Five on Friday #208

EINS - Random Shit

Nothing makes me more competitive than putting me on a team.  There was a screenshot, but now it's missing.. Last week on Duolingo I leveled up to the Sapphire Level or Club or whatever stupid term they've given it.  You're on a team where you have to get a certain number of experience points for the week to progress to the next level.  Well, I earned almost 300 exp last week so, 1- I could be #1 ranked in the group, and 2- our group would reach the goal.

What did I get for my efforts besides German practice?  Useless "lingots" which are used to buy stuff from the "store".  But here's the thing, before I even made the group I had over 2800 lingots.  There are a limited number of items in the store you can purchase so I've already purchased everything that can be purchased.  What a waste.

Also stupid, the levels on Duolingo go like this:
Bronze, silver, gold, sapphire, ruby.
DAFUQ?

Also, if you use Duolingo to "learn" a language that you already speak (ex: someone who speaks Mexico Spanish learning Spain Spanish), you're cheating, IMO.

Also, Duolingo started offering a "double your experience points for the next 30 minutes" thing and I've been taking advantage of that and it brought me from #19 to #4 in the group.  Soooo, there's that.  AND NOW that I'm so close to being #1, do I just go for it?  These are tough decisions people.

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The difference between "Megan is being dramatic" and "Megan is actually injured":  If/when I tell you about something that happened or not.  If I don't tell you right away, then I am legitimately injured.  If I start complaining about something as soon as it happens, I'm being dramatic.

How did I come upon this assessment?

Monday, when I was leaving work, I tripped over a cable that is stretched across a walkway near the never-opened restaurant by my office.  I tripped and fell, to be explicit.  I was wearing jeans, even thought I had feared it would be too hot and since it was only lunchtime, I had my work computer in my backpack.  The backpack fell first and I kinda landed on my backpack, my hands, and my knees.  It was such a serious fall that a hole was ripped in my jeans.  And I know people pay for that look, but I'm not that people.

Hard to see, but the cable is definitely there just being a trip hazard...

I immediately Snapped a very limited audience about this, Coworkers, since they would know exactly where I tripped and it would prove the lack of attention given to the place and joked about suing.. but as the day progressed and my knee hurt more and more, the idea maybe wasn't so much of a joke.  I even looked up in-network doctor offices in case it finally came to me going to the doctor, which I was seriously considering.

Update: Within a few days, the knee was sore, but fine.

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This week's morning songs:
Monday: Katy Perry - Never Really Over
Tuesday: Miley Cyrus - Mother's Daughter
Wednesday: Dan & Shay - Speechless
Thursday: Audioslave - Like a Stone
Friday: Taylor Swift – Wildest Dreams

I put a dry erase marker in the bathroom so I can write the songs on the mirror now.  This information is completely useless, but moderately fun to track, considering the wide variety of songs.

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Because my dogs are assholes, I have to take them to the vet to get their nails cut.  I used to try to take them to a pet supply store's grooming place, but they NEVER did more than just cut the tip off the nail and the clicking would resume within a week and that is not my jam.  The vet does a legit job and they like seeing the dogs.  I also like bringing them to the vet so they are known there.

Another customer did ask if Meri was a mini/baby Irish Wolfhound and I was like wuutttt???  But I guess I can see it, if I try.  Then again, at first I thought the man was talking about Pax and I was suuuper confused how he'd confuse a greyhound with an Irish wolfhound, if he knew what an Irish wolfhound looked like.

Selfies.

While we were at the vet, I also asked for a refill on Meri's trazadone so maybe she won't vibrate in the car the next time we go for nail trims...  In September, the appointment is already made.  Appointments = Megan accountability.

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The anemone keeps moving.  It's moved 3x this week.  This morning, when I went downstairs at 0430 to let the dogs out after Pax gave us the puke alarm, the anemone was MIA from the spot where it'd been when I went to bed.  I was alarmed at first and then finally located it in a new position.  The tank lights were off and it was 0430 and I was blinded by the island lights that turned on when we went downstairs, so it wasn't concerning that I couldn't find it, just that it had moved again, and please lawd don't let that fucking thing get sucked up in the filter.

I'm glad it tends to do most of it's movement at night when Teh German can't freak the fuck out about it, although I did forget to alert him before I left, so I'm sure he had a heart attack this morning when he checked the tank. 

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I'm selling the Fossil watch, because it needs to get off my desk and this way I can also get rid of the watch band and screen protectors.  Anyone interested?

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The power went out at work on Thursday around 10, which meant that we all got to go home and telework, one of my favorite things.  Turns out, a crane working on Madra Rua had broken a power pole.  Thanks, bro!

Soo dark.. except for when the emergency lights are blinding you.

Oops.

Before going home to telework, I stopped at the gym for a workout, ran Willow through the car wash and gave her a blow dry (with the pressurized air gun they have at the car wash), then picked up my prescriptions from Walmart.  #Productive.

Then I went home and worked for the evening to get my hours in.  I really like and appreciate being able to be productive in the middle of the day when traffic is less bad.  All of those activities taking place in the evening would have taken me no less than 45 minutes longer just because of traffic and general wait times.

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So I've had this feeling like I've got something in the back of my throat for a while now and it comes and goes, but for the past few weeks, it's been more comes than goes (that's what she said) and so I scheduled an appointment with an ENT. 

