So, where to start? Busy as always, but really settling well into my job and starting to feel like I am getting a rhythm.

Two weeks ago, I went to see my doctor for a check up and he decided he wanted to try switching my depression med to something newer. Little did either of us know, that was a very bad idea. It turns out the medication I have been on (Effexor) has really rough withdrawal, that is more intense, the longer you have been on the medication. You get this weird dizziness, that seems worse if you turn your head really fast. It also makes you bounce horribly mood-wise, for no apparent reason. Suddenly crying, then fine, then intense anger over nothing. It is like a electric system shorting out! After three days off my old medications, I was scared. I was mildly hallucinating or something. Sounds in a room would become a weird blur of sound, were I couldn’t make out any distinctive sound or words and I really freaked when I was sitting next to a window and suddenly had this strong urge to hit my head against the window over and over. Yikes!!!

So I called the emergency doctor and he told me to try to start taking it again, which I did, and like magic, in 3 hours, everything was fine and has been since then. So I have done research online and found this is something the drug maker has tried to sugar coat and play down, but it is well known. In one forum, an ex-smoker said it was easier to quit smoking than get off Effexor. God! So I have an appointment with a specialist to talk about the whole thing. It freaks me out to be taking a medication with such terrible withdrawal.

Okay, enough of that cheerful talk..LOL! On top of that, I came down with a cold last weekend and have been fighting it all this last week, and now poor Joe has it too. The only good part was, because I was sick, I was able to be home and watch the whole inauguration of President Obmana from bed. I found it really interesting, since I had not really watched the event in the past.

While going through all this rough stuff, I tried to do crafty things, because this tends to help me when I am in depression hell. I made a really cute stuffed bunny from a pattern I found online. I like how it turned out.

Then I found a site online that is doing a free block of the month this year, so you end up with a nice wall quilt by the end of December. So I did the January block:

That was fun and now I am finding I am impatient for the February block! LOL!

In family news, Megan is getting ready to start her annual Girl Scout cookie sale. She is also going to be starting a six-week after school program where she will be writing her own chapter book. She is really excited about that, because she loves to write. It will be interesting to see what she ends up writing. She definitely takes after her Auntie Beth in that area!

Becca is busy getting ready for the big Science Olympiad meeting on February 7th. She is on two teams. One is Disease Detectives, where she will be told symptoms of a disease that is spreading, and she then has to figure out with her teammates, what the disease is. Sorta a CSI of germs. The other team she is on is building a wooden vehicle that has to go in a straight line for a certain distance, but then stop as close to a wall, without hitting it as possible. A raw egg is on the bumper, so if you mess up, you get a squished egg, thus name Scrambler.

Joe is sending in his application to change from his temporary 2 year residence card to his permanent 10 year green card. It will be nice to have that behind us. He is also very busy learning new video editing and music editing software for his Mac. He is hoping to maybe find work doing some video editing. He has also been working on getting the windows in our house replaced. Currently we have the old style that does nothing to insulate and so they are costing us a lot in heating and cooling costs each year. And I must say, I really don’t like the look of the style that was popular in the early 70s.. there is nothing attractive about them! So the new ones will be double paned, and we will be changing the big sliding glass door to the backyard to French doors.

Anyhow, I think that is about all the news for now! I will try to be better about updating my blog!

I totally love Craft magazine and I read their blog daily for ideas and inspiration. Today, *I*  actually made their site! I am so honored!!

http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2009/01/more_examples_of_tiny_needlewo.html

Already 2009, and I missed my Xanga anniversary. Eight years now, and I have become so lazy at blogging, only a few times a month, when it used to be several times a week. Maybe I can do better this year.

I am definitely getting settled into my new job now, and it is very busy. I work in corporate compliance , which makes sure the company is following all the laws and regulations related to selling medical devices and equipment. Right now there are major changes to what sales reps can give (well, now, not give) to health care folks. For instance, as you have probably seen, sales people often bring in goodies for doctor’s offices and staff: cookies, pens with logos, mugs, jars of candy with the company name on it. Well this is all going away, and our sales force is NOT happy! My job is to review requests for funding for things like educational symposiums, medical research and medial fellowships, and then present them to a committee for review and possible approval. I also help regulate gift giving and expense reports that sales people submit.

I always feel behind on the weekends, because I don’t have nearly the time I used to, to keep up on cleaning, cooking and the like. So I run around like mad all weekend, trying to catch up and then spend the work week, going to bed early,trying to catch up on sleep! LOL!

Today I was determined to just do a bit of crafting to make myself relax for a bit. At work, when we go on a break or lunch, it is customary to hang a little sign outside that says “Break” or “Lunch” so people know. It is also handy if you want to stay at your desk for one of those, and not be bothered, while you surf the web or read a book. But the signs were so ugly, just photo copies that had been made way too many times. So I decided to make a little sign to hand on a push pin instead. This is what I came up with:

I made a little tutorial, if you are interested. You can find it on my crafty blog:

http://wyldhare.typepad.com/

Tomorrow, we may go to a Classic Car show in La Jolla, that Joe is interested in. If not, I am hoping to assemble the room box for the mini chocolate shop that I have been working on forever. I also need to finish getting down the Christmas decorations, but that should not take too long.

Today I knocked off a few nitpicking little projects that have been sitting around. One was to replace our HVAC thermostat,so that is done now. Another was to install a set up hooks to hang up things like purses and belts in my closet. Check! While the tools were out, I also hung up several pictures that have been patiently waiting since we moved in, back in August.

I am reading Dewy, the new book about the library cat. It is so sweet! I highly recommend it. I received it as a Christmas gift and I am really enjoying it. But reading is a lot slower lately. I generally manage only a few pages before I go to sleep. I also manage some during my lunch break at work.

In other news, my 103 year old grandma seems to be reaching the last few weeks, or at best, months of her life. Her congestive heart failure is getting very bad and she is needing oxygen all the time to breath. She is at home, with hospice care now. They have given her care giver morphine to administer when grandma’s breathing gets really bad, apparently it relaxes her muscles enough, in small doses, so she can breath easier. She has had a very long and full life, but I hate to see the quality of her life at this point.

So that is where things are now. Busy as always, but life is good. I have a job, it is a good job. We managed to sell the Carlsbad house and we have a house to live in. And we all have our health! Yeah!! As long as libraries stay free, we should do okay! *grin*