Nuthin’ but an H thang, Baybay…

I’m starting to get the impression that I’m destined to catch one of the rampant office bugs flying around. Everyone is sick…or their kids are sick…or their pets are sick! Three out of 5 people I normally have lunch with have been or are sick, including my BFF.

I worked from home yesterday just to get away from the office, which was great. This morning I returned to work on a joint project with another sales rep only to find he was sick too – Ugh! I made him sit at the other end of the conference table from me, ‘cuz I’m mean.

As for preventative measures, I’ve been washing and sanitizing my hands like crazy. No Echinacea, Airborne, Zicam or any of that yet, but the writing’s on the wall. Really, I just want to avoid getting sick for Kauai, which is coming up soon. After that, go ahead – sneeze on me, cough on me, I’ll deal with it. Just not nooooooooow *whine*

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Originally uploaded by madaracs

Last week, Adam and I were lucky enough to meet one of our favorite bands: the Pet Shop Boys. We started off by mingling in the lobby of the State Theater with 30 other PSB fans, comparing which songs we love the most and who saw them where and when. Then, in an instant, Adam and I were summoned to meet Chris and Neil – we even dragged a fellow fan with us because he was nervous to go in alone. They shook our hands, signed our VIP passes and autographed Adam’s favorite CD. We exchanged a few niceties and moved on so they could greet more fans. What a fun experience! *gush*

We had plenty of time between the Meet & Greet and the actual show, so we bellied up to the bar at Capital Grille. That’s where we ran into a larger-than-life top Minnesota attorney who shall remain nameless. Where is this going? That’s exactly what we were wondering…this poor guy was inebriated and broken and anxious to talk to someone. Oh, he was jovial and funny as we compared favorite TV shows and such, but then he dropped a bomb: he apparently just left his wife, so recently that his kids don’t know about it. We chatted for a few moments longer, he insisted on buying our drinks and then he left. He reminded me of a sad clown, only he was wearing a $1,000 suit and was far less creepy…poor thing. Soon, we were ushered to our table in the dining room. I ordered the Oscar Filet (thanks, Skip!) and just about died because it was so delicious. It was a fabulous, decadent supper.

Our seats were truly in the first row, but there were Orchestra Pit seats wedged in front of us. At first I was bummed, but later, I was grateful because we had a better view than those who were basically on top of the stage. I was very impressed with the show itself. They played nearly everything I could have asked for! I danced and danced and screamed and yelled and enjoyed every last drop of that concert. Adam nabbed several excellent photos (as featured here!), but thankfully none show my antics.

Other mentionables: the sound was perfect, the dancers really got (and kept) the crowd going, the cubed sets were fun to watch and versatile enough to create new and interesting backdrops, Neil really played to the crowd and Chris even busted a move with the dancers on New York City Boy. Truly a highlight of 2009.

Published September 19 2009, Duluth News Tribune
After car accident, Duluth woman says, ‘It’s a miracle I’m alive’
Everything feels different for the Duluth’s Bonnie Dressen since a traumatic car accident in June put her in a coma. Her injuries were severe and perhaps should have taken her life. “It’s really a miracle that I’m alive,” she said. “Now I accept nothing as ordinary.”

By: Sarah Horner, Duluth News Tribune

Bonnie Dressen has always enjoyed kayaking, but now the experience of slipping her boat into Pequaywan Lake feels almost spiritual.

“I am doing it almost daily,” Dressen, 61, said. “It is the closest I am to God.”

Everything feels different for the Duluth woman since a traumatic car accident in June put her in a coma. Her injuries were severe and perhaps should have taken her life.

“It’s really a miracle that I’m alive,” she said. “Now I accept nothing as ordinary.”

The miracle, Dressen said, is that three random strangers equipped with just the right tools were there to help her. One was Jennifer Helland, a registered nurse in the Neurological Trauma Unit at St. Mary’s Medical Center who happened to be driving behind the car that hit Dressen. Another was Jeffrey Beck, the driver behind Dressen who knew that first responder A.J. Marshall was working at the nearby Lakewood One Stop and ran to get him.

“It was like everyone I needed was somehow right there,” Dressen said.

Despite having two young daughters in her car, Helland pulled over to help. When she noticed Dressen was having trouble breathing, the nurse realigned her airway. Then Marshall hooked her up to the oxygen supply he brought from the convenience store.

They waited 20 minutes for the ambulance to arrive.

“That would have been too long,” said Dressen, a nurse herself. “I really don’t think I would be alive today if Jennifer hadn’t opened up my airway; and if A.J.

hadn’t gotten that oxygen to my brain, I’d probably be brain-dead.”

