I love nail polish.  I love the way my fingernails and toenails look when they are painted.  I am like a little child saying “pretty”.  It also makes me feel very girly.  In the summer my toenails are always painted.  I really don’t like looking at my toenails when they are not painted.  I would really like to always have my fingernails painted as well.  But, my last attempt at painting my fingernails did not go so well.  There are several factors that could have hindered my success.  The biggest would probably be that the nail polish I was using was as old as I am.  As many people know the polish won’t spread on the nail right if it is old.  But, I really liked the color so I decided to try it out anyway.

When I paint my fingernails I always leave my thumbs for last.  I don’t really know why, but that is what I do.  I had managed to paint all my fingers and it was time to paint my thumbs.  I painted one thumb and was getting ready to paint the other thumb.  I was right about to put that tiny paint brush down on my thumb, when my index finger twitched.  This made my index finger barely touch my middle finger.  My fingers touched enough to make the nail polish on my index finger smudge.  Now all but one thumb and one index finger were painted.  So I repaint my index finger and paint my thumb.  I thought to myself “success” because all my nails where painted.  I even had a back scratcher handy just in case I had an itch.  During my painting session I was watching Drop Dead Diva.  It took me almost the entire Drop Dead Diva episode to paint my nails.  I used the fast drying nail polish because I knew I would mess up my nails if the polish didn’t dry fast enough.  Right as Drop Dead Diva was about to end I noticed a smudge on my other index finger.  I removed the nail polish from my index finger when the tiniest of tiny drops from the nail polish remover landed right on my thumb.  Now I needed to repaint my thumb and index finger again.  After Drop Dead Diva ended I starting watching Army Wives while I painted my remaining two fingernails. 

Apparently I need really really fast drying nail polish.  Because somehow while sitting perfectly still watching Army Wives another smudge happened.  I repainted the nail again.  I don’t know how many smudges happened and how many repainting my fingernails occurred.  It took me the entire episodes of Army Wives and Drop Dead Diva to get my nails painted.  Each episode is an hour long.  Somehow the nail polish kept getting ruined on one or two of my fingernails.  There I was watching several hours of television and my nails where still not “pretty”.  After all the smudges giving me a nervous breakdown and a few panic attacks I finally said forget it.  I removed the polish from every single one of my fingernails.  This was the first time I had such difficulty getting my fingernails painted.  However, I don’t think I will be attempting to paint my fingernails anytime soon.  I guess my nails will just have to remain “ugly” for a while.

It is time in Virginia to elect a governor and several other politicians.  I am not a particularly political person, but I don’t have my head in the sand either.  I never miss an opportunity to exercise my right to vote.  I will never understand a person who doesn’t vote.  Especially if that person complains constantly about who is in office.  I just want to ask that person one question.  “What did you do about it?”  If I didn’t vote I wouldn’t feel that I have the right to complain.  Now the real reason as to why I vote is out.  My vote is not cast because I believe in a particular person.  Because I don’t.  I vote so I can complain.  I guess I should say I also vote because it is my right as an American.  There are several countries that will never have that right.  Even with my crappy attitude toward politics I believe deep down that my vote can maybe make a difference. 

Now it is time for my crappy attitude.  What politician really makes monumental change happen?  Most politicians don’t even get anything done.  Maybe they get the potholes in my neighborhood filled.  But, when it comes to decreasing the amount I payout in health insurance (which is A LOT by the way) I can forget about it.  I will probably achieve the ability to fly before that happens.

Politicians usually just screw things up worse.  Another view of mine is I think we are turning into a communist nation.  I do not say this because of who is in government.  It really does not matter whether they are republican or democrat.  I hear most people and the news refer to them as blue or red.  Most politicians just want to hold us by the short hairs!  I could name hundreds of laws designed to keep the American people in order.  When in reality a lot of the laws just create more chaos.  Prohibition of alcohol comes to mind.  How did that law work out?  There are several countries that have fewer laws and function just fine.  Maybe the politicians should focus on really helping us with health care, the state of the economy or even basic rights that every person should have instead of giving us more laws. 

All of this rambling finally brings me to this point of the blob.  Why are we controlled by blue and red?  Why can’t there ever be another color.  I know sometimes another color sneaks in there.  I consider myself a moderate.  This basically means I hate everyone.  Most people who vote feel trapped.  They really don’t like either person.  But there is one person they like less.  It becomes all about voting for the person they dislike the least.  Or the voter does not like either politician, but will vote democrat or republican because that is how they always vote.  This is why we always get stuck with some schmuck in office.  This politician is usually only good for the small details and not good with issues that really matter oh say like the economy.  Which gets me started on another topic the blue or red people have health care and money.  Why would they really care about our needs?

There is optimism in me somewhere.  Change is possible.  I think it will take the right person.  I don’t think that person will be a republican or democrat.  It will have to be a person who is not controlled by their political party or worse money.  The word lobbyist flashes before me.  Money is also what makes it difficult for another party to get in office.

People feel they have to choose a color.  Well I won’t stand for it any longer.  I am not picking blue or red when both of them miss the mark for me.  I am picking a different color.  I know I am fighting a tough battle and blue or red will probably win.  But, at least I know I had nothing to do with it because I chose a different color.  So I will continue to exercise my right to complain…I mean vote.

I was taking pictures of Dundee playing catch.  Jeb is a very jealous kitty so he immediately jumped in and tried to show off his abilities at catching toys.   After I looked at the picture it really looked like he was dancing without a partner.  Kitties are so smart and flexible and it always amazes me.  His sister Dundee is really good at catching things and playing fetch.  Jeb is competitive and he is always trying to keep up with his baby sister.  He has a hard time keeping up, but he is a very determined boy!

