Call my GP to try & make my follow up appointment which they would'nt let me just make when the Doctor told me to do it- too far in advance- 10 days?
They don't have anything with my Doctor for weeks, nothing with any of the female Doctors for weeks & I was informed none of the Doctors have anything coming up, by a frantic unpleasant sighing woman on the other end if the phone.
I feel like the weird side cramp might be coming back, even after just finishing a 10 day course of antibiotics, decide I should call Chalmers Sexual Health Clinic to see about an appointment. I am actually informed by the condescending man on the phone that appointments can only be made on a Wednesday - Im calling on Friday. What should one do if they have an emergency? Speak to the nurse & she will decide, Ok so can I please speak to the nurse?
No, you need to phone back after 1pm to speak to the nurse, well, Im at work,its 10am & I am phoning NOW when I have the time. Not much luck there for me, no appointments made.
Yep, might sound like Im a total ingrate but Im not, I expect the person on the other end of the phone to be nice to me!!! I have dealt with a lot of bitchy redneck incompetent nurses in the United States but somehow, all of them combined- in health centres for people living below the poverty level, have all been more polite than the people I have had to deal with here when trying to get basic medical needs taken care of.
So this is just the latest of my annoyances. Do natives go through this or do I feel this way since Im American & have different standards?
Whatever, all I really want is to encounter someone that likes Americans, or maybe someone that can just be normal about the fact that Im an American.
Feeling totally over saturated (again) in British culture. I want to do a study & go live in England to see if it is different? Is is Scotland? Don't know, need to vent/rant somewhere, yikes if you actually read this. Its not that bad here, just builds up & Im a little sensitive after reading an article talking about how Americans don't understand the concept of an "oatcake"- guess what? An oatcake is not a fucking cracker or a cookie OR a cake!
Americans eat oats too- its called porridge, and In America we call it OATMEAL!
Sunday, 12 February 2012
Thursday, 19 January 2012
Lucky Stars
I have felt like shit for the past 2 1/2 months & it turns out to be a pelvic infection!!! Not entirely sure how that went un-detected considering the amount of times I went to the Doctors, both the GP & the lady doctors.
Glad Im feeling better now & want to get blogging again, for this blog & my view on FOOD of course! This has really made me thank my lucky stars again that Im in good health cos it was pretty much ruining my life to be all cramped up ETC!
Thank you Lucky Stars- you know who you are!
Glad Im feeling better now & want to get blogging again, for this blog & my view on FOOD of course! This has really made me thank my lucky stars again that Im in good health cos it was pretty much ruining my life to be all cramped up ETC!
Thank you Lucky Stars- you know who you are!
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
Mom is here!!!
She finally made it, the fundraising worked! So thankful to everyone that contributed!
Some people may wonder how we can handle having Mom here for 2 1/2 months, its easy for us as she is part of our team. Most of the time its just the 2 of us in our world- which is the best thing ever, but its good to have someone else around that is on the level. So this is where the holidays begin, we will move onto birthdays after & planning for the future! Lots to do! The house feels very festive, alive & warm!
Happy December to everyone, enjoy the time with your loved ones even if you are the kind of person that wonders how one can spend such a long time with their parent!
meiw
A photo my Mom sent me of home.
meiw
A photo my Mom sent me of home.
Wednesday, 23 November 2011
T-day eve
What does Thanksgiving mean? I get that a lot over here, it makes me wonder if Brits ( as Im calling them these days!) actually think that we Americans all sit around & celebrate killing the natives. Yes, I do understand that out there, we have many, many messed up people that do not have their priorities or Holidays straight- but I think we have more people that do have it straight.
On this Thanksgiving eve as I sit here, I feel pretty resentful of things- which is wrong, its the opposite of feeling "thankful". Some things have been unsettling for weeks, feeling like Im alone in a sea of uncommunicative feeling stuffers who want nothing more than to have cryptic IJT= inside joke talk at my expense!
It might be our obsession with the Crime Investigation Network but I feel like I don't laugh that much- or is it just that no one is funny?
