Amazing what gets done when you should be studying for an exam...

When I was in University many years ago, I perfected the art of procrastination. I was great at getting stuff done, it just all got done nanoseconds before it had to be handed in. I always marveled at how sparkling clean my house was around exam time, the new gourmet dishes that I came up with because I would spend ages in the kitchen, and how many hair-do's I could come up with so that I wouldn't have to wear a ball cap to all my classes.

A few months ago, In a state of complete and utter stupidity, I signed up for a project management course. One of my girlfriends was stunned - "What the hell are you taking a project management course for? You work, you study, you have kids, if that isn't progect management, I don't know what the hell is. If you fail that will be really, really embarassing."

So now that I should be studying for this exam which is in a week, I am of course procrastinating, and my idea of "procrastination" is getting some laundry done, and trying for the millionth time to find my wedding band that I lost in the couch two years ago. Since I didn't feel like doing laundry the other night, I thought I would have another hunt for the wedding band...

Here's the scoop - almost two years ago, on my birthday, I lost my wedding ring. I was seven months preggo with Nicholas, and to this day, I am gobsmacked at how it was possible for the ring to FALL OFF MY FINGER when the rest of me was bloated to double my normal size (sadly, almost two years after the birth, my normal size is still well and truly hiding somewhere). I was sitting on the couch, lamenting the fact that it had been a horrible birthday and how could it possibly ever get worse. Yeah, did I mention I have a big mouth?

The thing I remember most about that day was that I spent a good portion of it in the emergency room with Ethan. We were in music class, and his teacher was holding his hand trying to get him to "hop". As she yanked up, she dislocated his elbow. I took him to our family doctor who told me to go to the ER and get it x-rayed. "Don't worry" she said, I'll phone ahead and you will be taken care of right away. That was music to my seven-month-pregnant self's ears.

As I found out later it is a really common injury, so common in fact that many doctors will just pop the elbow right back in while the child is in the waiting room. Alas, we got the full meal deal that day, because we had to wait four hours to see the doctor. Now I understand an 18 month old in the ER with a simple elbow out of joint is so not a priority, but hell, it took him about two seconds to pop that sucker back in. He was shocked that the family doctor didn't do it and that she sent me all the way to the hospital. Oh it was a long, long day.

The couch that I lost the ring in is a nice one. Too nice to just tear apart, but not quite nice enough that I could get away with strategically slicing it in a few placed for a good hunt around. So I turned the couch over, poked and prodded, and then lifted up the end...and I heard a "clink". On the hardwood floor. OMG there was the ring. Amazing. An early 35th birthday present to me.

Now I have to hit the books...again.