I haven’t been blogging as often as I would like.  No, I wasn’t on vacation tanning on some island beach and I wasn’t in rehab.  Although, I should be in rehab for my Nutella addiction.  The reason I haven’t written as often as I would like is because I have been exhausted.  I have been sleeping as much as my kitties.  All I want to do is sleep.  I want to sleep right at this moment.  I thought I was so tired because my thyroid medication was not the right dosage.  If I’m not on enough thyroid medication I am still hypothyroid.  I was having several hypothyroid symptoms.  Aside from being tired, I had dry skin, heavy periods and loss of hair.  When a person has hypothyroidism the symptoms they usually experience are fatigue, weight gain, memory difficulty, dry skin, muscle aches, muscle weakness, heavier than normal periods, brittle fingernails, brittle hair, cold intolerance, puffy face, hoarse voice, and depression.  There are a few more symptoms, but that covers the main ones.

I had my usual checkup with my endocrinologist and we discussed my symptoms.  He thought the same thing I did, that I was not getting enough thyroid medication.  He told me to increase the dosage, but later my blood test would come back with conflicting results.  I was actually on way too much thyroid medication so I needed to lower the dosage not increase it.  Having too much thyroid medication can make a person become hyperthyroid.  I was confused because I didn’t have any hyperthyroid symptoms.  Why was I having hypothyroid symptoms if I was getting way to much thyroid medication?  If my symptoms didn’t have anything to do with my thyroid, I was left to wonder what was causing these symptoms.  So I had another appointment with my endocrinologist to try and figure out what was going on.

I wasn’t looking forward to the appointment.  Even though I wanted to know what was going on I did not want my blood drawn.  I hate, HATE getting my blood drawn.  I don’t have a fear of needles or nurses or doctors.  I used to have no problem.  I would even watch the needle go in and leave without a problem.  Until on day a nurse was having difficultly getting my blood out.  She was fishing around in my arm with the needle like she was trying to hook a worm to catch a fish.  After all that fishing she finally found the spot that would give some blood.  She plunged the needle in and I started to feel extremely sick to my stomach.  I felt like I was going to either throw up or self implode.  I was hoping to implode to make the horrible feeling go away.  I could feel all the blood draining from my face.  I usually call the people taking my blood vampires.  In this case I couldn’t have been more accurate.  It really felt like she was taking all my blood.  She started to ask me how I was feeling and I kept saying fine because I was kind of delirious.  I guess she could tell something wasn’t quite right.  The blood really was leaving my face.  I was as white as a ghost.  I didn’t know this at the time because of course I couldn’t see myself.  She finished drawing my blood and I got up to leave.  I stood up and was almost to the desk to check out and my vision gave out on me and I started to feel light headed.  All of the sudden I could not control my body and my legs gave out beneath me.  I was going down faster than someone getting knocked out by Ali.  I really passed out.  I learned later from a few nurses that the reason this happened was because she must have hit a nerve.  Technically she really got on my nerves.  I know that was a bad joke.  Ever since this experience I have a fear of getting my blood drawn.  I’m worried the nurse is going to draw my blood wrong and I will pass out again.  I hate, HATE passing out.  It is so embarrassing.  Everyone stares at me like I am an exhibit at the circus, like I am the bearded lady.

Back to the present and the endocrinologist appointment.  We discussed my symptoms and he told me I was probably deficient in Iron.  Iron deficiency can also cause the symptoms I was experiencing.  I mostly eat veggies and very little meat so Iron deficiency would make sense.  I already have a deficiency in Vitamin D and B12.  I won’t know for sure if it is an Iron deficiency until I get the results back from the blood test.  He also wanted to check a few more things in my blood.  Great, I would have to give more blood and I was so excited.  I really wasn’t so much excited as I thought I might have a panic attack.  Since they don’t supply paper bags to breath into, I played a game on my iPod while waiting to get the stupid blood test.  This helped to take my mind of my impending doom.

It becomes my turn to get the blood tests.  I sit in the chair with my clinched fist and that rubber thing the goes around my arm.  I always feel like those people who put that rubber thing about their arm to inject some illegal substance.  The nurse goes to draw my blood and she says the thing that they always say right before the needle goes in, “okay you are going to feel a little pinch.”  I flashback to the past where I think, “little pinch how about I’m going to feel the Eiffel Tower getting rammed into my arm.”  Right before the needle goes in I have several thoughts about all of the previous experiences that I’ve had.  I’m always worried when the needle is in that I’m going to freak out. I will start screaming, crying and running around flinging my arm around like a four year old with a splinter saying, “get it out, get it out!”  This would be worse than passing out!  But, still everyone will stare at me like I’m the bearded lady at the circus.  The longer the needle is in the more start to I panic, sweat and think, “this is it I am really going to self implode.”  Right in front of the doctors, nurses and old people.  I failed to mention I am always the youngest person at the doctor’s office.  Everyone is really old and talkative.  Really, really talkative.  I rarely leave an appointment without knowing someone’s entire life story right down to every medication they are on and how much they cost.  I know I have a lot of thoughts when the needle is about to go in!

So right after the many, many horrible thoughts the nurse puts the needle in my arm and suddenly a miracle happened.  It felt like the tiniest little baby mosquito landed on my arm for his evening snack.  It maybe even felt like less of a pinch than my tiny baby mosquito.  I barely felt my blood getting drawn.  I didn’t have any of my usual worries while my blood was being sucked out.  I didn’t even feel the needle in my arm.  I could have sat there all day getting my blood drawn.  Well except for when I would need to have a break for lunch or a nap.  It was such an easy experience I told her she drew blood better than anyone.  After she was finished she handed me a card with a number to call in two days to get my test results.  What I really wanted her to hand me was a lollipop for being such a big girl.  I took the card with the number to call and now I wait.  In the meantime I’m going to bed!