Surgery Success

I'm pleased to report that my gall bladder surgery on Thursday went very smoothly. I was the first into theatre that morning, and it went off with no complications, so I was home yesterday afternoon. I have Frankenstein looking stitches on four places on my abdomen, but hopefully they'll fade to little white lines before too long.

I actually feel pretty good now. I'm sore, and the one incision that had a drain sticking out of it for 24 hours is very tender. When the nurse took the drain out, she had warned me to take a few deep breaths, but I didn't know it was going to feel like she was ripping my lung out!

A few more days of recovery, and I'm going to start making plans for finding a job and a house. Time to get on with my life!

It's Bloody Hot!

Such much for not missing Texas summers! The past few days have been so hot it feels almost as bad as July in Dallas. Almost. At least we have a bit of a breeze. I'm feeling very hot and bothered, compounded by nervousness about tomorrow's surgery and not smoking, also because of tomorrow's surgery. I can imagine I'm going to be useless at work tonight!

Two Days Away!

I've almost finished my packing to go into hospital. I figured I might as well do it today instead of leaving it until the last minute, especially since I'll be working late tomorrow night at the pub. I've packed my MP3 player, which is full of good music and songs that mean something to me, a book for if I feel up to reading, and pictures of special people, one person in particular who won't be able to come visit me.

I'm nervous, but I'm really looking forward to this! It seems like the gall stones have pretty much controlled my life for almost a year. I missed Kate's hen night because of them. I almost blew the last few months of my last year at university as well. After a bit of recovery time, I can take control of my life. And I have plans! Big plans! I'm going to live my life to the full. You only live once, and I want to enjoy the rest of mine!

Six Days to Go!

The nerves are setting in ... I still can't wait for my surgery, but I'm starting to get nervous. The guy I've been seeing says that he won't be able to think straight until he knows that I'm out of the operating theatre and that everything is well. He has to work so won't be at the hospital, but that's okay because I don't like the idea of people sitting around waiting for me to come back to the ward. I'd rather they tried to have as normal a day as possible.

As soon as I get out of hospital, I'm going to start looking for a job! I'm really enjoying working at the pub, but it's only temporary and part-time. I work 14 hours a week at the most. I'd really love to find something where I can use my degree. That was the whole point of me going back to university to start with! And I'm going to look outside Chesterfield as well. Not that I don't love Chesterfield, but I'm considering moving closer to the boyfriend. Well, why not? I'm still young(ish), and there's lots of England I haven't seen!

More Good News!

I was having a very good day, and now it's turning into an excellent day! Rich rang earlier and said he was in the pub celebrating results, so I headed off to join him for an hour. On the way there, my mobile rang, and it was the hospital. They've set the date for my surgery, and it's only 8 days away!

Finally I can stop having the pain, and I can stop needing pain killers to dope me up. The news ones I'm on only make me sick anyway.

Ricky has had his school report, and it's excellent! I'm very proud of him!

Now it just seems like there's bound to be bad news ... Then again, maybe my karma is finally balancing out! After a rough year, things are starting to improve!

Trip to Holland!

Sorry that this is so late in coming, but I've just been so chilled from my weekend in the Netherlands with Diana, Martin and Kate that I haven't blogged until today! What a wonderful weekend! We went to Madurodam in the Hague, which has models of all the famous sights in the Netherlands and definitely worth a visit! Kate and I had a wander around Leiden, which is a beautiful city outside Amsterdam. Saturday night we met Martin and Diana's friends Jan and Joost (I hope I spelled that right! Diana will tell me if I haven't!), who are great! Okay, they're Michael Schumacher fans, but I won't hold that against them! Diana's sister is lovely as well!

Best of all was spending Sunday afternoon on a lazy trip around canals on their boat "Cobber"! Who needs speedboats? I'd rather have a slow journey around any day!

I can't wait until Diana and Martin come over in September for karting with the Mark Webber Supporters Club!

University Results!

After three years of studying, my results came out today! I was very worried because, while the first semester of this year was going very well, everything after February was shit. The split with Simon, the stay in hospital, all the stress ... I had lowered my expectations from graduating with a 2:1 to graduating with a 2:2.

But I got the 2:1! My lowest result was on my dissertation, but considering that my head was totally messed up while I was writing it, I'll settle for that quite happily! I still have to take my equity and trusts exam because I missed it in May due to the gall stones, but I got a 68 on the coursework, so as long as I don't totally blow it, I should be fine there as well.

My results were good enough that they should impress a prospective employer, or, if I do what I really want to do and get a masters degree, get me into graduate school with no problem. I'm over the moon!

Gary and Sara!

Gary and Sara were here Tueday night! They are absolutely lovely people! Yesterday we went to Chatsworth House and to a pub nearby, The Highwayman, because when Gary lived in England many years ago (I won't say how many) kids weren't allowed in pubs until they were 17, and he moved away shortly before he reached that milestone. We made up for it yesterday, though it's the first time I've been in an English pub and had the television tuned to afternoon cartoons!

