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Pfizer and Roche love,

Justine

"I'mmmm moving out" - Billy Joel

So I peaced out of Babcia's place and moved an hour away to start my pharmacy post-grad residency. Every time I call Babcia to check in she asks "How much do you miss me?"

She totally misses me too.

I miss her CRAZY stories about her day, about my great grandmother, about people at the grocery store, about her high-school days. I miss her completely ridiculous phrases and educational moments on both parts.

As I'm leaving... 

I can't even go into detail about all the things that I've learned through one year living with my grandmother. I wouldn't have traded it for the world. 

Of course there were days that she and I got annoyed with each other, but that comes with any roommate (almost) right?!?

Still now when I go to visit her and I start talking about something she says "WHAT? You're MUMBLING" and I still wish I had Wenisa to translate everything I say.

Thank you all for continuing to read this blog and share it with friends. Seeing where people are reading it from has been a total trip! I'll keep updating, because her antics WILL NOT end. But I just thank you for coming along on this journey with me over the past year...

MORE TO COME!

Zoloft and Effexor,

Justine

Puppy Love

Babcia's not one for animals. My grandfather was always the "animal lover" if you may.

My cousins just got a new puppy! It's a little fluff ball, I mean a Maltese, and it's adorable! I went over to see RUSSELL on Saturday and all I saw was my cousin playing with a large ball of cotton in the front yard. I quickly picked him up and was cuddling with him, and then looked and Babcia and said "Do you want to hold him?"... "I'll wait" she replied.

So we go inside, I'm still holding him, I get him to drink some water, still holding him...

"Do you want to hold him now?"... "I'll wait"

So then we try to figure out his new little harness thing... too big. Then I cuddle with the fluffball some more and I hear "I'll hold him now"

So they meet. Rudolph. Or Roger. Or Reagan. Or Randy. Whatever Babcia calls him... I know it was love at first sight.

Looks like someone's going in for a SMOOCH!

I think Babcia has a new boyfriend. She is QUITE the cougar! I mean...Russel is only about 2 months old. But age is just a number... RIGHT?

"I'm so cute...Just me and my woman"

Babcia refuses to have Russell over her house. But it was just day 1. I think a few more meetings and we'll be progressing to sleepovers realllll soon ;)

Zyrtec and Claritin,
Justine

"What Do I Need It For?"

"What Do I Need It For?"

"What Do I Need It For?"

"What Do I Need It For?"

This is Babcia's new philosophy. 

It took... about 2 weeks. Of intervention. Daily... Daily... Daily Intervention.

I started selling many many many of my worldly possessions on eBay within the past month. 

(No, I didn't start selling them for the "End of the World" on May 21st, and no I have not willed everything to Family Radio)

I just realized that many things that are sitting around in my room or still with tags on in my closet were being sold online for money. So I hopped onboard the Ebay Train and have made nearly $400 in less than a month. 

Babcia kept seeing me taking pictures of things and shipping things. I know she was jealous. She'll never admit it. But she was.

I would walk around the house appraising her multitude of trinkets that are collecting dust on her tables... 

Once I would tell her something was work $50-$75, she'd say:

"Hmm... well, I think I'm going to keep it." - (about a decorative wedgwood ashtray.. what does she need that for?)

Then I stopped my free appraisals, but she started bringing me things.

"I FOUND SOMETHING YOU COULD SELL!" She then brings me this beautiful glass cake stand with silver on it and so I find it online as she's cleaning it up a bit. I show her that it's going for about $40 and as she's polishing it she says "Ya know... I think I like this. I'm going to keep it."

Now we were going backwards. We were taking things that were tucked away in the depths of the attic and closets and bringing them out, she clearly hasn't used them for decades, but now instead of selling something that she doesn't use, she wants to keep it. 

This went on for 2 weeks.

She finally caved 4 days ago. She brought me a clock. Eh, not much ebay interest, but maybe someday soon. Then yesterday.... some random other pottery (one already has a bid) and this beautiful cut class clock that was appraised at $800. I was shocked about this one. She really had a hard time letting it go. But her friend came over and she was telling her what we were doing and Babcia says to her "Ya know, what do I need it for?"

