Rainy weekend in Richmond

Hello all! I passed my kidney stone late Friday night, so I'm feeling A-Ok! Still have to pay a visit to urology at some point, but I am no longer praying for death and am looking forward to mine and Jeff's 5 yr. anniversary this weekend. So...onto the reason for my post...

Since I passed the stone, I was able to go with Jeff to Richmond to pick up those chairs. I was still groggy from the drugs, but was mostly awake for the trip up there. We picked up the chairs, had lunch at Wendy's and then drove around. We found ourselves down by the riverwalk at a Farmer's Market where booths were set up to purchase the wares of the local folk. Even with the buckets of rain, it was rather quaint and homey. We then tried to find the Edgar Allen Poe Museum and followed the signs..only to end up nowhere. Instead, we went to the Museum of the Confederacy at the VCU Hospital. There was one uniform that had a bullet hole through the chest w/ a ring of blood around it. It amazed me that a person was killed in those clothes over a hundred years ago. Anyhow, if you get a chance to see it, it's very intriguing.

After the museum, we decided to eat at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse off the Midlothian Pkwy. We'd both heard stellar things about it but had never had the opportunity to go, so we thought we'd try it out. It was incredible...the steak melted in your mouth. It was insanely expensive..$140...but we've spent more at other places before, like Four Seasons and Angus Barn. Ruth's Chris was easily in the top 5 best meals I've ever had...and you should try Magic Hat beer if you ever get the chance!! I'm not a beer person, but damn..that was tasty. It tastes like an ale, but has a raspberry aftertaste.

After dinner, we piddled around at a boat store and got lost in the section of Richmond you hope you never see. I slept most of the way home, so I had enough energy to pick up my car at work and drive it home. It'd been sitting there since I went to the ER Tuesday. We got home around 2am and just crashed.

Sunday, I gave Jeff money for his birthday and he went to the Raleigh Hamfest and spent it. He also got a biminy top for the boat for $20! Woo hoo! We'll have some shade now! Now all he has to do is get another seat, make some minor repairs and we'll have her in the water soon. I can't wait! I have no idea what our anniversary plans are. Jeff has to get his class project done and then he has exams coming up. His graduation is May 11th, but he may not go b/c his parents said they couldn't make it...so it'd just be me cheering for him.

We may just have an anniversary/graduation celebration in the form of a trip at the end of May...but we'll see how money's holding up by then. We had to pay in taxes this year and it really hurt. Oh well..we'll get through it like we do everything else! I'm not too stressed. Ok..enough for now..I get to go home and leave this little room that feels like it might as well be on the surface of the sun. ......that reminds me..my genius of a husband fixed our AC last night. God bless him! AC was the best invention ever. Next to bananahammocks.

UNC ER is a real pain in my kidney...

So..I've had a bladder infection since Thursday but didn't see the Dr. till Monday..he put me on Cipro, which makes me sick, but anyway. I started getting sharp pains on my left side, so I started thinking that it had turned into a kidney infection. I got to work Tuesday night and started getting sharp pains again. Every time I'd get a pain, I'd have to throw up, so I knew something was wrong. I went to the ER to be checked out around 10:15 pm. Jeff came and sat w/ me as they did a CT scan and hooked me up to an IV and gave me Toridol...mmmm good stuff. They were so busy they couldn't even give me a bed, so we spent the night in the psychiatric holding room...aka..rubber room. Rubber chairs, rubber wall, bullet proof glass and a security camera. Gives me warm fuzzies just thinking about it.

I should also mention that they apparently forgot about me b/c my IV bag was empty. It had been running wide open since I got there. I glanced up when Jeff leaped across the tiny room and grabbed the IV line. There had been a 2 in. long air bubble slowing inching towards me. If he hadn't been there to see it and clamp off the line, I would've died. They came in to check on me 45 minutes after that little incident and Jeff informed them of what had almost happened. All we got was an, "Oh, I'm sorry. We're just so busy!" Anyhow..after hours and hours of waiting...I have a damn kidney stone. This morning was absolute hell. We got home around 7am and I couldn't sleep b/c of the pain. The percocet was doing nothing for me. As we were leaving the ER, I glanced to the other side of the nurses station....4 open beds...and I'd been sitting in a freakin' rubber chair for more than 8 hours. We were told that they weren't using that section because they didn't have enough staffing to cover it. Uh..but it's still a bed..and it's only 30 ft. from where I'd been sitting uncomfortably all night. Thanks guys.

