Always read the fine print

Do you read the fine print of medication your doctor prescribes?

Always?

To be honest I take no more than a cursory glance usually but when I was recently prescribed Celebrex for this weird numb toe that I’ve got well I thought I’d read the fine print. This was mainly because my doctor said “You’re not allergic to sulphur are you?” I don’t know why but that made me think - “what’s in this thing?!”

So I looked it up on Dr Google and discovered all manner of nasty side effects - the types of things that you hear advertised on American television ads for all those drugs they push.

The “This drug is great but causes this this and this to happen and don’t take it if you’re that that or that.” The type of advertising that makes me instantly think: “There’s no way I’d take that!”

So I read further and discovered that you shouldn’t take Celebrex if you are on cold and flu medication, which of course I have been given this nasty cold that I have. But it doesn’t say how long you have to wait until you’re clear of the effects of the cold tablets. I figure it can’t be much more than 8 hours given that the effect is supposed to wear off after 4… so I ring a pharmacist and check and I’m good to go.

Now probably I wouldn’t have died or anything but given the list of possible nasty side effects when you take this drug on its own - I’m glad I checked the fine print.

OMG! I forgot it was Mother’s Day!

Well not that it was Mother’s Day. Of course I remembered it was Mother’s Day and was looking forward to breakfast in bed and a day when the kids slaved after me. And I was planning to pop over to Mum’s with a bunch of flowers and have a cup of tea.

This is my extreme Mum, sledding at Goshen, USA, earlier this year.

I was still feeling rather sorry for myself in bed nursing my cold when the call came.

“So we’ll see you at 12 for lunch?” says Dad.
“What?”
“Lunch at the club - your whole family - remember? I booked it ages ago?”
“… um… yes… okay we’ll be there.”
“Oh and don’t forget Groover’s mum.”
“Sure…” I say weakly falling back against the pillow.

“Is there something you want to tell me?” asks Groover.

Dad had booked us in to his club for lunch weeks ago. I’d forgotten. Hugamuga and Groover were going to football at 11.30am and we hadn’t told his mother that she was invited along too.

I swung into action. Rang the coach - turned out Hugamuga wasn’t on the list for this weekend anyway - warned him that Groover wouldn’t be there to be a runner (the coach was okay with that). Groover rang his mum and told her to get her glad rags on - he was taking her to lunch.

And we were ready. Drugged up to the eyeballs in cold and flu tablets but dressed, made up, in the car.

It was a very pleasant lunch and thank goodness it all came together.

In the afternoon I was a “proper” mother and ironed my kids’ shirts for school. (Usually I make them do it themselves)

And it’s FYO dinner night at the Redsultana house tonight!

Because frankly my dears, while I could give a damn, I need to put my feet up. After all, it is mother’s day, remember?

PS: Is it Mother’s Day or Mothers’ Day? Some apostrophe help would be greatly appreciated. I originally wrote Mothers’ Day as it is a day for all Mothers right? But then it looked wrong and I thought well really you only have one mother (or two maybe if you’re a surrogate or adopted) so maybe it should be Mother’s Day… What do you think?

PPS: FYO = Find Your Own

Are laptops for school children a good idea?

I’m sitting here with my daughter’s school laptop in bed (feeling crapola with a cold) as I write this so I’m aware that I’m being a bit hypocritical…

Here’s the thing. My daughter has gone to a new school this year. A school that insists that every child should use a laptop from Grade 5. Their argument is that we live in an age where computers and digital devices are a part of our lives and that we should make use of every tool we can to educate our children. And yes, I get that.

But since we’ve had this third computer in the house we barely see our 11 year old. It’s Youtube 24/7 - or until Groover goes mental because we’ve been shaped again. She doesn’t seem to read books anymore - it’s chapter after chapter of fan fiction.

We insist that she uses the computer in public and we’ve learned that you take the laptop away from her at bedtime - what I’m not seeing is a whole lot of homework done on the computer and given that, I wonder why the school doesn’t store the wretched things in the classroom. Do they really need to take them home?

The only good thing is that at least she’s not fighting with my son now over the second computer.

So here I am enjoying her MacBook interface on our wireless system (which doesn’t seem to work for my work laptop) and whinging.

