Things that make me mad at the hubby

I adore the hubby. He's cute, sweet, polite, a total gentleman, and he thinks being mean is funny (so do I!). He also worships the ground I walk on, loves my cooking, and never ever complains about the money I spend on shoes.
But there are some things that make me want to wallop him with the closest dictionary. In the interests of a long and happy marriage, I'm compiling a list of the things that make me hate him, just so we can avoid these situations.

1. Exercising together. He wimps out at mile 0.2. I inspire! He wimps out again at mile 0.4. I cajole! He wimps out again at mile 0.5. I belittle! He wimps out again at mile 0.6. I stop, annoyed, and we go through this big rigmarole about where to meet, who has the car or house key, etc. I run off in a huff and hubby stops to talk to someone he knows.

2. Letting him drive my car. He always hits the curb when he parks it. Of course, I drive a Scion, so it's sort of low to the ground. Still, no excuses! It can't be that hard to drive since I have no problem! Irritation!!!!

3. Letting him drive...at all. I have realized that the hubby is kind of a bad driver. He looks the wrong way down one-way streets at stop signs. He pulls out in front of 18-wheelers. He can't decide what to do at yellow lights and alternately brakes and guns the engine, generally ending up in the middle of the intersection with a red light. I know guys like to think they're cool race car drivers, so I bite my tongue on this one, but inside I'm seething.

4. When he does groceries. I sent him to buy bacon and he returned with a tray of four pre-cooked microwaveable bacon strips for $3.99. He bought Lactaid with extra protein instead of plain old milk. The produce he purchases is wilted, wormy, and rotten. And forget sending him with coupons!

5. When he shrinks my clothes. Sometimes he tries to help with the laundry, which is cute, but he never reads clothes labels - meaning I now own about a dozen doll-sized sweaters and some not-quite-capri pants. When he's in the laundry room, it all gets hot water, and it all goes in the dryer.

So my solution is to always drive when we're together, do all the laundry and groceries, and do our own exercise thing. How's that for saving a marriage? I should be a counselor!

What does your significant other do that bugs you? How do you deal with it? And sort of off-topic, who does the groceries at your house?

Job update...and the weather is gorgeous!

Contrary to weather reports of more freezing temperatures, it's gorgeous out. Weird.

I did get in touch with my district manager and he is meeting me on Friday...so I should have news then. I followed everyone's advice on this one!

Now off to enjoy a Louisiana Sweet orange, a run in this finally thawed weather, a chapter of a good book, dinner, then small group Bible study (we're listening to a video series called the War of Words. If I were a better person, it would convict me for my smarty-pants mouth).

music for your running playlist....

...courtesy of my sis! My sister is a talented musician and quite the music critic, as well. I am getting a little tired of my running playlists and decided it was time for something new, so I asked her to find some classical pieces to keep me going. Here is her list:

Pines of the Villa Borghese, by Respighi
just about anything by Scarlotti
Finale from Beethoven's 7th
Bach's Brandenburg Concerto no. 3
Bach's Italian concerto
Rondo from Beethoven's 3rd piano concerto
Beethoven's 5th (1st and 4th movement)
Mussorgsky's Bydlo
First movement of Chopin's 2nd piano sonata
1st movement from Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony
Mendelssohn's Scottish symphony, 4th movement
1st movment from Tchaikovsky's 2nd piano concerto
Rite of Spring, Stravinsky
1st movement of Paganini's 1st violin concerto and last movement from his 2nd
Prokofiev's 5th symphony

I added in quite a few violin pieces from an Itzhak Perlman album I already had. There are definitely some slower tempos in this mix than I'm used to, so I will have to see how I like it.

Speaking of...what is your favorite running song? Mine is...don't laugh...
Head by Tin Star. The lyrics mention "gotta do my exams today" but "couldn't revive" and I started listening to it during runs before tests in school to give myself a kick. It just cracked me up! I still like to run to that song and in fact I put it into my "race" mix twice. I can estimate my speed by how far I've gone when I hear it both times!

I need job advice!

