes. *Waits to see how many people will bet on how long this will last*

Move Update
Now Playing: Valencia Computer Lab noises
Topic: Apartment
The move into the new apartment is complete. I went back earlier today to pick up the last of things I own. I can now say that everything I own is in the new apartment, dirty dishes and all.

The maintanence people fixed our rat-sized hole in the outside vent, fixed the living room light and fixed the sink. They also moved Kathryn's shelves over. I spent some time today putting things around and moving things around and made the place much more presentable. No where near ready for people though. We still have a bunch of dishes to sanitize, including all of our forks and knives, which are currently sitting in a bleach bath.

Today I also put in some more change of address things. I did it with the post office, my credit card, my checking account and the newspaper. Since I still didn't have phone service when I got home, I called SBC about it.

Fifty-three minutes and 6 people later, I cancelled my DSL, increased what I pay for long distance and transferred my phone service for a fee of $33.01 with the service effective tomorrow. Fortunately, I'm not being charged the early cancellation fee for the DSL since the problem is on their end. Despite being no more than fifty feet away from my previous location, DSL is not available in my apartment. Anyone want an SBC DSL modem? So for now, I'm using work and Valencia's computer lab (where I am now) to do internet stuff. I'll figure out what I'm going to do about it later.

I also transferred my TV service. That was a lot easier. (Goodness, this keyboard is noisy!) It only took about 7 minutes and no transfer fee. The catch on that is that, due to my schedule, the guy can't come out til Saturday. No Law & Order for me this week =(.

Anthropology test tomorrow. I should probably start studying for that again.

Moving update
Now Playing: "I Need a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler on "The Very Best of"
Topic: Apartment
Done: desk drawers, closet (sans fax) bathroom, bookshelf, bedside table.

Still to go: desk, walls, misc items, downstairs.

Tomorrow should be fun. Not.

Now to go sleep in my new apartment on a sleeping bag because my bedding stuff is currently buried under boxes and stuff.

Rat Update
Mood:  irritated
Now Playing: "What Makes You Different (Make" by Backstreet Boys on "Black And Blue (Japanese Retai"
Topic: Apartment
Unfortunately, they are not dead. I was really hoping that I would be able to say "Two corpses. Everything's fine." *le sigh*

Kathryn and her mom talked with Sarah in the leasing office and also the Health Department as well. So they'll be sending Clark (the pest control company) to our apartment and apparently, Clark has been here every day this week. Anybody else think Valencia has a serious problem in these 10 apartments?

She got it to the point of where we have been offered a new apartment, number 142. So it's still across the street from most of the complex, just streetside. In terms of quietness, nothing will change for me and Kathryn because our rooms will still be above the car port. Julie however, would now be looking out over the street. Kathryn said she would be taking it no matter what. Julie and I want to take it but it depends on if we have a dead line for the move our not. Because if we're given a deadline, we're not doing it, especially mid-quarter. We also wanted some more details, like if it's a remodeled apartment or not (we have issues with cupboard space as it is), if we're going to be required to do our "move out cleaning" on this apartment AND the new one or if they'll be scrubbing to clean up after the rats, if they'll be providing some muscle for the move (my bookcase is heavy, I remember lugging it upstairs), and if we'll be given some sort of discount for moving mid-year. But mainly it's if we can do a gradual move or not.


I definitely think Julie should do it as she'll be school for another 2 years. I, on the other, will be leaving in 6 months anyway. I suppose it would be a good precursor or whatever the word I'm looking for is, because it would get some of my stuff that I'm not really using all packed up and I could transport it to my parents and then have them move it to Vegas with everything else versus doing it like every other weekend in the summer.

*sigh* I'll be calling my parents tomorrow and talking it over with them before I go down south. If I'm going to be moving, I might as well send some crap down now.

Rat Romp
Mood:  irritated
Now Playing: "Me & You" by Alexia on "Dance Hits '96"
Topic: Apartment
Last night I was up late helping Kathryn chase rats out of her room. Yes, rats. Plural. As in two.

Apparently there's a hole for the pipes for the heater/gas thingy in her closet and that's where they were coming in from. Long story short, her room is in complete disarray, with her stuff spread out in the common area, on her bed and on her desk and the rats are now back in the wall. One went in through the kitchen somehow despite us attempting to guide it out by blocking off the kitchen and under the fridge and stove and blocking off the living room. The other went through the hole in the closet.

We got the one that went into the kitchen out of her room by playing hockey with it and the brooms. I managed to fling into our shelves in the kitchen. That part was fun.

The other one hid under her bed for a while, most likely where we found it later: in her bottom mattress. These guys are sneaky little fuckers.

Anyway, we temporarily plugged the hole with tin foil, left our little blockade up and have the bean bag blocking the stairs. I'm having breakfast on campus as to not disturb the blockade too much.