Blehhhh. I'm a tired girl. Night before last J and I were hit with insomnia. Boring, mind-numbing insomnia - J got three hours of sleep before heading to work and I got four before our neighbors decided to start fighting and wake me up. Needless to say yesterday evening we both sat in front of the TV and stared mindlessly, even though the writer's strike has officially hit and there were only stupid repeats. We did this because we had several conversations going something like this:
"*mumble* hmmanumana"
"Huh?"
"yuhgabadee."
"Oh."
"What?"
"Huh?"
It was a long, confusing night.
Today, however, I woke up (to the neighbors fighting again) and made sure all my Christmas cards were stamped and ready to go (they are, yay!!)...well that's about it so far. My mind is still sort of numb and after a couple weeks of feeling pretty good my FMS is flaring up a little. So...I'm stealing the following thingy from my mama because let's face it...today is no day for original composition.
-----
What have you just read?
I recently finished a streak of Sinclair Lewis works - from most recent back: Kingsblood Royal, Babbitt, Dodsworth, and Ann Vickers.
What are you reading now?
Stories for Christmas (Charles Dickens) - a collection of long and short stories that appeared in various Dickens publications that I'm finding quite amusing and alternately a little disturbing. 700+ pages of goodness from my favorite author.
and The Brethren (John Grisham) - which I recently picked up at a rummage sale. I don't normally read two books at once since I'm easily distracted and confused, but Stories for Christmas is large and heavy and I needed a lighter, less arm-straining book for my bubble bath reading.
Do you have any idea what you'll read when you're done with that?
Truman Capote's first novel, Summer Crossing, that we got used at Barnes and Noble (that most wondrous of book stores!).
What's the worst thing you were ever forced to read?
Moby Dick. I hate Moby Dick. It's boring and long. And The House of the Seven Gables - curse you, Hawthorne, for putting me through that. And Catch-22 - oh my gosh. BORING. Redundant. Preachy. The kind of book that makes you want to stab out your eyes.
What's one book you always recommend to just about anyone?
I can never recommend just one, but I'll try to keep it short:
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Hiding Place
Jane Eyre
Dracula
Admit it, sadly the librarians at your library know you on a first name basis, don't they?
They don't because J and I are the book-owning kind of nerds and not the library kind - we prefer to deck our apartment with hundreds of volumes of classic lit, history books, and the like and then choose what's next from our own shelves. Our library sustains us quite well. They do recognize J from when he came as a kid to book hours and things and laugh because we usually only hit up the library to check out movies.
Is there a book you absolutely love, but for some reason, people never think it sounds interesting, or maybe they read it and don't like it at all?
To Kill a Mockingbird. I love it to death, it's my #1 fave and for some reason whenever I recommend it people are like 'eh.' - and they either never touch it or say they read it in high school and didn't like it. Foolish people.
Do you read books while you eat?
I have tried for years to master this practice, but have failed. I either end up reading and forgetting I was eating my food or have to close my book and eat first...I just can't seem to keep the book open while I use my fork, spoon, or hand to eat. It's too unwieldy, it's just too hard.
While you bathe?
All the time. I never bathe without a book, and usually if I'm looking around the apartment and can't find my volume it's because I've left it in the bathroom from when I took my bath. I have only dropped my book in the tub once or twice, but I've ruined many a bookmark from this particular habit.
While you watch movies or TV?
TV, not movies. Books are a great commercial-filler.
While you listen to music?
Yep.
While you're on the computer?
Not all the time, but I have been known to sit and check email with a book open at my elbow.
When you were little did other children tease you about your reading habits?
When I was little my friends were even nerdier about books than I...talking about you, Betty and Melissa...
What's the last thing you stayed up half the night reading because it was so good you couldn't put it down?
I know that this has happened, but if it's night I'm usually wiped out and even when I want to stay up reading I fall asleep. J has closed my book and turned out my light for me countless nights because I just can't do it.
Have any books made you cry?
Jane Eyre, David Copperfield, Beloved (Toni Morrison), East of Eden, The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Jungle, ... I'm just gonna stop and say yes, many books have made me cry.
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Now THAT was a questionnaire I enjoyed. I love books, I just love 'em...it's put me in the mood and I'm gonna knock off a few more Dickens' Christmas stories. :)
Showing posts with label fibromyalgia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fibromyalgia. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
oh how i played
It's what I imagine a bug feels like after a firm stomping from an unforgiving shoe. Crushed, pain wracking its mangled body (can bugs feel pain? Or is it more like paralysis? "That's weird, I can't seem to feel my thorax!"), eyes squinted in agony, dimly wondering what the heck happened to make him feel this way. Except I know why I feel this way. Yesterday I played...
J dropped the van off in the morning yesterday...an unexpected pleasantry causing me to jump up and down and yell "Yippee!". I threw on my clothes and ran out the door. What would I do? Where would I go? As I planned my moves I climbed into the van and let out a cry... For quite a while now we've just been tossing our cans and bottles into the back of the van, figuring we'd take them to the redemption center "sometime". It was yesterday morning that I realized the time had come - 9 garbage bags bulging, one box clinking - blocking windows and threatening to jump into the front seat.