It's REALLY gorgeous.

*INSERT HALLELUJAH CHORUS*

She's making progress. And there are people watching her clock on ebay and that cake plate we finally got up there too. 2 people are "watching" that auction.

I think she's getting excited.

And I'm getting mega distracted from studying for my licensing exams. 

Dopamine and more Dopamine,

Justine

Princess and the Frog

What the heck is Babcia doing??

Throwing down a V at the grill?

Oh...let's zoom in on that a little bit.. what's on that grill handle?

It's a little froggyyyyy!

Babcia went outside to turn on the grill for the first time this year, took off the cover, and discovered "a little friend".

Screams. Shreaks. "AHH HELP! FROG!"

Really? A frog? Its a frog. Maybe he's a prince in disguise!

So before I got the frog off of the grill, I obviously took these pictures, and then nudged my little frog friend and he went hopping away.

The neighbor even came up on the back porch to investigate Babcia's screaming and assist in the frog removal. He suggested keeping the frog on the grill for some frogs legs.

With his wife yelling from next door that she was going to call PETA.

I'm glad I saved the little froggy from the perils of his charcoal demise.

HCTZ and Furosemide,

Justine

10 Things Wenisa Has Learned...

Today Wenisa is moving out. She's lived here for almost a full year, which doesn't seem possible. I asked her to "reflect" on the past year and she gave me the stink eye. Then after two consecutive mealtime conversations/lessons (one about the British Monarchy and the next about Charles Lindburgh and his desire to pick a wife based on her genes so he can have the children he desires)... I asked her to think to 10 things she learned while living with Babcia over the past year. Here's what she came up with:

1. Never forget to close the blinds at night to your back deck because a bear might be peekin in on you!
2. How to serve as a translator for Babcia. Justine talks kind of "fast" and "has marbles in her mouth" according to Babcia and she can never understand what she says, so I always have to explain what she said... I don't know how she's going to live with out me!
3. How to clean your old tarnished silver!!! Take  a glass bowl that has a crumpled piece of tin foil and a few spoonfuls of baking soda in it, put your tarnished silver in it, and pour some boiling water over it...and VOILA!
4. My eyes were opened to the world of Poland. Polish Harvest Festival, polish traditions, and most importantly POLISH FOOD! My favorite was definitely kielbasa...
5. I also learned about flower arrangements when I attended the Garden Club's monthly meeting with Babcia. I will most definitely never include my container as part of my arrangement EVER again!!
6. I met a 102 year old woman. I went to Justine's great grandmother's house on her 102nd birthday and that was just really cool!
7. I learned people still use landlines. Babcia's landline rings OFF THE HOOK! I've never heard a house phone ring so much...
8. Narcolepsy is contagious. (this statement may not be medically accurate)
9. Babcia maybe shouldn't run an online book company without our help...
10. Babcia is a good note taker. However, when it comes to finding the note, that's a WHOLE nother story. She has about 15 notebooks that she could have written it in, or on a piece of paper in the kitchen, on the desk, in her room, pretty much...it's gone for good. 

...and many more lessons learned :)

Babcia's adopted 5th grandchild... Wenisa :)

Thanks for everything Wenisa! I'm glad I had someone to share these memories with!

Zoloft and Effexor,
Justine and Wenisa

The Royal Wedding Recap!

Well if we remember back a few months ago, Babcia was very upset that she wasn't invited to Prince William and Kate's wedding. When I woke up this morning, Babcia gave me the lowdown on the entire wedding...(here are some highlights)

1. The hats were fabulous
2. The Queen didn't have a black purse like she's been carrying for the past week
3. Kate wore flats down the aisle
4. Did you see her sister's dress?? THAT IS CLASS.
5. HE COULDN'T FIT THE RING ON HER FINGER!!
6. She had 4.. FOUR bouquets, because the flowers wilt ya know!