I think I need some advice here about my current job. Here's the quick run-down:
I was hired to take over a clinical position - all brand-new, never done before - for a pharmacy chain. This position was slated to open up in November 2009 and I was assigned a "floater" position until then. Floaters fill in for other pharmacists within the area, so we drive a lot (up to an hour!) and there is very little continuity at work. Every day it's a different store. I don't mind this, but I don't want to do it forever. Well anyway, the November open date for "my" position got pushed back to March 2010, and I'm still a-floating. Here's where I need advice. I like my job now, but I really want the position I was hired for. I am supremely qualified for it. I'm not kidding. This job loos like it was made based on my resume! It's absolutely what I want to do, too. Given that I definitely have the qualifications, I should still get this job, but actual interviews for the position haven't started yet. I'm afraid that other employees with longer tenures in the company might start making bids for it - and they might get it simply because they don't fit the place they are now. My company does this sometimes: moves people around in an attempt to find a good "fit" of co-workers and location.
As time passes, do you think I should sort of hassle my boss? Have a talk about my future? Keep reminding him? Should I call him today and ask for a minute to talk face to face about this?
My gut says yes.
My father-in-law says yes, too.
But what do you say?

Let's do some smart easy things in 2010!

I'm here to increase the quality of your life, folks! And I'm doing it by suggesting a few easy things you can do to improve your health and well-being:

1. Add some fiber. Fiber has three big benefits: it lowers your cholesterol, it decreases your risk of colon cancer and polyps, and it causes feelings of satiety. If you tend to snack during the day or you overeat, drink a little fiber after your meal and you will stay full for longer. And it doesn't really taste bad at all.

2. Buy Aquaphor. It's a little expensive for something that looks just like vaseline, but it's better than vaseline because it actually has water emulsified into the oily base. You can use it to protect your skin from chapping, to heal dry or cracked skin, and it is unbeatable on chapped lips.

3. Eat seasonally. Be flexible with your menus to allow yourself to eat in-season produce. Your fruits and veggies will be fresh and more likely to be local. The difference in taste is huge. You will also save money since prices are lower during harvest.

4. Skinny-down your coffee. Many, many, many years ago I put sugar and cream in my coffee (like 18 years ago. Which is sad, since it means I started drinking coffee when I was 9. Actually we drank "coffee milk" in our bottles at our house and I think I started with real cups of joe at age 7). However, I developed a strong distaste for sweet beverages somewhere along the way, and I dropped the sugar. Then in college my dairy choices were limited to whatever the cafeteria had -and I started to use milk. Now I generally use 1 or 2% milk and no sweetener. My sister actually went black, and she loves her strong black coffee! The idea is, since we treat coffee like a daily must-have, we should probably make it a little more healthy.

5. Go whole-wheat. Three things you can switch out for whole wheat:
a. Pasta. Buying wheat pasta is not a huge change. The taste is a little different, but it's a good taste.
b. Flour. Start substituting half or even all of your flour with whole wheat. It gives baked goods a heartier feel and a nutty taste.
c. Bread. White bread is just plain gross - no substance to it, mostly air. Next time grab a whole wheat loaf!

6. Watch sales at your drug store to pick up these essentials for cold and flu season:
Zinc lozenges: suck on them as soon as you feel a cold coming on (but eat first: they can upset your stomach).
Emergen-C: the little fizzy packets make keeping a cold at bay fun!
Saline spray: a little squirt is a drug-free way to open up the sinuses and keep nasal tissue from drying out.
Gold Bond ultimate skin therapy lotion: It's super rich and creamy and is the best for the tip of your nose! Use it to prevent the red nose cold syndrome.
Delsym cough syrup: If you have to have a cough suppressant (hopefully you won't!), this one's the best. It's just one active ingredient and it lasts overnight.

7. Buy instant hand-warmers for a chilly work place. If your job is always too darn cold, these little warmers ($1 for two) can be a lifesaver! They work by a chemical reaction and stay warm for about 12 hours. You can stick them in your shoes, your pockets, or - ahem - your bra (this is an old pharmacy trick; pharmacies are notoriously bitterly cold and you'll see techs using warmers in July to fight the 65 F thermostat!).

8. Invest in a ceramic travel mug. I saved my pennies for one - not only does it not leave a metal taste in my tea and coffee, I can stick it in the microwave if my beverage cools down - or I can pack some tea bags and make tea while I'm working. I bought some green tea bags and stick them in my purse.

9. Eat beans. They are inexpensive, delicious, and full of protein and fiber. And they're fast food, if you make them in the crock pot while you're working!
I have beans for dinner at least twice a week. I cook a whole pound and save some - I can use leftovers in soup, to make chili, in pasta fagiole, for burritos, in hummus, even in an omelet.

10. Make water your beverage of choice. It just makes sense: stay hydrated for free and avoid unnecessary calories!

Now I'm going to go grab my ceramic travel mug and head to work!

