Category: Movies

Low Batteries

Posted on

Saturday was rainy so we ended up going to the cheap theater to see Despicable Me 3. They installed leather reclining seats since the last time we’ve been there (and raised ticket prices from $1.75 to $2.75). I can’t decide whether I love or hate the new seats. On the plus side it makes the aisles so wide  no one can reach your seat to kick it and the seats are large and comfy. The downside is I’m too short to sit normally because my feet don’t touch the floor so I have to recline and after a couple of hours it’s not really comfortable anymore. 

Later that evening we went to Batteries Plus and I paid $60 to have my iPhone battery replaced. I was sick of it losing 25% in mere minutes. It spent more time on the charger than being used and was a constant source of anxiety and frustration. Now it’s almost like having a new phone. I can use it all day and it still has 20-30% battery life when I go to bed. I hope it stays like that for at least another year since I’m not thrilled with the price or design of the latest phones; consequently I’m not in a hurry to upgrade. I’m holding off on installing iOS 11 too since it will kill some of my favorite apps once I upgrade. 

When I woke up Saturday with a slightly sore throat I knew I had caught Joe’s cold despite our best efforts not to infect me. I’ve spent the last several days feeling exhausted and congested. I haven’t been this sick in years; I even called in sick to work on Tuesday. I hadn’t gotten a flu shot yet or this might have been avoided but with the allergy testing I didn’t have any arms left to spare for more needles. In any case, I started taking zinc right away and I think it helped speed up the process since Joe has been sick for nearly two weeks and I’m already starting to feel better. That’s a good thing because I have a busy five day weekend ahead of me. More on that later. 

Weekend Roundup

Posted on

Friday (3/24) evening we decided to check out the fish fry at the local golf club and invited a friend to join us. I am not a big fan of fish so I ordered the manicotti for $9.99 and was able to access the same salad bar that came with the fish fry. The food itself was just ok. There’s no full-time bar/restaurant in the place so that might have been why it wasn’t better. They only serve food there during Lent. In any case it was still nice to do something different and catch up with our friend.

Saturday (3/25) morning we went to Schaumburg so I could check out this store called At Home. It used to be called Garden Ridge but apparently they changed them all to At Home so it’s the same everywhere. There was one in Arizona that we browsed when we were there which I liked. We purchased two different sized coffee table trays (a small one for $8 and a larger one for $10) since I wasn’t sure which size would work best on the coffee table.

We also checked out Home Goods and The Container Store for a ceramic crock I could keep the remotes in. I had seen a nice setup in an organization video on YouTube and wanted to do that on our coffee table too. We didn’t have much luck, although we did get some travel containers at The Container Store so we don’t have to spend extra money buying travel-sized saline and contact lens solution anymore.

I felt a little guilty leaving Wookie home alone so soon after her surgery but to be honest she won’t calm down and nap when we’re home so it was actually better for her that we left the house. She’s really good about just napping whenever she’s alone.

Since it was a rainy day I spent the entire afternoon reading books I had borrowed from the library that morning.

Sunday (3/26) we didn’t get out of bed until 9 or something which is crazy for us. We did some shopping at Walmart and then I started a batch of stuffed pepper soup in the crockpot before we went back out to Pet Supplies Plus to get Wookie a different food. It seems all the puppy food has chicken in it, however, so I’m not sure how much switching her food is going to help but we got a bag of Wellness puppy food for small breeds which was on sale for $10 for a 4 lb bag.

After stopping at the grocery store we spent the rest of the day watching tv and then watched Sing in the evening. It was an ok movie; nothing too spectacular.

This morning after cleaning I went to Savers to browse. I found a bunch of sweaters and pajama pants to try on but wouldn’t you know it, none of them were all that flattering. I did buy a game called Last Word for only $2 though.

I decided to stop at Target and found a ceramic crock for $3. It had a little handle which I just removed since it was a goldish color I didn’t care for. Here’s how organized the coffee table now looks:

I’m thinking about buying some contact paper to put inside the tray since the finish scratches easily but for now I just used the non-slip stuff I use for inside drawers and other containers. It’s not as pretty but it’s functional at least. Honestly, I wish they had nicer color trays but the only options were black, white, or teal so we went with black. A deep purple would have been cool. Oh, and that’s the smaller tray. I think it works better to leave more space for books and magazines on the table.

Wookie’s Surgery

Posted on

Yesterday was Wookie’s spay surgery. I was so nervous but everything turned out fine. We dropped her off at 8:45 am and they weighed her and then gave her a sedative. She was then put in a holding cage and her name was put on there. She was next to a very tiny Shih-Tzu who was barking up a storm. I guess her sedative hadn’t kicked in yet. I liked that they involved you in that whole process instead of taking the dog and you not seeing where they go, so that helped ease my mind a bit.