Instead, Dressen made it to the hospital, where she remained in a coma for five days. The accident caused trauma to her head and created a blood clot and swelling in her brain. Her left eye was swollen shut and an ankle and rib were broken. She remained in the hospital for two weeks and underwent four surgeries.

When she was allowed to leave she suffered from walking amnesia and needed to attend daily rehabilitation.

It wasn’t until August that Dressen started feeling like herself again.

“It was a stinky thing for a long time, but it could have killed me if it weren’t for those people,” Dressen said. “I owe them thanks from the absolute bottom of my heart. I feel they saved my life. That was courage and empathy and goodness for them to do what they did.”

She got to thank Marshall with a hug Thursday afternoon.

“I love seeing her the way she is, so healthy and up and walking around,” said Marshall, a first responder with the Normanna Fire Department. “It’s pretty impressive that she’s healed so quickly.”

Marshall said he doesn’t think his efforts that day were heroic.

“I was just doing my job,” he said. “I was glad I was able to help someone out and make a friend out of the deal.”

Helland saw Dressen in the hospital immediately after the accident and later received a bouquet of roses from Dressen. She said it’s overwhelming to be credited with saving her life.

“Who knows what would have happened,” Helland said. “I am just glad that the other gentleman and I were there that day. I have heard that [Dressen] is a very vibrant gal, and I’m just glad she’s OK.”

Their modesty doesn’t change who they are to Dressen, though.

“They are heroes,” she said.

Dressen’s husband, Doug, agrees. When asked what it meant to have his wife healthy and home again after coming so close to losing her, he had trouble speaking.

“You don’t put that in words,” he said. “You make movies of that.”

This morning, Garet decided to try to get me out of bed to drop some food in his dish…at 5:30am. His method of choice is to jump up on my dresser and nudge the window blinds with his snout. He knows that the slight banging of the blinds against the window pane wakes me from my slumber, and this time was no different. I checked the clock and boy, was I mad. I have a spray bottle tucked behind my bedside table for just this occasion, and at 5:30 this morning, I began to fumble around for it. As soon as my hand felt the nozzle, I pulled it up from its hiding place, aimed in Garet’s general direction and shot with my thumb on the trigger. At that moment, a blast of cool water hit me right in the forehead…in my zeal for punishing the naughty kitty, I’d apparently had the spray bottle pointing at my face.

I heard Garet jump down from the dresser and run from the room.

This is my favorite part of Gremlins.

On a weekly basis, I have to complete a report for my boss called a “DealTracker”. Every time someone mentions “DealTracker,” I am reminded of the Gremlins torturing mean ole Mrs. Deagle. Oh, I’m sure it has something to do with “deal” and “Deagle”…and the fact that I simply don’t enjoy filling out reports.

My brand of humor is SO not appreciated.

In the last few weeks, we’ve had a lot of expensive shenanigans going on. First, our water heater began a slow leak – from the top of the unit! Plus, it’s only about 8 years old, so I’m not sure what’s up with that. Then, we ended up with an unplanned purchase at the State Fair: an 8-person hot tub from CalSpa. I’m not complaining…but the timing of our decision impulse purchase wasn’t the best. Finally, our 2 year old washing machine has gone kaput. If I wash one more load in it, I’m certain the guts of the machine will fly out the back and water will drool all over the floor. We have a new one coming tomorrow.

The moral? I need to go sell something, like now.

**create your own personalized map of the USA**

Next spring, I’m hoping to travel to Mississippi with my Daddio. It’d be nice to meet (or re-meet, since I could have met some at a young age) a few of my relatives on his side of the family and see where he grew up. Other states I have a hankering to see for the first time are: Maine, Oregon and South Carolina. Plus, there are some states that I’ve visited but would like to return to so that I can experience new places within them: California (Redwood National Park, Napa, San Francisco, Yosemite), Arizona (Grand Canyon, Red Rock Canyon), Massachusetts (Boston, I’ve only been there on business and Adam wants to show me around), Hawaii (everywhere), Wyoming (Yellowstone National Park), Florida (Tampa Bay Bucs stadium, Key West).

As for the greater map of the world, my travel experience is limited. Sure, I’ve been to Canada and Mexico plenty…and I got to see a tiny bit of Amsterdam and a lot of Italy in 2007. But I’m dying to see: Paris, London, Hong Kong, Beijing (The Great Wall), Cairo (Pyramids), Tokyo, St. Lucia, Prague, Rio de Janeiro, Greece, Angkor Wat (Cambodia), Taj Mahal-New Delhi-Nepal and lots more. In retrospect, I should have started this list at a younger age…