The Dr. told me to cut way back on sweet tea and sodas b/c they contribute to the stones and I have to strain my urine to collect what comes out and take it to urology to have it examined on Friday. This sucks. I had this whole weekend thing planned w/ Jeff for his birthday and it may be ruined...ugh. I hope he can understand. He's been so sweet and good to me though. I could never ask for anyone better. Anyhow, I just thought I'd write about this horrific experience so I'd never forget that I need to drink lots of water and to avoid UNC's ER.

Illegal Immigrants winning lottery?? I don't think so!!

Ok..first..here's the story off of NBC17. It really chaps my ass...

Illegal Immigrants Can't Hit It Big In Lottery

POSTED: 5:58 pm EDT April 14, 2006

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Illegal immigrants in North Carolina can play the state's new lottery, but they may not be allowed to collect large winnings under the game's claim policies.
Lottery rules require winners of $600 or more to show a photo identification and proof of a Social Security number to claim their prizes. In the absence of a Social Security number, the lottery will accept a U.S. passport, a foreign passport, an identification card issued by another state, a U.S. armed forces identification card, a voter registration card or permanent resident card.

Illegal immigrants typically cannot get a Social Security number legally.

"If they don't have a green card or foreign passport, they're not going to get anything," lottery spokeswoman Pam Walker said. "Because they're likely to be an illegal alien."

Sandra Machuca, owner of La Centroamericana convenience store in Charlotte, said **blocking illegal immigrants from winning would be unfair. **Machuca said she has been selling about $1,000 worth of tickets a week.

"None of my clients are American," Machuca said. "Whoever wins has a right to the prize. That's why they buy the ticket."

State Controller Robert Powell said lottery officials should examine the issue.

"If you're here illegally, then there should be at least a legal determination as to whether you should receive the funds," Powell said. "If you're not here in this country legally, I don't know whether you should be eligible to receive lottery winnings."

He said he is not proposing a rule one way or the other.

A winner who doesn't have a Social Security number but does have required identification still will get paid but at the higher, nonresident tax withholding rate, 30 percent instead of 25 percent.

"Our policy on this mirrors many other states' and there is no intent to prohibit any person from claiming a prize," Walker said. "They simply must have the required identification."
Maryland and North Dakota restrict prizes to legal residents but guidelines for many states do not address the issue. States along the Mexican border make no effort to determine residency.

It would be unfair to let them get the winnings?!?! WTF?! It's unfair to us AMERICANS. If they're here ILLEGALLY...they shouldn't get any winnings. I mean hell, they don't pay taxes in this country, so I can understand letting them play..they should be giving money back somewhere, but letting them collect the winnings? Just so they can bring more of their family here illegally? NOOOO! Letting them collect the winnings is like rewarding them for being here illegally and encourages more to come..causing more of a problem.

Sometimes I think it'd be better to move to Mexico....there's probably less Mexicans there. I think everything in this country should be in English...not multiple languages. If foreigners want to live here, they need to learn the damn language. Jeff's grandma was from the Phillipines and she took all the classes and took the test to become a U.S. Citizen...just as everyone from another country should do. I have no problems w/ people becoming legal citizens...it's the illegal ones expecting to have all the rights and priveleges that our ancestors have worked so hard to obtain for us.

Here's an example, and you Illegals listen well: Say you are on a limited income and have worked your entire life to be able to afford to buy the cows and chickens and plant grains, fruits and sugar cane to make your family a cake. You've made sacrifices so you could be there to till the soil and plant the seeds. Your children have had to make sacrifices to help you obtain your goal by working in the field, milking cows , collecting eggs and getting everything ready for you to make this cake. Then the magnificent day comes when all your hard work is going to pay off. You slave for hours in the kitchen making it just right and when the time comes to eat it, me and my family of 15 show up in your kitchen, uninvited and demand our share. I tell you I have just as much right to that cake as you and your family.

You'd tell me to kiss off, wouldn't you??? So why are you illegal immigrants getting so pissy when we tell you to do the same?? If you don't get this...I'll just show up at your houses around dinner time and expect to be fed..for free...then we'll see how you feel. I think I've made my point. In closing....illigal immigrants suck and need to go home or become legal citizens.