I ended up running back in to ask if I could remove her harness since I was worried it would be uncomfortable for her. At that point there were a total of four dogs there waiting for surgery. She was also wearing her other collar with the (scratched up) name and rabies tags because Joe had made me nervous when he wondered a few days before how they keep track of the dogs. So I put that on her just to be cautious.

As we pulled away from the facility I cried. I was so worried she thought I had abandoned her, plus I was afraid something would go wrong. I’ve grown very attached to her over these past four months and I really didn’t like leaving her there all day but what can you do?

To distract ourselves, we decided to go see a movie. After a stop at McDonald’s for breakfast we ended up seeing Logan. I had no desire to see it, so of course I loved it! I wasn’t expecting it to be so graphically violent, though. Since there were only two other people in the theater way in front of us I didn’t feel bad about not silencing my phone and leaving it in my lap to check the screen frequently in case the place called for any reason.

I don’t usually pay too much attention to how long the previews are but since we were on a schedule I was keeping a close eye on the time and noticed the movie start time was pegged at 10:35 but it didn’t actually start until 11:00 am. Twenty-five minutes of previews and ads are a bit much!

After the movie we stopped at Red Robin for lunch and our favorite waitress, Angela, took care of us. We’ve had her three times but I guess we don’t visit often enough because I could tell she didn’t recognize us. Oh well. Then we went to Petsmart to get an e-collar for Wookie. I also picked up these adorable Peeps squeaky toys for her Easter basket.

We also stopped at Petco in case their collars were cheaper (they weren’t) and I got a $3 bunny toy for Easter. I’ll be putting together a basket for Wookie just like I do for Joe and the kids. I can’t wait!

By the time we got back home it was nearly 3 pm so I quickly cleaned the kitchen floor and prepared Wookie’s playpen and then we drove back to the place to pick her up. In addition to the spay and microchip, they also removed three retained baby teeth so our total came to $150.00 ($110 surgery, $25 microchip, and $15 for the teeth removal). I had checked off the box to get pain medication for $5 and while they gave us some they didn’t charge for it.

Wookie was pretty groggy so I rode with her in the back seat. I had to put the collar on her right away because she wanted to lick at her area. The incision is actually higher up than I was expecting – I assumed it would be closer to her privates but it’s at least an inch or so above it.

When we got home we left her in her playpen so she could nap but after awhile she started crying so we brought her into the living room. She was just walking around and standing staring into space but wouldn’t lie down. She looked so cute and pathetic in her cone of shame.

She drank a little water but we couldn’t give her any food until later and then she went nuts on the small pieces I fed her which I had softened with some water since I figured her mouth would be sore. I also took advantage of her grogginess to remove a mat I found in her fur near her tail. I pet her and brush her frequently so I don’t know where it came from but I was happy to get it out.

This morning we both fed her about an hour apart and she ate with gusto. I’m sure she’d eat more if we let her but I don’t want her to get sick.

Speaking of… last night she threw up bile before I fed her. I knew that would happen at some point. Poor puppy.

She’s acting pretty normal today. She wants to run around and I’m trying to keep her from getting too hyped up so she doesn’t rupture her stitches. It’s gonna be a long day with a very bored puppy.

Whirlwind Weekend

Posted on

Friday (3/3) was my follow-up visit with my doctor. I brought along some previous test results I found stored on my computer and he decided to prescribe a low dose of Lyrica to help with what he suspects may be Fibromyalgia. I’m nervous about taking a new medicine but I’ll give it a try if I’ll feel less achy all the time.

After the doctor I stopped at Target for a couple of items and noticed they do have a few cheap dog toys so I got Wookie a pink rubber bone and another rope since she loves playing tug of war so much.

Saturday (3/4) we were up early to swing by our old physician’s office to get our medical records and then to my friend’s house for a morning puppy play date. Her older dog just passed away two weeks ago which is sad. Wookie was more relaxed on this visit than before although she still won’t play with the other dog, Teddy. She also vomited in the car when we were only about five minutes away and vomited again when we were about five minutes from home. She’s fine on short car rides but apparently 40+ minutes is too much for her stomach. I guess we can try not feeding her beforehand, although in this case it would have seemed cruel since she hadn’t eaten since the night before.

We stopped at home so Wookie could pee (she holds it the entire time we’re out, even though we brought her pee pad and also visited my friend’s backyard) and were planning to take her with us to Petco to buy a dog tag. Since we had a few other stops, and she was exhausted from her adventure, we decided to leave her home instead so she could rest.

We stopped at McDonald’s for lunch since the app had a deal where you buy anything and get a free medium item from their McCafe menu, so we both tried the chocolate Shamrock shakes. I liked it, but plan to get a regular all-mint one before they stop making them.

That evening I traumatized Wookie putting a different collar with the new tag on and she decided she didn’t like me for few a hours. She actually went into her crate in the living room and just glared at me. She also kept chewing the tag and has already scratched the part with her name and my phone number. She then got it stuck between her teeth so we took everything off and plan to get a collar where you can have the info stitched directly into it instead. Plus she will be microchipped soon.