Partly it’s the lazy parent in me that finds it hard to cope - I get tired of continually taking it away from her and telling her off for exceeding our bandwidth quota again.

And part of it is my old fashioned sense of media. I want my child to enjoy books as books! Not fan fiction. Although, having said that if she was writing her own stories… well now, that would be different. And maybe endless reading of it will lead to writing her own…

In the meantime my darling Dipp has earned a merit award at school. So maybe the laptop isn’t the monster I make it out to be.

Oh, you ask, why do I have precious time on the new toy? Ah, she’s out on her brother’s bike getting some fresh air.

I asked her first!

Some parenting tips please! How do you manage computer time in your home?

photo credit: Apollo-Jack

I’m FINE, thank you

One of the speakers at a recent forum I attended was psychotherapist Jackie Furey. An entertaining speaker, I found her words touched me in ways I can’t explain… or maybe I can… what time of the month is it?

She talked about it being fine… in the way that when someone says “how are you?” You say: “Fine.”

Jackie says in psychotherapist-speak, fine means:

Fucked up
Insecure
Neurotic and
Emotional

Is she right?

Her message was that if you don’t do your feelings, they’ll do you. And I guess that’s what touched a nerve with me. I don’t think I have been doing my feelings and once a month - bang - they do me.

I’m teary, emotional, paranoid, despairing.

Two days later, I’m positive, engaged, excited and enthusiastic… the problem goes away but every month it’s the same wet deal.

Yesterday I noticed that my big toe on my left foot was numb… that weird feeling numb just before you get pins and needles - you know what I mean? I can feel the fuzziness go up the back of my leg and I think it ends in my neck. My toe has now been weirdly numb for two days.

Maybe it’s unconnected but somehow I wonder if my feelings are doing me. I’m off to the doctor tomorrow to check it out and maybe a chiropractor or osteopath as well.

Of course, Groover has been completely supportive… “Maybe you’ve got MS”, he says not helpfully, “…or Motor Neuron Disease… you never know it might be some sort of stroke…”

Thanks darling, just remember, you said “In sickness and in health”.

That should shut him up.

:)

UPDATE: I’m fine. Hehe. Well, I probably have some swelling in the lower sacral part of my spine which is encroaching on a nerve so I’m going to try some antinflammatories and see if that works, do some physio or chiro, and if it’s not fixed in a couple of weeks do a cat scan to see if that gives us more clues as to what is going on. As well I’ve had full bloods taken in preparation for a general check up. The first for years. Am I a bloke?

In the meantime it’s just me and my fuzzy toe.

And now for some real reality tv

Growing up in India would have its challenges I suspect. Especially if you have the misfortune of being dubbed a “good luck baby”.

I have no words.

Why you shouldn’t criticise Fashion Week

A couple of days ago I was in Sydney for a work shin-dig while Australian Fashion Week was on and I posted a slightly sarcastic post about what a fashionista I was… not.

I waved a trendy vermilion scarf at the fashion gods my friend, and the gods turned to look at me in my LBD and sighed.

That one is tempting fate, they said. And poof! They flicked a finger in my general direction.

The fashion gods give

Oblivious I sashayed downstairs to meet my fellow part-tay goers, enjoy a little pre-dinner drinkie, and hop on the bus.

I love your dress, some cooed and I felt pretty good about my outfit. The ultra-cute Lisa Ho number (okay from last season but I just love it), my S&M boots. I felt hot.

We had the canapes, the entree and a few beverages and I wandered upstairs to the ladies.

The fashion gods take away

Now I should point out that the dress is a little - tight - and despite my best efforts - control tops - it had been a bit of a struggle to zip up.

So I sit down and breathe out and as I do, I feel something give.

A certain tightness across the torso had lessened.

I bring my hand behind my back and realise the horrible truth:

The zip had split. Completely.

A wardrobe malfunction of mammoth proportions and most of the evening to go.

How I survived

Luckily that vermilion scarf I’d waved earlier in the evening was draped, shawl-like, around my shoulders. I pulled it down to cover the zip and walked carefully back to my table. Luckily our table was against the wall and I was able to slip my leather jacket over my dress without exposing my back to an audience. But dancing later? No. I don’t think so.