I guess its approaching the 6 month mark from the last time we were in the States, and I know- the festive period is hard for everyone. But I usually LOVE IT, and this year I feel so disconnected from almost everyone I know here!
Well now marks the moment when I turn my frown upside down! Its almost that mystical day when its cold & crisp outside but still orange, yellow & red! Turkeys, or TOfurkeys in our house beware! I will remember fondly my Thanksgiving in New Mexico last year making the sauce, meatballs & stuffing with my Aunt Diane. I remember fondly many Thanksgivings making the rounds, I think my Mom & I hit 4 families in 1 day 1 year. Turkey legs at my Moms with Ricky (although he didn't eat turkey) when we first discovered Rock of Love & watched 5 episodes in a row.. . .
Making stove top stuffing with Denise in Sparky's kitchen, going to Thanksgiving night parties when all the family time was over & drinking schnapps- the only thing left! Blindeye Thanksgiving potluck style bar times. . Thanksgiving beer drinking, leftovers & much more incriminating evidence!
Vodafone may have stolen our ability to have a Thanksgiving party this year, my head cold has gotten in the way & we cant afford to take work off anyway, but I will take comfort in the thought that someday I will be back amongst my people & I wont have to explain myself all the time, my strange American traditions & what they mean. . . . . .
On this Thanksgiving eve as I sit here, I feel pretty resentful of things- which is wrong, its the opposite of feeling "thankful". Some things have been unsettling for weeks, feeling like Im alone in a sea of uncommunicative feeling stuffers who want nothing more than to have cryptic IJT= inside joke talk at my expense!
It might be our obsession with the Crime Investigation Network but I feel like I don't laugh that much- or is it just that no one is funny?
I guess its approaching the 6 month mark from the last time we were in the States, and I know- the festive period is hard for everyone. But I usually LOVE IT, and this year I feel so disconnected from almost everyone I know here!
Well now marks the moment when I turn my frown upside down! Its almost that mystical day when its cold & crisp outside but still orange, yellow & red! Turkeys, or TOfurkeys in our house beware! I will remember fondly my Thanksgiving in New Mexico last year making the sauce, meatballs & stuffing with my Aunt Diane. I remember fondly many Thanksgivings making the rounds, I think my Mom & I hit 4 families in 1 day 1 year. Turkey legs at my Moms with Ricky (although he didn't eat turkey) when we first discovered Rock of Love & watched 5 episodes in a row.. . .
Making stove top stuffing with Denise in Sparky's kitchen, going to Thanksgiving night parties when all the family time was over & drinking schnapps- the only thing left! Blindeye Thanksgiving potluck style bar times. . Thanksgiving beer drinking, leftovers & much more incriminating evidence!
Vodafone may have stolen our ability to have a Thanksgiving party this year, my head cold has gotten in the way & we cant afford to take work off anyway, but I will take comfort in the thought that someday I will be back amongst my people & I wont have to explain myself all the time, my strange American traditions & what they mean. . . . . .
Wednesday, 9 November 2011
Beached
Have not had that much time to write lately, we got the ticket though for those of you that wonder! Thanks Everyone!
As usual the only time I feel like blogging my view is when Im feeling down. . . . Its only really been this week & its only half way through the week just now. The weather here totally sucks, its getting dark about 3pm & it is really cold until you start walking anywhere & then you totally over heat. I walk a lot more now that we got rid of our bus passes which were only really needed for our old jobs.
I sorta feel like people are freaking out, or freaking out on us or taking it out on us? Perhaps we are just big butt-faces angering our friends & family? Regardless though, I feel like Im the only person in Scotland that can or wants to communicate. Slightly over dramatic, I know but still. Noticing a bit more cultural differences at this exact time!
Today after starting several different projects in order to avoid learning how to do the one daunting project I NEED to do I decided to go out. Walked uptown, met the Hubs, went a few places including back to "lower Leith", got some veg & walked home. Got into my jammies & made dinner only to realise it was 4:30 in the afternoon! I thought it must have been at least 7pm, its currently almost 9 & I feel like Im up late. I feel like a beached whale in a pink robe!
On another note, I have no desire to go to any bar or pub or club in this city & every time I put music on at work someone I work with complains. Where TF am I?
