Walking on Sunshine: I'm Almost Recovered!

The video makes me so happy!  It's such an upbeat song.  

I know the guys are young, but they're so adorable.

My surgery went well and I've been back at work for a week now.  I'm almost recovered although I'm not allowed to dive in water (not that I was planning on it) for 2 months or exercise for 2 more weeks (bummer).  I am so appreciative of the people who took care of me, visited me and brought/sent me things to pass the time.  I am truly blessed to have such great family and friends.  THANK YOU!

Sicklings R' Us: I'm Having Surgery Tomorrow

I had to include a Zoolander reference in here. *cough* *cough*  

As people who know me personally and pretty well, I've been dealing with Chronic Sinusitis since October 2010 (so approximately 1.5 years).  I have no history of sinus infections or allergies so it was pretty odd when I kept getting them.  

Since October 2010, I've been on every antibiotic under the sun, steroids, nasal sprays, sinus rinses, tons of advil, and caffeine to keep me from sleeping due to the meds and not feeling well.  I've had 3 ENTs (Ear Nose and Throat Specialist doctors), 2 Primary Care Physicians (my first one was an a-hole), 2 CT (CAT) scans, and 1 Allergist.  

The ENTs all had their own theories: Allergies (no sir, got allergy tested and have ZERO allergies except to the German Cockroach--odd), Staph infection in my nose (this one thought I picked something up from one of the Cystic Fibrosis kids I work with at Children's...again--NOT it and kind of a far stretch), and Deviated Septum and Turbinates blocking (Ding Ding Ding--We've got a winner, ENT #3).  

Click here for info about the type of surgery I'm having tomorrow.

So here I am.  Tomorrow I have to get surgery.  I'm getting Septoplasty and Turbinectomy surgery.  Yes, I know a lot of celebrities say "Oh I have a deviated septum" and come back out of it with a tiny little plastic surgery nose.  Yeah, that's because they had a Rhinoplasty.  Mine will not affect how my nose looks (sorry if you don't like mine.  I do, so deal with it).  An ENT is performing the surgery (not a plastic surgeon).  My surgery will open up my nasal passages/straighten my septum and reduce the size of my turbinates so I'll be able to breathe more easily and not be prone to sinus infections as much.  

I'm recovering at my apartment. So when I'm not all loopy from the pain medications I'm going to watch The Office nonstop.  I'm off work until next Wednesday (hoping for a quick recovery).  I'm terrible at being lazy.  Yes, I know it's not lazy if you're recovering from surgery, but I still get antsy.  Now that I just said that watch me be in so much pain that I don't even know what day it is.  I want to bounce back quickly because there's so many things I want to do next week!  

Sorry if I put you to sleep, made you nauseous, or irritated you.  I tried to add a little humor in here.  I won't lie though--I'm freaking terrified to be put under anesthesia tomorrow and then wake up in pain.  My next post will be much lighter and fun and not so personal.  I PROMISE.  This is just the only thing on my mind right now. :)

It's World Penguin Day!

Those of you who know me or at least read my blog know that I LOVE Penguins.  

Today is World Penguin Day!  

Here's some fun facts and pictures of these little babes:


-There are 16 different species of penguin living in the world today.


-The average nest of an Adelie Penguin has 200 rocks.


-Adelie Penguins mate for life or at least try to find the same mate every year.

-Most species have an average life expectancy of about 10 years, although some live for up to 25 years.


-Emperor penguins are the largest penguin species at 3' 11" (47 inches) tall and weighing up to 66 lbs. 


-The smallest species is the blue penguin at 9 inches tall and weighing a little over 2 lbs.

You can't forget Cincinnati's very own penguin celebrity "Cookie"

Christina Perri "Penguin"

Texting Etiquette (and Misuse) in Dating

1. Save The Jokes. One drawback of texting (as with any written form of communication) is that it is sometimes difficult to convey the tone of what you write. Words are often misinterpreted. You can text somebody something that you think is a joke, and they don't read it that way. This will get you into trouble, because they may never call you back and give you the opportunity to straighten out the misunderstanding. So if you want to tell someone you're dating a joke, it's best to save it and tell it to them in person.

2. Texting Is NOT Intended To Cancel A Date. If you don't want to see somebody again, you need to call them and cancel the plans. Texting is the chicken way to blow someone off, whether you ever intended to see them again or not. Texting is not an excuse to be rude. Be a grown-up and pick up the phone.

3. Don't Ask Someone Out Via Text Message. Women especially can't stand when a guy asks them out via text messaging. Every woman I've spoken to thinks that when a guy asks them out via text message, that he really is not that interested in them. They all wish a guy would just pick up the phone. Guys, if you're interested then be a man and just pick up the phone! Granted, some women will say yes to a text date, but they will always prefer if you call them.