Then I asked her what SHE wore to the wedding... 

"Well, I got up early, put eye drops in my eyes, brushed my hair, and attended in my flannel nightgown, and I didn't have any shoes on! I didn't have a hat either..." 

WHAT?! I wish these were fashionably acceptable in America... Maybe not THESE, but hats.

If Babcia got to wear a hat, I hope it would be one like Princess Eugenie's (on the right). That has to be some sort of balancing act!

Ritalin and Adderall,
Justine

NO EXCUSES.

The hoarding continues. I was in Babcia's basement looking for scrap fabric I can use to cover a corkboard that I bought for mega-cheap today for my new apartment, and instead I found THIS:

WHAT?!

THAT'S FIVE. COUNT 'EM. FIVE IRONS. WHO NEEDS FIVE IRONS?!
When asked about this one...she said that it's her "favorite iron" and they don't make them anymore. A likely story...

So Justine does her research:

Mhmm... Exactly.

Just what I suspected. Definitely still available. That makes 5 extra irons completely ridiculous.

DabigaTRAN and AcetylJUSTINE,
Justine

You Know You're Getting Old When...

You know you're getting old when you pick up the remote and dial it like a telephone.

I guess it KINDA looks like a remote control...

But the kicker was when one of her best friends called Babcia and made her feel 100% better for what she had previously done, because her friend had DIALED THE MICROWAVE instead of the phone!

Both are hilarrrrious.

Aricept and Exelon,
Justine

Someone doesn't know how to WHISPER!

Babcia and I were in church today, and I spotted a little girl with super tight curly hair. She was adorable!

Her hair looked just like this!

I leaned over to Babcia during Mass:

Me - *whispered* "I would hate to have hair that curly. That has to be crazy to manage."

Babcia - "WELL, WHAT? SHOULD THEY SEND HER BACK?!"

Of course she says half of this once one prayer is over so it's even louder than it was when she was talking during the prayer... I mention to her that she doesn't know how to whisper and that she's really loud when she attempts.

2 minutes later...

Babcia - "WELL YA KNOW YOUR MOM'S HAIR IS ...."

Me - *whispered* "SHHHHH! You can't whisper!"

Unfortunately this isn't Babcia's first assault on the ears while in the church. During Christmas time, there was a small choir that seemed to have formed to sing most of the tunes during the mass. I've been going to this particular church with my family for as long as I can remember and there has NEVER been a choir before. After they were done singing, Babcia leans over:

Babcia - "YA KNOW... THEY AREN'T VERY GOOD..."

Pretty accurate representation. Right down to the ugly Christmas sweaters.

Which of course was said at the very end of a song so therefore everyone heard her. Probably including the choir. I mean, no they weren't the best. They needed a lot of help to be honest. However, I definitely would have saved those kinds of comments until I got out of church!

Aminoglycosides and Amphotericin B,
Justine

This Ain't No Amazon.com!

The influx of crazy amounts of cookbook orders has continued. I'm about ready to pull my hair out. The house has turned into a pseudo-bookstore. People have come here to pick up cookbooks. We have delivered them. Most of them we ship out to everywhere from Arizona to Georgia to Vermont! Fortunately, Babcia has few business expenses in the form of cheap labor (i.e. Wenisa and I work for food and not money.)

Babcia has attempted to take on the role of "Customer Service Associate". I really wish that "all calls will be recorded for training purposes only", because the notes that I find that she has scribbled down, on 15 different pieces of paper, that seem to be hidden throughout the house, is utterly ridiculous. I have gotten a number of checks written out for the wrong amount. People sending their checks to the church instead of the house and then calling asking where their books are, and then multiple people who are addressing their envelopes to our home address but to the church. I don't LIVE at the church. I'm pretty much about to fire her. This many mistakes and inconsistencies with her work is grounds for termination...