Here's a couple of pictures. I will post some of Chatsworth when I get back from the Netherlands on Sunday or after I manage to recover from what I hope is going to be a fun weekend!

Another List

Maybe becoming single this year has inspired me. Along with my list of goals for 2006 and the list of 25 things I want to do in my lifetime, I have another list that now appears in my sidebar. I won't go into graphic detail for fear of scaring off anyone who comes across my blog!

I also have someone who is helping me with the list. Adding to it, I mean, although he has offered to help me cross the items off as well, and I've said I can't think of anyone I would like to help me with it more!

Subtle as a Sledgehammer

I have a young admirer. Casper from the pub has followed me around like a love-sick puppy all evening. He was sitting at the table when I was telling Vicky, Baz and Bob about the guy I've sort of started seeing. I showed Casper his picture. No use, he still did the puppy act.

I was on the phone three times to the guy I really really like. No use, Casper didn't seem to care. I've never been one to stomp on someone's feelings, but I think in this case I'm going to have to stop being so damn nice and just tell him that I'm not going to sleep with him! That's because when I got home, I started getting text messages asking if I wanted to come around to his house tonight. I said no thank you. So he said how about tomorrow. I'm off to the Netherlands on Friday morning, fortunately! The latest text says that he wants to see what I'm like when I wake up in the morning. My response to that was: "My kids say I'm a total bitch". Even that hasn't put him off, so I started ignoring his texts. I've tried to be nice because he's a regular in the pub where I work, and the last thing I need is to be accused of running the punters off!

I have to admit, he's very cute, but at 25 he's just a bit on the young side for me. I have no problem with age differences. The guy I'm sort of seeing (one day I'll be able to explain why I say "sort of seeing", it's a bit complicated at the moment while I work out what's exactly going on; he seems too good to be true, and I've had a bad year of being dumped so I don't want to jinx things by saying too much) is younger than me. But he's not closer to my daughter's age than he is to mine! I think that's the main thing with me. Not that there's an age difference, but that he's someone that my daughter would fancy! And I've told the guy I do really fancy about Casper. He's annoyed, mostly that Casper won't leave me alone rather than anything that I've done. Hopefully the two of them will never meet!

I have so got to get out of Chesterfield ...

Friends Etc.

I've been offered a job at the pub, and today's my first day! I've lent a hand a couple of times over the past couple of weeks, mainly so I could see if I was capable of working behind a bar. I must have done pretty well! They're giving me a permanent part-time job. It's just what I need while waiting for surgery because I don't think I could hold down anything full-time right now.

I'm considering a move after the surgery. My options are pretty much open. I don't have any family in this country apart from my kids, so I'm going to see what jobs are available somewhere else. I think I need to get out of Chesterfield. I have had nothing but bad luck since I've been here. Okay, not all bad luck, but I think that this is the time, while I'm still young enough to do it, to make a fresh start somewhere else. Malorie is hoping I will start looking down south so she can be close to her boyfriend. Hey, I'm willing to give it a try! I don't really have anything to lose. I have no house, seeing as how this is only temporary accommodation, and I have to be out of her by next March anyway. I can definitely say my luck with men in Chesterfield has been rotten! (No offence to my ex-husband Richard if he reads this!) But two of my ex-husbands are from Chesterfield, Rich is from Chesterfield, and the only other guy I've had a relationship with was from Chesterfield. He dumped me after three months.

I do have some friends down south, so it seems a good place to look. At least I know people there. And because Ricky and Jack will stay here, and I'd come up (or down if I were to find the perfect job opportunity somewhere north) for my weekends, I won't lose touch with my friends here either.

Last night one of my friends, Thom, called in for a coffee. We've known each other about three years now, mostly online. We did come face to face at the British Grand Prix in 2004, but I was too shy to say anything, and I think he had spent a lot of time in the beer tent, so he never even noticed me! His ex-wife lives not too far from me, and he brought his kids down from Scotland yesterday, so he called in for an hour or so. He's a great guy and a good laugh, and he's always been a good friend. He always will be, I hope!

I have two other friends coming this week! I don't think I've ever had so much company in since I've been in this house! Gary, who I've also known about three years online, is flying to Portugal to see his girlfriend Sara, and the two of them are coming to England on Tuesday. I'm going down to Stanstead Airport to meet them, and they're going to stay with me for a night or two (I don't remember exactly what their plans are!) I'm looking forward to getting to know Sara, and Gary has always been there when I needed someone to talk to, especially over the last few months.

And then next Friday I'm off to the Netherlands with Kate to see Diana! I haven't met Diana face to face yet either, but I know she's an absolutely lovely person. Kate has met her and said just that, but I already knew it from our chats.

Now I'm off to the pub to work during the England match. I like it there. Most of the customers are friends, too!