Sunday (3/5) afternoon we met up with my brothers and Brother B’s girlfriend, R, at the Hollywood Palms Cinema in Naperville to see John Wick Chapter 2. My brother had a Groupon so we only had to pay for our food. I got the $5 sangria special which wasn’t bad (I don’t normally like wine) and Joe got the mushroom burger. Every theater has a theme and ours was Egyptian which was interesting. I was teasing my brother that had we seen the earlier showing we would have been in the ocean one which looked really cool (from the outside at least). Despite our reservations we had a very nice time. On the way there we were kinda dreading it because we can be a little weird if we feel like we’re being ripped off and based on the menu and prices that’s kind of what it felt like beforehand. However, we tried to reframe the experience in our minds – going out to lunch and seeing a movie, at the same time no less, with family. My only complaint – the chairs are so thick that sitting normally my feet couldn’t touch the floor so I had to recline to be comfortable. It was definitely an experience, though, and I wouldn’t mind going back there again. Also, even though I wasn’t thrilled about seeing the movie because I didn’t care much for the first one, it was really good.

After the movie everyone came back to our place for dinner (tacos) and to see Wookie. She was growling at Brother J which is crazy since she’s met him before and liked him! I think her socializing is paying off because after getting over her initial attitude she was running around the living room in the middle of everyone instead of hanging off to the side scared. By the end of the evening she was actually playing with R and jumping on her arm with her toys. I think overall she prefers females to males.

This afternoon I met up with my friend at Steak and Shake for lunch and then she came back to the house to see Wookie. She’s been here once before but it was months ago so I guess Wookie didn’t remember her. She was growling and barking up a storm, even after we brought her into the living room with us. She stopped after a few minutes and by the end of the hour was playing and licking my friend’s fingers. She’s so funny how she can go from being so angry to friendly.

Posted on

After my doctor visit Friday (2/10), I did a little shopping. One of my stops included Party City where I snagged this cute bunny cutout for 99 cents and this St. Patrick’s Day sign for $1.99. Both are for the front door.

Easter Bunny

St Patricks Day sign

I wanted to get a nicer Easter sign but they all had glitter on them which looks nice at first but makes a mess in the storage bins, not to mention eventually wears off.

I made a few other stops to grab some stuff for Joe for Valentine’s Day as well.

Friday night we watched Neighbors 2 which I thought was better than the first one.

Saturday morning we went to the arboretum for their Chocolate Expo and spent about $30 on goodies.

Flat Bottom Pretzels Chocolates

Marmie's Chocolates

1st photo: jalapeño chocolate covered Slim Jims, a mint Oreo, cherry bombs, pretzels, chocolate covered Bullseyes.

2nd photo: dark chocolate toffee and an oversized turtle.

We tried everything so far except the pretzels and the turtle. The toffee is always good, the bullseyes were just ok, the mint Oreo was awesome, as were the Slim Jims. I think Joe really liked the cherry bombs too but I didn’t just because I’m not a fan of twizzlers.

We stopped at Chipotle for lunch and then went home to pick up Wookie to take her to Petsmart for their special Puppy Love event. She met some dogs and people and seemed to react better than last time. She also got some free treats!

Petsmart Swag

In addition, I bought her an Easter toy. I love that the free Greenie’s she got are worth $10! We won’t be giving those to her until she’s 6 months old, however.

We signed her up for their 6-week puppy training course which starts next Saturday. I think she’s going pretty great with her training overall, but she could definitely use more socialization and it will be interesting to learn what we are and aren’t doing right with her too.

Sunday we did some grocery shopping super early in the morning. I couldn’t sleep so we found ourselves at Meijer just after 7 am.

We went to an 11 am showing of The LEGO Batman Movie which was, as expected, awesome! I can’t get enough of how cute and clever the LEGO movies are, and even though I’m not into the series, after seeing the preview I’m really looking forward to The LEGO NINJAGO Movie as well.

We made a stop at home to feed Wookie and then went to Beef Shack for lunch and then to Fermilab for their open house. However, once we got there and learned it was just science experiments set up for kids in this one building we’ve already visited before, we left. I thought we would be able to see the offices/labs in Wilson Hall so that was disappointing. I think it was a bit misleading to call it a open house vs a special event.

We wrapped up the weekend by watching The Grammys. I don’t know what the deal was with Beyonce but I couldn’t stand her so-called performance. She acts as if she’s the only woman who has ever been pregnant. It just reeked of self importance and it made me look away. I’ve never been a huge fan but she’s really rubbing me the wrong way lately. In contrast, I did like Lady Gaga performing with Metallica even if James’ mic wasn’t working. My favorite performance, however, was the tribute to the Bee Gees. Growing up my parents had a record player and a limited number of albums, one of them being Saturday Night Fever. We listened to it a lot so along with Creedence Clearwater Rival and the Carpenters, so the Bee Gees hold a special place in my heart even though I don’t really listen to their music very often.