I can't run in the cold!

We're having a cold snap down in NOLA and it's making me wimp out. It has been in the 30's to low 40's and I haven't talked myself into running in the chill! I'm working a lot of late shifts this week, which in theory gives me plenty of daylight hours to get my runs in. But I can't drag myself out to run in this cold! There are three reasons for this:
1. My knee is very slowly recovering from an injury this Fall, and the cold makes it ache. Very unappealing. As soon as the ache starts I begin to have second thoughts about any form of exercise.
2. I don't own any cold weather running clothes: No running tights, no fuzzy fleece tops, no hats, no gloves. Just T-shirts and shorts. FREEZING.
3. My cozy bathrobe, a library book, and a cup of tea are more enjoyable than running anyway.

I actually did get out for a run on New Year's Day, and it was bitterly cold. We were in Bay St. Louis and the temperature was in the 30's. Worse, I got up very early, so the sun had not risen yet. And worst of all, there was a stiff, icy, relentless wind and the run I chose had zero protection against the wind.
I ran 9 miles in a usually enjoyable loop that goes through the quaint downtown Bay St. Louis, across the Bay Bridge (which has a lovely walking path), along the beach in Waveland, and back across the bridge. However, there are big hills on the bridge and of course you are completely exposed to the elements. The wind was so strong that I actually couldn't stand up straight at the top of the bridge! Then, of course, it got no better once you hit the beach: the wind just screams in over the water. And what was I wearing? Why, a little T-shirt and some stretchy capri things. My skin was rough, raw, and numb by the time I finished and my long hot shower barely thawed me.
So that taught me a lesson. Stay home in the cold until you have a chance to go buy cozy running hats with optional face masks.

What deters you from your run? Is it the cold weather, or a pressing schedule? Something good on TV? Too much work in the house? Aching joints? Fatigue?

Back to the ol' grind.

Back to work after a lovely holiday break. Today is probably going to be the worst day of work all year for me. I predict it will be insanely busy and miserable. Why? Well, it will be busy because it's the first weekday of the month, always a busy day in pharmacy (plus it's a Monday, another busy pharmacy day). And it will be miserable because many people will have new insurance cards, a fact that they will be totally oblivious to. I'll spend my day something like this:
First of the year scenario #1:
Patient: Can I get my Plavix refilled?
Me: Sure. Do you have a new insurance card now that it is 2010?
Patient: No.
Me: Your insurance is rejecting the claim, saying coverage ended 12-31-09. Did they send you a new card?
Patient: That is ridiculous! I just got my Lipitor last week and they paid for it!
Me: Yes, that was last year. Your coverage changed for 2010.
Patient: That's it, transfer my rx to CVS, I can't deal with this BS!

First of the year scenario #2:
Patient: I'm here to pick up the refill I dropped off this morning.
Me: Ok, your total is $178.26.
Patient: But I have insurance!
Me: Yes, this was billed to your insurance. It looks like this claim was applied to your annual deductible, which restarted january 1st.
Patient: I don't have a deductible!
Me: (In my mind): Oops, you're right, you don't! I just invented your deductible so I could secretly skim $150 off the top of your rx, hehehehe! (out loud): Well let me call your insurance company and we'll find out. (seething, since this call is so pointless when the company just sent us back this price with deductible, I call - annoyed that I have become an insurance expert rather than pharmacist, and annoyed that no one has a clue about his own insurance plan. I hang up.) Your insurance company confirms that you have a $300 deductible on rx's each year. After this claim you have $122 left on the deductible.
Patient: Well I can't afford that! (throws rx at me, misses, paper-cuts the eye of another customer, we get sued).

First of the year scenario #3:
Patient: I need to pick up my new rx.
Me: Can I see your new insurance card? Your old one expired last year.
Patient: What! I don't have a new one!
Me: Well, Express Scripts says your coverage ended in December. Looks like your company changed prescription insurance for 2010.
Patient: Express Scripts?! What are you talking about, I have Blue Cross!
Me: Yes, that is your health insurance. But they contracted with Express Scripts for your prescription coverage, and now it appears they use a different prescription company.
Patient: What?! What?! I have Blue Cross! I've always had Blue Cross! WHaaa?!
Me: Yes, yes, you do. But they hire another company to handle your prescription insurance, and since that company changed I need your new card.
Patient: I threw out my new card! Because it's still Blue Cross! Blue Cross! Blue Cross!

Yep, happy new year to the health care world!