I have taken on the role of being the bookkeeper. I don't know how I fell into this role, seeing as I don't know how to even balance my checkbook, but my Excel spreadsheet worked out tonight and perfectly equaled the amount of money we had in cash and checks down to the $0.45.. WINNING? (Is this the proper use of the Charlie Sheen phrase?) I've also taken on the role of secretary/back up Customer Service Associate and troubleshooter. Fixing what issues arise after Babcia has spoken with someone, or taking all of the 18 voicemails and calling everyone back.

Wenisa has taken on the role of the packaging and shipping department. She takes the labels I give her, puts the cookbooks into the mailers and adds the return addresses and labels and tapes everything down. She gives them the final seal of approval... Great job Wenisa!

HERE'S MY QUESTION:
ONE OF THESE THINGS IS NOT LIKE THE OTHER...

What is wrong with this series of pictures?!

Right. And Wenisa and I are working our butts off...and look who's sleepin on the job! TYPICAL!

Lunesta and Ambien,
Justine

Papa-Paparazzzzi!

Babcia has made it. She has reached the fame and fortune that we all desire. She was featured yesterday and today in TWO (count em'... one, TWO!) local papers for her development and involvement of a Polish Recipe Book.

NO JOKE. THE PHONE HAS BEEN RINGING OFF THE HOOK! Between yesterday and today she's had about 40 phone calls for people wanting to purchase these cook books. They're not only local people either, but they're from as far away as Georgia and Utah who are looking to fill their Polish tummies.

Too many phone calls! AHHH!

She has to put her organizational skills to good use now. She has way too many pieces of paper floating around already. She's happy with the "postage stamp" size picture of her that they put in the paper as well.

What a cutie-patoootieee!

She doesn't understand how the article gets online.

"HOW ARE THESE PEOPLE READING ABOUT IT ONLINE?! IT'S IN THE NEWSPAPER!"

 So THAT was a big teachable moment yesterday... online news. But when it went to a different newspaper today and then people were calling saying they saw it online for THAT newspaper, then she couldn't understand that one. *smacks head*

Want a Polish Recipe Book? I removed her number, but I guess just let me know :)

HCTZ and Tums,
Justine

Online Dating.

Did you know this existed?!

Babcia's thoughts on online dating for senior citizens:

Maybe I should get her this book. I find it ironic that they have an "Online Dating" book in print, but I guess... it's more ridiculous that they have a full book on it. ALSO have it for the Kindle.

• I can't even call up Google never mind use Facebook for the thumber, so how would I go online dates?
• I had a wonderful marriage and I really don't need anyone... that just leads to nonsense
• I don't mind lunch, and I don't mind dinner, but I definitely don't want to be dessert!  

 I guess I should just be glad that I just have to routinely reset every single password to Babcia's bank accounts online because she forgets them all and messes them all up, and that I don't have to set up an online dating profile for her... what a nightmare that would be!

Lyrica and Lovenox,
Justine

Don't Worry...

Don't worry. Babcia hasn't lost her edge... She hasn't lost her cool. I've been traveling for the past three weekends and haven't really been home for more than 1-2 days at a time and therefore my encounters with her have been few and far between.

But she DID just buy a GARMIN. So let's see where this one takes us... LITERALLY?

And subsequently couldn't find it today... alotta good that will do for her!

More stories to come soon!

Restoril and Lunesta Lovins, (I'm tired...)
Justine

Speechless...

I don't think I can even say anything about this:

An all too familiar scene.

I'm only being nice by photographing this scene as infrequently as I do...

Not to mention this makes her look like an ice-cream addict, and she's really not. Gotta love Babcia.

Ambien and Lunesta,
xoxo Justine

I love Hibabchi

Wenisa was just talking about going to the HIBACHI the other day and I hear "YES?" from the kitchen.

Poor Babcia thought we were calling her name when Wenisa was talking about HIBACHI!

Just the other day I went to eat at a hiBABCIA restaurant?

So, I hope this doesn't come as devastating news...

Babcia (BOB-CHEE or BOB-CHA) - grandmother in Polish

She won't ever know if you continue to call her "Bab-see-a" in your mind when you're reading along.

Cardizem and Coreg,
Justine

I never learned that...