As usual the only time I feel like blogging my view is when Im feeling down. . . . Its only really been this week & its only half way through the week just now. The weather here totally sucks, its getting dark about 3pm & it is really cold until you start walking anywhere & then you totally over heat. I walk a lot more now that we got rid of our bus passes which were only really needed for our old jobs.
I sorta feel like people are freaking out, or freaking out on us or taking it out on us? Perhaps we are just big butt-faces angering our friends & family? Regardless though, I feel like Im the only person in Scotland that can or wants to communicate. Slightly over dramatic, I know but still. Noticing a bit more cultural differences at this exact time!
Today after starting several different projects in order to avoid learning how to do the one daunting project I NEED to do I decided to go out. Walked uptown, met the Hubs, went a few places including back to "lower Leith", got some veg & walked home. Got into my jammies & made dinner only to realise it was 4:30 in the afternoon! I thought it must have been at least 7pm, its currently almost 9 & I feel like Im up late. I feel like a beached whale in a pink robe!
On another note, I have no desire to go to any bar or pub or club in this city & every time I put music on at work someone I work with complains. Where TF am I?
Sunday, 16 October 2011
Izzo/White Holiday Season Fund Drive!
This is a brief history or explanation of why I am asking for $10 donations to help purchase a plane ticket for my Mother to come & be here for Christmas 2011.
The simple fact is the last several times we have spent time with my Mom it has been during high stress emergency situations. About 3 months after I moved to Edinburgh almost 3 1/2 years ago my family went into what I would describe as a total crisis with the diagnosis of my Aunt Diane's malignant brain tumour. This was especially difficult to digest as Diane's husband Marco had just had a kidney transplant & the couple were already struggling to deal with that situation.
Diane & Marco lived in New Mexico & with some help from the rest of family Ricky & I were able to facilitate my Mom getting & staying out there for a few months to help out. Here is a link which might give you some more info on Diane.
http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/turn_it_up/2008/11/a-big-brain-ben.html
Less than 1 year later we got the call that my Grandfather was very ill & we needed to get to the States asap. My Mom got up to Chicago & kicked into care taking mode & we searched for tickets,cash & time off work. It was then that the credit card came into the picture & with some help from Ricky's family here we were both able to go to Chicago. This 2 week period was spent helping out my Mom & Uncle Anthony manage Grandpa's care & trying to spend as much time with him as possible. I had not seen him for more than a couple hours in about 5 years.Here is a link to some of the work my Grampa did as a film editor.
www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=ytH1G0hzi-U
It was during this trip that I found out my Grandfather on my Dad's side of the family was also ill & didn't have long. We got up to Wisconsin to see them, it had been about 15 years since I had seen them, it was magical.
Shortly after our return to Edinburgh Grampa Tony passed away, We were so grateful of the time spent in Chicago helping out. Ricky made eggs for Grampa every day & it was so important that Ricky got to know him & vice versa. My Grandpa Don passed away later in the year also.
The next year was spent trying to keep tabs on Diane & Marco's health, my Mom's well being/her own health issues & her return to Bloomington after the trauma of losing her father. It was a lot harder to settle here than I expected & combined with all this & the pressure & expense of gaining residency we were pretty much frazzled out. After finally getting our passports back from the home office at the end of last summer it became very clear to me that Diane was not doing well & I needed to see her. Our original plan was to try & visit my Mom for her 50th birthday in Bloomington but I knew deep down that I needed to get to New Mexico that Fall or it might be too late to see Diane. I am so glad I followed my instinct. I was able to secure my plane ticket through my previous job as both of our Christmas bonuses & off I went. The time I got to spend with Diane was priceless to me. It was really hard to see them going through so much (Marco back on Dialysis & Diane in extreme chronic pain) & know that I couldn't stay & help, I tried as much as I could while I was out there but I had to get home, back to work as the festive season was approaching.
I miraculously got home & was able to get my Mom a ticket here for her 50th birthday (thank you tax return) in February.
