Author: kathleen

Here’s the full account of what is going on.

I have a paid for a year Ning account and have had it since they opened up the service.

Over a month ago, I created a “free trial” network.  There was no response so about three weeks ago I decided to close it.  Guess what, there is NO way to close a @ning network once you open it.

I had particular problems because I used a hyphen in the email account, their ticket system wouldn’t even take a ticket.  It took over a week to resolve the problem but I do understand because this was Thanksgiving week.

But guess what, after I opened the ticket, they closed it with no response AND then tried to bill me again.  The good news is if you go to the network, it says it closed (maintenance issues) and Paypal won’t give them my money.

I’ve yet to see any other system this screwed up in years.  Compuserv was this bad about billing and for years a collection agency had a few months of Compuserv billing that I refused to pay as I wasn’t using the service.

In other words, find somewhere else to keep up with your groups rather than @ning.

Haven't been sleeping well-mask wakes leaking. 

Have had problems with this mask from the beginning. Had trouble adjusting to it.

Here's the weird part is that I am back with my original mask.

Even weirder is that the dogs seem bound and determined that I don't use the bad mask the have chewed up two old inserts in the past days but leave the good one alone. Not sure how the are getting them.

Sent from my Windows Phone

This weekend, one of the diabetes twitters was upset with her diabetic daughter because the daughter left the house without enough test strips.

I answered,"Been there, done that, 8 years diagnosed, 50 years old”.

I think I helped mom.

We all have lapses when it comes to doing anything, including caring for ourselves. I do keep spare things, but in the last month I’ve left my blood sugar monitor at school (on Friday night), and have more than once, not put enough test strips in my bag.

Hey, I am pretty sure my driver’s license is in my scanner at school right now, and will be running by to pick it up.

So mom’s don’t be so hard on us.  You make mistakes too.  In fact, I recently found out my mother stopped testing (she’s diabetic too – guess where I got it – though I really think mine came from my father’s side).  It was quite satisfying to be justified on jumping on her case.

I was diagnosed with diabetes at the beginning of the school year, 2002.  At the time, apparently my pancreas completely failed, because no amount of oral meds helped.  Went on insulin pretty quickly.

Have been on an insulin pump since 2004.  It’s made a huge improvement on my life, but it still sucks.

I have to think about everything bit I eat, bolus for it, test for it two hours later.  Though it has made me a bit healthier.

While it would be nice there was a cure, especially for Type 1.  I doubt there will be one any soon for someone like me, who has genetic Type 2 and has trouble dealing with their weight and other issues.

Here are my 6 things:

1. Diabetes often gets in the way of the things I want to do.  It makes me tired, it makes me hard to get along with.
2. I x-th that it is a Time Thief.  Adding time to meals, stealing time to test, etc.  Oh, and then there’s the doctor’s visits.
3. It’s a money thief.  Even with insurance, the out of pocket costs are horrible.
4. It’s painful.  From blood tests to insulin injections to site insertions.

Okay, today I can only do 4.

Wonder if diabetes is causing the writer's block.

The reason I haven’t been posting lately is that my plate is too full.

Most of that is a good thing.  My students keep me incredibly busy during the day – making sure they are on task and grading everything as quickly as possible.

Some of my day is flat out frustration.  We have been living in a construction zone since last April.  They have been working on our HVAC since then.  In fact they were welding in front of my door most of the time through July and August.  Here’s the deal though.  We have great ventilation and temperature control in the halls, NONE in our rooms.  I actually do for a few minutes in the morning, but then it quits, and doesn’t pick back up.  Unfortunately my room faces South with a huge bank of windows.  So it gets incredibly hot.  I didn’t think it could even GET this hot.

Also, the parents keep pulling into my parking space WHILE I have a turn signal on, signally I’m turning left.  Today the parking lot was restriped and I had to count and while I was doing that, mom in truck pulled in front.  I wasn’t near as upset about that one as I was the previous oblivious parent.  I keep wondering who they are actually going to run over.

We can’t lock ours.  They replace nice heavy doors, with hollow doors which have windows.  We have to wait for the district lock smiths to make keys for the doors.  They are usually pretty quick but can’t start until all our doors are installed.  We have some that are still missing, we don’t know why.

Training two dogs keeps me busy too.  Right now, I have two classes with Dulce (but one of those is ending next week), and one class with Macy.  Technically I have two, but I gave up on the second one.  Too far away and too frustrating, as they use a totally different training method.

Which brings me to the main reason I’m blogging.  People keep giving me reasons to stress out.  Example, I show up at the local training class and am nailed as I am coming in to sign in and told my dog has to wear a diaper.  Yes, they pee in the class, I am still having trouble figuring out their schedule but have discovered that if I go into a class, the dogs needs to pee within the first 5 minutes of class and that walking them around doesn’t work.  I have to actually do a couple of obstacles first.

So last night, we did about 5 minutes of training, I went outside and she peed right away.  To play it safe, I took her out two other times. 

However, I’m not thrilled with that place.  Their idea of climates to be keeping the doors open.  If I wanted to breath outside air, I’d be at an outside facility (and have my name on a waiting list).

The instructors are lousy.  The first instructor I stopped going to there, cannot think outside the box at all.  I have beagles, to train them, you have to think outside the box.  I’d already tried any of her ideas and they didn’t work and I was looking for new ideas.  Also I wanted someone who actually taught, not one that set out a random course, sat on her butt, and told us what we did wrong.  Again, all her ideas were stuck soundly in the box.

The second instructor I worked with for months, and then discovered what I had already suspected, my dog couldn’t do common household stuff, like stays and walking on a leash.  Dog can walk like a conformation dog or walk in the park but not anything between.

I can’t decide if she can’t follow a lesson plan or can’t write one.  The result is the same.

Their third instructor is a great instructor except her husband is stationed oversees and when he comes home, she disappears without warning.  I don’t blame her, but I want to go to class. 

I really like their fourth instructor and I am currently starting next week, signed up with two classes with her.  However, the second instructor told me last night that my dogs had to wear a diaper if I trained there. 

I AM NOT RUNNING MY DOG IN AGILITY WITH IT IN A DIAPER.

If that is insisted, give me my money.  Please, they are dogs, I pick up after them.  Oh, and why don’t you get on dogs that drool all over the place?  Isn’t that as bad?

Just got my A1c and it's 7.6 — much better than the 8.4 in August or 9.0 in May. 

Those who keep up with these things will remember that I let my blood sugar get completely out of control in May.

Feeling a bit better over all too.

Not as easily as I did the week before Parent Conferences, and I think one of the reasons is my sleeping issues.  Kids are bothering my not working — CS is fine, it’s the Web Design kids that aren’t working.

But I’m slowly losing weight.  Unfortunately I am also still having trouble with some foods.

I was doing well, lost 5 pounds, feeling good and then Parent Conferences hit.  12 hour day, not knowing how I had to talk to, and in fact, only 11 parents showed.  That sort of thing always stresses me out and makes ne eat.

Gained back most of the weight I lost, and it’s taken several days to recuperate, but I think I’m back on track now.

World, leave me alone.