I hate socks. My feet really love to be free and not confined to the imprisonment of knits. or WOOLS. Gosh no. I believe that the desire for freedom that my feet have is akin to the feminist bra burning movement in the 1960s...minus all the politics. There are no political movements I am trying to make in not wearing socks.

Babcia however is horrified by my decision to strut around the house sock-less.

Her classic line?

"Your feet are going to catch a cold!" - Babcia

This is the only sick foot you will EVER see!

I'm sorry. WHAT?! In my 14 years of schooling and 4 years of pharmacy school, I have never schooled on the possibility of contracting a cold with your feet as a point of transmission. That is the silliest thing I have ever heard in my life. I wonder if that line was EVER effective with her daughters or anyone else to get them to put socks on.

Or maybe I'm just the most rebellious person she's ever encountered...

Or maybe she's really onto something. I did get sick for 3 weeks solid. Maybe I should not dismiss this one and contact someone from the Mayo Clinic or something...

Bactrim DS and a Zpak,
Justine

Collector or Hoarder - Part Duex.

I spent my Sunday afternoon going through 3 drawers of old pictures and organizing them or my grandmother...unfortunately I came upon a disturbing discovery.

They say a picture says a thousand words... If that is true, then what does this picture say to you?

??!!

Really Babcia? A DRAWERFUL of SHOELACES?
I think I'm now leaning toward "Neat Hoarder".

"Babcia, what the heck do you need ALL of these shoelaces for?!" - Justine

"Um, well ya know... um. um... I use them to tie up my plants when they get droopy! And... And...You're going to put that on the blog aren't you?" - Babcia

 "You betcha. You just keep rationalizing why you have a full drawer of shoelaces, and get back to me." - Justine

Oye. What to do.... What to do.

Topamax and Butalbital,
Justine

Don't Go Breakin' Her Heart...

Babcia has been very upset lately. She is continuously teary eyed over the multitude of men that have walked out on her at the end of 2010.
Let's Review:

Mike Hydeck

1. Mike Hydeck - Morning WFSB News Anchor: Every morning upon rising from my bed and shuffling downstairs to grab some breakfast, I was always happy to see a little Scot Haney and Mike Hydeck in the morning. Fine looking older man. Apparently he has now betrayed our loyalty and switched over to Channel Nine? Wha??? People watch Ch.9 for news? I don't even know what to say Mike. What a downgrade... I'm disappointed. Now Eric Parker has to deliver our news with a smile... He just doesn't brighten Babcia's morning like Mike did. He and Scot would just make her giggle!

Harry Smith

2. Harry Smith - CBS Early Show Anchor: Let's just say, Babcia LOVES her morning news. First it was one of the female anchors to leave, then she caught wind that her beloved HARRY was leaving the Early Show too! She couldn't believe it, made me look it up, asked why, asked where he was going, etc. The first commercial we saw for the "new Early Show team" was horrifying to her. Harry Smith is most definitely a silver fox in Babcia's eyes... too bad he was replaced by a dapper looking younger gentlemen, with more spunk!

Randy Edsell

3. Randy Edsell - UConn Football Team: Post Fiesta Bowl, Randy not only walked out on the UConn Football team and community, but he walked right out of Babcia's life as well. This one was most definitely unforgivable and THERE'S NO GOING BACK. Randy did the unthinkable and left for the University of Maryland without even telling his team, or giving his personal phone call/text to Babcia. That was definitely uncalled for Randy. Totally uncalled for. Babcia is heartbroken.

Ryan Reynolds

4. Ryan Reynolds - Hottie Extraordinaire: This is one man that has COME BACK into Babcia's life. Ryan Reynolds is BACK on the market after his recent divorce, and Babcia hasn't let me forget about it. She mentions it probably once a day. I don't blame her...he is remarkably delicious.

If Ryan's looking for a cougar, Babcia's the lady to call...she'll be waiting by the phone, however I hope he's persistent, because it is like Grand Central Station with the amount of phone calls that come through here!

Atenolol and Metoprolol,
Justine