That was the question! Pretty Doctor had to have a few medical tests for Med School, one being a TB test. Here is her result:
Pretty much looks like TB to me! See how swollen her arm is? She went in for a chest x-ray which, for some reason beyond my comprehension, is the determining factor that this result is positive or negative. Luckily, it was negative. Phew! There is a treatment had she come up positive, some medication for 9 months while not consuming alcohol, aged cheese or aged meat. You all know I would never eat aged cheese, or any cheese for that matter, and I could live without the aged meat. I'm thinking aged meat means stuff like salami. I like salami but I could definitely live without it. The alcohol would be another story. I would have to ask two questions: 1) what happens if you take the medication and drink alcohol, and 2) what if you don't take the medication at all?
Anyway, we don't have to worry about it for her.
So, just to be random, when we were down south setting up the Casita (what Pretty Doctor decided to call the Cottage in the West), we ran across this cupcake shop. I like to look at cupcakes so we went in. Pretty Doctor admired the cupcakes while I admired this:
Pretty Teacher ventured out to CT two years ago and lived in an adorable cottage, actually two adorable cottages. Now that she will become Pretty Doctor she is living in an equally adorable cottage, this one happens to be quite a bit west of the eastern abodes.
Pretty Doctor arrived in AZ on Monday, July 5th after a road trip with Pretty Nurse. I am grateful to Pretty Nurse for flying out to CT and driving with Pretty Doctor so I didn't have to. Actually, I was prepared to pay any amount of money to get someone to drive back with her. Yeah, that's right, I would have sold my soul not to make that drive again. It wasn't the company, it was that I didn't think I could sit in a car while the country passed before my eyes. Plus, there was no guarantee that we would see the armadillo in Oklahoma again.
On the 9th we ventured south, me driving a Uhaul and Pretty Doctor driving her over stuffed coche. Suggestion to Uhaul: Please install cruise control. I am apparently too lazy to try and maintain a steady speed. I had a cramp in my foot trying to do so.
We arrived around 7:30 a.m. We knew the Gas Man was showing up but we didn't know when, so we figured we would be there early, as we didn't want to miss him. I have never worked so hard in my life! We unloaded the U-Haul in about a half hour, seriously. I have never moved anyone with no other help. I was a little worried knowing that it would only be the two of us. We did it with only minimal sweat on all of her belongings.
Pretty Doctor immediately began to sand and paint an old dresser and 3 old coffee tables. They all turned out great. In the mean time I lined all the kitchen shelves and began to unpack her kitchen stuff. Then she and I built her Target dining table, IKEA chairs, some bathroom storage units and set up her bed.
Saturday we woke up so drained. Her desk was build and had the cable, internet and the washer and dryer installed (cable, internet, washer and dryer were installed by professionals, not us, so don't worry!). At this time we realized none of the outlets in the living room and dining room worked which was weird cuz they worked before. The cable guy (not like Jim Carey) tested the outlets. Some were live, some weren't but the live ones wouldn't power any lamp or other electronic device. Huh! So the TV and internet were powered by a big green extension cord from the kitchen. Classy! Pretty Girl and The Homeowner came down for a couple hours with a chair that Pretty Doctor couldn't fit in her car and we left before the store opened to it couldn't go into the U-Haul. The Homeowner installed the reverse osmosis. I threw a load of clothes in the wash and we carried on with the move in.
Suddenly, we realized the kitchen sink was backing up. I ran to the laundry room and it was flooded. We had no choice but to call a plumber. $200 later the laundry room was unflooded (I swept it out and it so freaking hot it dried up in record time), the kitchen sink drained and we were back in business. Then, Pretty Girl and I assembled the BBQ, got a propane tank, filled it, went to Fry's and then made everyone hamburgers. They were delicious!
Sunday we finally got around to installing the blinds and curtain panels. The previous two nights we taped up curtains in Pretty Doctor's room with blue painters tape (again, classy!). We installed 8 sets of blinds and four curtain rods. Each installation was different from the last. This cottage is made of cinder block and very difficult to penetrate. There were four trips to Home Depot Saturday, three trips Sunday and two trips on Friday. They know us by name now (as they should, we spend enough money there!). We were exhausted and began having trouble making decisions, like what time cocktail hour started.
Thankfully we got everything done. I look like I have been beaten from head to toe with a baseball bat but I bruise easily and haven't been questioned by any of the authorities. Plus, the bruises just prove that I didn't sit on my ass for a week. Here are some before and after pics for your viewing pleasure:
The Cottage before move in and after
The mosaic table top made from my old dishes and some tiles Pretty Doctor picked up in Mexico
The laundry room before and after
The folding table/laundry products holder I fashioned(that's right, fashioned!) from an old cabinet and an old door I cut to fit with my jig saw, then covered with contact paper
The living room/dining room before and after
That's Pretty Girl making sure the cable works correctly (And not helping. It's ok, she's pretty!)
The kitchen before and after
Pretty Doctor's bedroom before and after
The Study before and after (so far only Pretty Doctor's desk. The other roommates haven't arrived yet). Pretty Doctor will be upset with this picture. She hadn't organized her desk at this point.
That's about it. There are two other bedrooms but they're still empty. A neighbor stopped by one morning to give us some history of this house. Apparently, the house was a rental and had been Red Tagged (a designation by the police as a party house) and, when the house was vacated, it was used by transients. They broke the windows and would sleep there. That nugget of info explained the never ending supply of glass shards on the ground.
So, if you're ever down south stop in and say hello.
It's hot as hell here. I can barely stay hydrated. Walking in the morning drenches me and it's not refreshing! This is the time of year where it's really hot and the humidity is on. It's horrible. I understand that the mid-west and east have way higher humidity but I don't care about them.
I wish there were drive-ins other than fast food and liquor stores here (Yes, you can drive up to a window and order booze. It's way cool!). I want to drive up to Lowe's and ask for the items I need and them have them load them for me. Or drive up to the grocery store and order my stuff and have them bring out the bags of groceries.
But that's not the way it is. You have to get in and out of the car to do your errands. Between stops is not enough time to cool you or your car down so you arrive home hot and cranky. 115 degrees is just not right!