2 days after my Mom got to Scotland her little sister, my aunt Diane went in for her 2nd surgery to remove a growth on her brain. Although we were able to briefly speak to her afterwards, she did not recover. The cancer had spread & it was only a matter of time, we were totally unable to get back to the States. My Mom & Ricky & I spent both of their birthdays here in Edinburgh through Diane's last days. During this time we were virtually totally unable to take time off of work & the whole thing was extremely stressful & sad.
The next occasion for us seeing my Mom was to get to the States in May for the Diane Izzo Memorial Event which we needed to attend apart from obvious reasons, to hopefully get some closure,we also needed to get Boo ( my grandmother ) up to Chicago since she was alone in Bloomington when Diane passed.
This entire trip was funded through credit & although we did not know this at the time, unforeseen circumstances back here made it impossible for us to continue or full time employment when we returned to Edinburgh leaving us in a pretty bad financial situation this past summer.
This pretty much sums up what I/ we have been going through since I moved here, although I totally understand why it might seem cheeky for me to be asking for your money to help my Mom come here for a (fingers crossed) genuine holiday I really feel that this is becoming a valid way to achieve goals- look at Kickstarter.com. Lets face it, how hard is it right now to save? We are perpetually in the negative & my Mom is on a fixed disability income. Boo has contributed a good amount towards this fund but we still need to raise around $300- today about £190. I am currently working on a plan to create a "Vacation funder" but in the mean time, please kick in $10 or whatever you can to help us out. I know most of you would be happy to buy us a beer if we saw you on a night out so why not do this instead-its far more meaningful to us. I am more than happy to give you the $10 back when you go on Holiday or buy YOU a beer when I see you, I just can't do it all at once!
The paypal for this is mizzowhite@gmail.com & if you don't have a paypal set up I will send you the bank account details-- Just email me! If you live locally in Bloomington or in the States & you would like to send a cheque or money order please contact lizizzo@yahoo.com for the address. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! Michelle, Ricky & Elizabeth. . . .
The simple fact is the last several times we have spent time with my Mom it has been during high stress emergency situations. About 3 months after I moved to Edinburgh almost 3 1/2 years ago my family went into what I would describe as a total crisis with the diagnosis of my Aunt Diane's malignant brain tumour. This was especially difficult to digest as Diane's husband Marco had just had a kidney transplant & the couple were already struggling to deal with that situation.
Diane & Marco lived in New Mexico & with some help from the rest of family Ricky & I were able to facilitate my Mom getting & staying out there for a few months to help out. Here is a link which might give you some more info on Diane.
http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/turn_it_up/2008/11/a-big-brain-ben.html
Less than 1 year later we got the call that my Grandfather was very ill & we needed to get to the States asap. My Mom got up to Chicago & kicked into care taking mode & we searched for tickets,cash & time off work. It was then that the credit card came into the picture & with some help from Ricky's family here we were both able to go to Chicago. This 2 week period was spent helping out my Mom & Uncle Anthony manage Grandpa's care & trying to spend as much time with him as possible. I had not seen him for more than a couple hours in about 5 years.Here is a link to some of the work my Grampa did as a film editor.
www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=ytH1G0hzi-U
It was during this trip that I found out my Grandfather on my Dad's side of the family was also ill & didn't have long. We got up to Wisconsin to see them, it had been about 15 years since I had seen them, it was magical.
Shortly after our return to Edinburgh Grampa Tony passed away, We were so grateful of the time spent in Chicago helping out. Ricky made eggs for Grampa every day & it was so important that Ricky got to know him & vice versa. My Grandpa Don passed away later in the year also.
The next year was spent trying to keep tabs on Diane & Marco's health, my Mom's well being/her own health issues & her return to Bloomington after the trauma of losing her father. It was a lot harder to settle here than I expected & combined with all this & the pressure & expense of gaining residency we were pretty much frazzled out. After finally getting our passports back from the home office at the end of last summer it became very clear to me that Diane was not doing well & I needed to see her. Our original plan was to try & visit my Mom for her 50th birthday in Bloomington but I knew deep down that I needed to get to New Mexico that Fall or it might be too late to see Diane. I am so glad I followed my instinct. I was able to secure my plane ticket through my previous job as both of our Christmas bonuses & off I went. The time I got to spend with Diane was priceless to me. It was really hard to see them going through so much (Marco back on Dialysis & Diane in extreme chronic pain) & know that I couldn't stay & help, I tried as much as I could while I was out there but I had to get home, back to work as the festive season was approaching.