$248 to have afrin and lidocaine sprayed up my nose, a scope put through my nose to look into my throat, and to be told nothing looks out of the ordinary.  Prescriptions were written for prednisone and Nexium, after I explained I have GERD and after getting out of the Navy, I started taking the OTC version when my prescription wasn't covered by my insurance.  The ENT is testing to see if the steroid takes down any swelling that might be causing the feeling.

Fun fact #1, the Nexium is still denied coverage by my insurance...  I'm hoping that the doc and the pharmacy can resolve this issue, but I haven't heard from either of them, soooo we'll see what happens.  I will say that the last few weeks I've had more issues with reflux than normal, but sometimes that happens and I take Tums and just wait for it to pass.

Fun fact #2: I checked into the ENT office on Yelp and was scrolling through the not so stellar reviews, most of which were related to the billing situation.  So when I paid and the cashier asked me if I wanted my receipt, I said yes.  It was just the credit card receipt.  I asked for an itemized receipt and she said she couldn't give me one of those since my account hadn't gone through billing yet... UHHHHHH WUUUUUTTTTTT??????  So you just charged me $248, all willy nilly?  Before she had charged the card she had said, you don't have to pay the full amount now.. but I was so caught off guard by the fact that the bill was $248 and not the expected $75 that I just told her to charge it all, then asked for the itemized receipt after the fact.  Now I understand why she said that I didn't have to pay it all then. 

Fun fact #3: I HHHHAAAATTTEEEE the US insurance system.  I don't miss the Navy, but I miss the simplicity of Tricare Prime.

After my appointment, rather than go to the gym, I went to Cookout and bought a milkshake.  I actually posted about this debacle on the Tweeter, and Cookout responded saying they were sorry and to contact customer service..  I guess the social media bot thought I was complaining about Cookout?  IDK.  It was a fail.  Turns out, I probably Tweetered wrong and they didn't see that it was part of a bigger thread?  IDK.  #SocialMediaNewb here.

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School started here this week and I need Jesus to take more wheels because traffic went from bearable with everyone going, at least, the speed limit, last week, to this week when traffic has been absolutely miserable and now we have to go 10 under the speed limit everywhere when we aren't just randomly stopping, despite nary a school bus in the vicinity.

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I love technical writing.  I do.  It's very strange to the people I work with, 99% of whom despite the work they have to do for me to do my job.  That said...

When the super nerds come in and say, "We're changing all documentation from here on out.  We're going to use a new process and a new style," and then don't train me, the technical writer, I get extremely frustrated. 

I'm finally getting to draft up my first document in the new style with the new process and it's cool except for the part where it's painful having to figure everything out myself instead of someone who actually knows what their doing giving me a rundown, since they are all super busy being super nerds...

My job is not hard.  It's not.  I swear.
It's the people that make my job frustrating and difficult.

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Lee Brice is coming to put on a concert for a local hospital opening and it's free and I already signed up Teh German and I for "reservations".  I don't know what that actually means since the sign up form said the "tickets" would be mailed out the week before the concert, but I can online imagine what a clusterfuck it's going to be, so I made sure to register twice in case one registration is only valid for one person.

ZWEI - Money Shit

-Groceries
-Hairs Did
-Aquarium parking
-Dropps samples
-Gas
-Audible
-Spotify
-Bojangles x1
-Woot shirt
-Dog nails
-Cookout milkshake
-ENT appointment
-Puma shoes that will probably get returned because I wasn't sure of my size.
-Amazon things: dryer balls, Meri's toys (for the next year or more), dog food, new cheap/dishwasher chopping knife
-Prescriptions for Meri and I

DREI - From My Phone Shit

Stepped on this fucker.. We have no idea how it even got out of the tank..
#AquariumLife #WorseThanALego

I realized that I have ZERO new mice in the house to give Meri for her birthday this year...
Unfortunately, the mice have been discontinued.
Soooooo... I stocked up on some new options.

I'ma need Duolingo to stop fucking knowing me so well.
Because, I was, in fact, using the toilet while doing this lesson.

One skillet meal that didn't disappoint.

Meri's new toys.
I'm pissed that the containers don't squeak or crunch or anything.  #MoneyWasted

I lurve when she's so snuggly.

What did the pot eat on it's birthday?
Pancakes.

VIER - From the Internet Shit

THIS.

Do not be afraid of what is new. 
It will challenge you, but it will also prepare you for the journey you have been called to. MHN

You already have what it takes to breathe deep and be brave. -MHN

FÜNF - Things that made me happy this week

1. Long dresses with pockets, because pockets and because unshaved legs.  #NotSorry
2. Feeding the anemone efficiently, even if there was a fight about it.
3. Randomly wearing jeans on Monday instead of a dress.  I can't imagine what would have happened to my knee if I had worn a dress like I usually do.
4. Only having Bojangles once this week, even if Friday was a clusterfuck of breakfast woes.
5. Finally learning the new documentation process we've moved to.
6. Valid reason to telework on Thursday.
7. Getting the laundry done.
8. No school all week.  Can't say the same thing about next week.  (insert all the crying emojis here)
9. 90s/Captain Marvel music.
10. Starting a fiction audiobook, even if it is dragging.  My brain needed a break from nonfiction.

Happy Friday, Gentle Readers.