Oh, the Rants. They Do Excite Me.

I've had a headache since I woke up last Wednesday.

Some days are worse than others. Friday morning it was a sharp, blinding pain emanating from the top of my spinal column across the back of my skull and over the top of my head. I couldn't turn my head. And yet, I went to work. I "had" to. I took one of Dillon's Zomigs because I'm out of Imitrex and by afternoon the icepick in my brain had faded to a dull ache. (I get the same effect with Rum, but Zomig is more socially acceptable at 0930.)

I'm trying to temper my use of Dillon's Zomig, because after all, it's Dillon's Zomig. And what if he needs some after I've swooped in and ingested his whole stash? So I've been supplementing with Bayer periodically. I have Motrin 800's too (lovingly known as Vitamin M), but in the case of a migrane, Motrin is as helpful as Mike-n-Ikes. (I also have one single, solitary, Tylenol 3 left from my surgery last summer but I've been rationing those very strictly. One each month on the first or second day of my period. So as I can stand up straight and carry on a coherent conversation. Fair warning: Avoid me on the 9th or 10th of January... )

Anyway, at first I thought it was a migrane. I tend to get them during my ever-so-inconvenient monthly hormonal fluctuations. But since I went off The Pill a couple of years ago, the instances of migranes has dropped dramatically. I can't even remember the last time I had a headache that lasted more than 3 days. But now it's been 6 days and I can feel it ramping back up even now. I am starting to wonder if this is less of a "migrane" and more of a "what-the-hell-am-I-doing-in-customer-service-if-my-biggest-pet-peeve-is-whining-headache". Seriously. I had homeowners call me to complain that there were leaves in their yards today and then ask me if I would be staying. You know it's never a good sign when you start meeting people in your new job and they very cheerfully say, "Well, Paige, it's nice to meet you. I hope we can keep you. We seem to have trouble keeping people here."

Did it ever occur to you people that it's because you're CRAZY? And you need to get a grip and realize Ethnic Cleansing qualifies as a catastrophe, but leaves on your lawn only qualifies as AUTUMN! And that just because YOU think that a tree needs trimmed doesn't necessarily mean that it will be trimmed if our professional arborist doesn't agree with you! And guess what?! If you are scheduled to have your house painted next summer but you think that your rake board* needs painted now...no one gives a crap! You will wait 6 more months with the other 150 homeowners or pay yourself to have it done! Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the Board of Directors chooses to enforce SOME of the By-Laws (ie: there can be no chairs/benches/decorative flags in the common areas) but ignore others (ie: leaving your trailer-trash Little Tykes playhouse in the common areas where everyone has to look at them is not a problem)

(So if I buy a Little Tykes bench is it OK?).

And don't walk into my office and treat me like shit because you think that I'm an ignorant, couldn't-get-a-real-job, phone-answering, paper-pusher from the wrong side of the tracks. I am a fast-talking, fast-moving Yankee, who has lived abroad, raised 2 of the best-behaved, most intelligent kids I've ever met, earned two degrees from Purdue University and without-a-doubt paid more for my house, in YOUR neighborhood, last year than you did 2, 5, 15, or 35 years ago.

*Can I tell you how much I hate it that I even know what a rake board is?

Well...that didn't help my headache. But I think we all have a better picture of what the real trouble might be.....

I'm getting a Tylenol PM and going to bed.

PS - I really love my boss and would have probably already called Uncle if I didn't have her watching my back (and buying me lunch when she sees me going under).