I miraculously got home & was able to get my Mom a ticket here for her 50th birthday (thank you tax return) in February.
2 days after my Mom got to Scotland her little sister, my aunt Diane went in for her 2nd surgery to remove a growth on her brain. Although we were able to briefly speak to her afterwards, she did not recover. The cancer had spread & it was only a matter of time, we were totally unable to get back to the States. My Mom & Ricky & I spent both of their birthdays here in Edinburgh through Diane's last days. During this time we were virtually totally unable to take time off of work & the whole thing was extremely stressful & sad.
The next occasion for us seeing my Mom was to get to the States in May for the Diane Izzo Memorial Event which we needed to attend apart from obvious reasons, to hopefully get some closure,we also needed to get Boo ( my grandmother ) up to Chicago since she was alone in Bloomington when Diane passed.
This entire trip was funded through credit & although we did not know this at the time, unforeseen circumstances back here made it impossible for us to continue or full time employment when we returned to Edinburgh leaving us in a pretty bad financial situation this past summer.
This pretty much sums up what I/ we have been going through since I moved here, although I totally understand why it might seem cheeky for me to be asking for your money to help my Mom come here for a (fingers crossed) genuine holiday I really feel that this is becoming a valid way to achieve goals- look at Kickstarter.com. Lets face it, how hard is it right now to save? We are perpetually in the negative & my Mom is on a fixed disability income. Boo has contributed a good amount towards this fund but we still need to raise around $300- today about £190. I am currently working on a plan to create a "Vacation funder" but in the mean time, please kick in $10 or whatever you can to help us out. I know most of you would be happy to buy us a beer if we saw you on a night out so why not do this instead-its far more meaningful to us. I am more than happy to give you the $10 back when you go on Holiday or buy YOU a beer when I see you, I just can't do it all at once!
The paypal for this is mizzowhite@gmail.com & if you don't have a paypal set up I will send you the bank account details-- Just email me! If you live locally in Bloomington or in the States & you would like to send a cheque or money order please contact lizizzo@yahoo.com for the address. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! Michelle, Ricky & Elizabeth. . . .
Thursday, 13 October 2011
Pissed off Puppy!
Try as I might I cannot get this blog up to anything positive.. Its so lame! Im not really a totally unhappy person who hates the place she lives in but I think it must appear that way- sorry folks! My food blog is way more positive! The thing that reminded me of this fact was that Im currently pissed off & thought of blogging? Why!!?
I decided to try & search for an image which describes my mood- I tried "pissed off puppies" & came up with this-although I don't think if myself as a puppy, this one is making a fitting face and for some reason its got a photo of Jack Black attached to it. I used to be in love with Jack Black until I met my husband, well it fizzled out a bit before that but still, I thought I might have a chance. In spite of him being already involved with someone & me living a drunken delusional life in the Czech Republic I still thought I had a chance. . . . . .
Jack Black is really funny, someday when Im really bored I will scan some of my Jack Black artwork in & show you. The D got me through some pretty dark times, in Bloomington & in Prague. . . .Good times too x x x Thank you Jack Black, I feel a lot better now!
I decided to try & search for an image which describes my mood- I tried "pissed off puppies" & came up with this-although I don't think if myself as a puppy, this one is making a fitting face and for some reason its got a photo of Jack Black attached to it. I used to be in love with Jack Black until I met my husband, well it fizzled out a bit before that but still, I thought I might have a chance. In spite of him being already involved with someone & me living a drunken delusional life in the Czech Republic I still thought I had a chance. . . . . .
Jack Black is really funny, someday when Im really bored I will scan some of my Jack Black artwork in & show you. The D got me through some pretty dark times, in Bloomington & in Prague. . . .Good times too x x x Thank you Jack Black, I feel a lot better now!
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