4. Avoid The 'Morning After' Text. If you had a great date with someone the night before, don't text the person the minute you get up the next morning. Wait a few hours. Let the post-date recap settle down on both sides. Give someone a little time to think about you. There's no harm in waiting a few hours, especially after a first date. You don't want to look overanxious.

5. Keep The Texting To A Minimum. Once you've texted back and forth a few times, and unless one of you is in a Turkish prison being tortured by a not-so-friendly cell mate, you need to pick up the phone and have a real conversation. You will not discover whether you share a true connection with someone by conversing with them via text message. Also, as two adults, you need to have an actual voice-to-voice conversation. So go ahead and exchange a few texts, but then get yourself on the phone!

Click to read my post "Is he only texting and not calling?"

6. You May Not Get An Answer. Just because you texted someone, doesn't mean they're going to respond. This is another issue with using text messaging as your main communication method - especially in the dating context. You're texting back and forth with someone, then you send something to them and they don't respond. They may have gotten on the phone. They may have fallen asleep. They may have gone into a meeting. Because texting is so impersonal, though, you don't know what happened to them.

Click to read my post "Why haven't they text you back yet?!"

7. You Are Left Wondering. Let's say you texted someone on a Tuesday, they responded to your text, you texted them again and... now it's Friday and they still haven't texted back! What does someone do in that situation? They may not be keeping a text count like you are. They may have forgotten to text you back because they got on a long phone call or got caught up in some work, and your text may have gotten lost.  If that's the case pick up the phone and call them. That's what dating is all about... getting answers. Plus, you won't drive yourself and your friends crazy wondering. --Huffington post article

People's Perceptions of You Do Not Define You...But It Does Have SOME Effect.

Change Perceptions at Work--Click Here! 

“What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing. It also depends on what sort of person you are.” 

― C.S. Lewis, The Magician's Nephew

There's an older man who works in the same suite as me, but we don't work on anything together.  He has a pretty strong accent and speaks very quietly.  I haven't had many conversations with him over the course of three years, but we had one last week that stuck with me.  


(I was filling up my water bottle in our kitchen area)
Man at work: Hello, how are you today?
Me: Good!  How are you doing?
Man at work: Well, I was good until I saw you.
(I was puzzled for a second before responding)
Me: Wait--because now you're great!
Man at work: You are the first person to get that right in a long time.  Everyone else sees it from a negative perspective.  


I'm not saying I always have a positive outlook, but many times I think people tend to assume the worst first.  I think for some people assuming the best forces them to be somewhat vulnerable.  That can be very scary, but it can also really pay off.  The same man was walking in at the same time as me the following day and brought up our conversation again.  


Man at work: Remember our conversation yesterday?
Me: Yes I do!
Man at work: I just wanted you to know that it means you're a bright and pleasant person.


I was having a rough day and not feeling well, but just hearing that put a smile on my face.  We're all entitled to bad days, but must know that how we act does have an impact on how people perceive us.  On top of that, how we act has a lot to do with how we perceive ourselves.  

Change Perceptions in Life --Click Here!

“To change ourselves effectively, we first had to change our perceptions.” 

― Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People 

Another conversation stuck with me last week.
Male Friend: Do guys you meet get pissed off when they figure out that you're actually really smart?  I know a lot of guys probably think 'here's this little dumb blonde girl who will be my pet' when they first meet you."  
This person also happens to be a relative so I did not smack him. 


I will say that over the past year or so that I have in fact made a conscious effort to portray outwardly how I think of myself.  During the week, as mentioned in a previous post, I don't wear much make-up (if any) to work and I dress very conservatively.  I dress much more glamorous at times on the weekend, but I've noticed even the slightest changes in appearance (ie make-up) have changed how people treat me who I've just met.  I'm speaking in general as there will always be anomalies.  


By the way, if you didn't already know...I'm not a natural blonde.  :-O

"In terms of how other people treat us, a lot of it is based on how we treat ourselves.  Our words and actions in how they relate to ourselves is a giant, huge, massive road sign for how others treat us." -- www.seandfrancis.com


You can sit there and say "I know who I am and that's all that matters".  That's partially true.  You may be completely different than how others perceive you, however you might not always have the chance to showcase your true sides.  Unfortunately, people do make quick judgements.  With that in mind, you want to at least make sure that who you portray on the outside is not the complete and utter opposite of what you'd like people to think of you.  
     

--Sorry I had to do it.

Happy One Year Anniversary to No-Lime-Please.com

 Thank you to my readers for checking out my page!  I love having a creative outlet and it's even better that people actually enjoy it.  I appreciate all of the comments.  I read all of them and even get a kick out of some of them.  :)  I hope you keep reading and commenting.  I will most definitely keep on writing and posting!


ECB