The Lesson

And that is why I say, my friends, you must never diss the fashion gods or any festival they might choose to support. They have the power to use fashion against you!

Fashion week? A brilliant event for all. That’s what I say… now.

The confident smile of someone who doesn’t realise her zip is about to leave the party without her.

Thinner is better

I know, I know, you were thinking I was about to post about Fashion Week again… you were weren’t you? But no.

Today I’m just drooling over the keyboard at the Mac Book Air. Noice.

And why is this slim technology my focus for right now? Well I want to win one. Or an iPhone. But preferably a Mac Book Air. You might want to win one too? The place to check out is Upstart Blogger.

btw if you are thinking of starting a blog - there are some useful tips on this site.

In other thin news, today I signed up (but haven’t paid a deposit yet) for a kickstart fitness program. Two weeks of hell starting May 12. So at the end of May I should be thinner, fitter and companion to a new computer. And that will be noice.

I’m too old for 2am bedtime

I’m old. Period.

Just sat in a Mike Walsh presentation on the future of media. Mike Walsh entitle’s himself - Managing Director of Tomorrow. And the tomorrow he sees is a world where The Naturals are under 20 and the rest of us are not older… we’re old.

[of course the old among us will be wondering if how a tv has-been ended up as a futurist but then again, we're old]

It’s an interesting future where movies are free and content is king - although not owned. Makes me feel a little better about seeing my posts appear on aggregation blogs.

It’s the way of the future my friend.

You should see the groovy mobile devices they have in Korea - oh yes - devices not phones - they might have the ability to make a call but that is a secondary function to say the least.

What I liked about his presentation - apart from his message - was the presentation itself. A mash up of video, photographs, groovy slides and sound bytes while he maintained an energetic verbal presentation clicking his remote mouse thingy without looking at the screen behind him. Impressive. The full surround sound.

We were sitting in the Marigold restaurant eating Yum Cha. You know I think the last time I had Yum Cha was in Sydney too. Twenty years ago. I’d forgotton how delicious it was. We scoffed our little gooey balls of yumminess and drank cup after cup of green tea and thoroughly embraced the future. Well. As much as one can when one is as old as I am. :)

At least I write a blog and I have a little share button below for you to share what you like. I might not update my myspace page or participate anymore on facebook or twitter but at least I have a passing acquaintance with the technology which I hope will allow me to “interface” with my “natural*” children.

*those born in or after 1994

Not at Fashion Week…

Just a quickie tonight. I’m in a hotel room in Sydney where I’m ensconsed for the next couple of days for a conference… no not anything to do with fashion week. I know you are shocked that I would not automatically be invited given what a fashionista I am… oh what? You’re not shocked?

We had dinner at Yai this evening, a trendy Thai eatery in Surry Hills. Very nice food but don’t get the banquet - far too much food! Most interesting dish a papaya salad - spicy HOT! Quite citrusy flavours.

It was not the smoothest of trips, we waited 2 and a half hours in Perth airport for the plane to depart - in the end they had to get another plane - but I sat next to a young fellow from the department of defence who’d lost his licence (for 3 years) for drink driving. Yes we had an interesting chat.

Unfortunately this trip is very work focussed and I won’t get the chance to check out fashion week or go shopping or catch up with anyone other than my colleagues but it’s lovely to be back in Sydney. I do like a harbour town. :)

You really don’t think I’m a fashion plate?

:)

Sleeping bag cover up!

Dippity is going camping. Her first camp with her new school. She’s pretty excited but a little worried that she won’t be able to get her sleeping bag into its bag. And I don’t blame her.

What is it with sleeping bag makers!

Why can’t they design a bag that makes it easy for a kid use?

Now sure, I could have TMATP* and bought a down filled stuff-in sleeping bag. I have one of those myself and they are great. Warm, compact and best of all easy to store in its little bag. Instead I decided to cut the price tag by more than half and buy a very warm, good quality bag that you need to roll up and put in its bag. IMPOSSIBLE.

It’s hard enough for me, let alone a 11 year old.

Am I alone?

Tell me about your sleeping bag woes…

*TMATP = Thrown Money At The Problem

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