I happily drove to the grocery store and loaded two carts, handily wheeling them to the redemption counter. To the chagrin of every old lady in line behind me I then unloaded all 389 cans and bottles. It was no small feat; in the end I was sticky and somewhat disheveled...but it was with triumph that I cashed my pay ticket of $19.45!
Skipping back to the van I smiled to myself with smug contentment (clearly it doesn't take a whole lot to make me feel special) and drove to Mom's...where my nephew (GooberBear) and niece (Munchkin) were having a snack with their grammy.
Due to somebody being sick or my Fibromyalgia being stupid or somebodies car dying it had been a long while since we'd played together and our meeting was filled with screams and giggles. GooberBear is almost 4. He was so excited to see me that he jumped up and ran in circles and yelled for a few minutes before he could calm down enough to play. Munchkin is around a year and half and smiled and giggled while GooberBear did his thing.
Then we played, oh how we played! We spent a good half hour playing "How high did I jump?". This means I sit on the middle cushion of the couch and GooberBear stands on one end and jumps over me, most of the time needing a little help reaching the other side. Finally I said, "Okay, two more jumps and then let's play something else."
"Okay," said GooberBear, "three more jumps and then hide and seek." He always sneaks that extra jump (or whatever we're doing at the time) in there so naturally that I cannot refuse. What aunt could?
Hide and seek with GooberBear goes like this:
"Hey GooberBear, are you hiding or am I hiding?"
"You hide....in the bathroom." (for "in the bathroom" insert anything from 'under that chair' to 'by that plant')
Goober then proceeds to count from one to twenty. I was impressed as he accurately hammered out 1-12 and then finished up with, "thiiiirteen. fiiiiifteen. foooouurteen. seeeeventeen. TWENTY!"
Now half the fun for this little boy when he hides is having you look for him everywhere he's not while he giggles to himself at how you can't find him. ("Aunt B, look for me everywhere else first.") So as I was crouched down getting my socks wet in the tub I let out my own set of giggles as I heard him looking for me in the other room:
"Hmmm. Where could Aunt B be hiding? Under the table? Nooooo. On the couch? Nooo. Behind the lamp? Noooo..."
In the meantime, Munchkin has decided to join in and gleefully pulls back the shower curtain, exclaiming, "GAAAHBLLLAAA!!!!"
Our games were interrupted occasionally by a "TRAIN!!!!" or "GOHBO!!!" (garbage truck)...in which case we dropped whatever we were doing, jumped on the couch and watched what was going by with fascination through the front window.
After two hours of playing, discussing how we slept with our teddy bears, eating peanut butter off a big spoon, and talking about how we missed each other it was time to go. Fortunately they'll be up on Wednesday and we can play again for another day!
Tired out and sore I contemplated returning home, but having the van for a day was more temptation than I could handle and I hit up The Christmas Tree Shop and A.C. Moore for gifties and stocking stuffers (Christmas is coming!!!) before returning home.
This is where I should have taken the nap and painkillers my body was pleading for, but instead I got distracted and cleaned the hamster cages (gross), which somehow morphed into dusting and vacuuming...and sweeping the kitchen...and taking down 'normal' decorations to make way for Christmassy ones. And getting Christmas boxes out of the closet. When J came home the apartment was in wild disarray and I was ready to collapse. I did collapse, but after a brief nap and supper we got crazy, put on the holiday tunes, and decked the walls and windows with all manner of cheer. (Christmas is coming!!!)
We were done by 9:30 p.m. and after a few minutes on the couch I was painfully aware of having crossed the line physically by doing Too Much. Head pounding and muscles spasming, I went to bed around 11 p.m. No pill could keep the pain down enough for me to sleep, though, and by 3 a.m. I was comparing myself to the unfortunate insects. And now it is morning and once again I am full of pills and pain, but looking back on my day yesterday I can't help but smile and think that it was Worth It.
J dropped the van off in the morning yesterday...an unexpected pleasantry causing me to jump up and down and yell "Yippee!". I threw on my clothes and ran out the door. What would I do? Where would I go? As I planned my moves I climbed into the van and let out a cry... For quite a while now we've just been tossing our cans and bottles into the back of the van, figuring we'd take them to the redemption center "sometime". It was yesterday morning that I realized the time had come - 9 garbage bags bulging, one box clinking - blocking windows and threatening to jump into the front seat.
I happily drove to the grocery store and loaded two carts, handily wheeling them to the redemption counter. To the chagrin of every old lady in line behind me I then unloaded all 389 cans and bottles. It was no small feat; in the end I was sticky and somewhat disheveled...but it was with triumph that I cashed my pay ticket of $19.45!
Skipping back to the van I smiled to myself with smug contentment (clearly it doesn't take a whole lot to make me feel special) and drove to Mom's...where my nephew (GooberBear) and niece (Munchkin) were having a snack with their grammy.
Due to somebody being sick or my Fibromyalgia being stupid or somebodies car dying it had been a long while since we'd played together and our meeting was filled with screams and giggles. GooberBear is almost 4. He was so excited to see me that he jumped up and ran in circles and yelled for a few minutes before he could calm down enough to play. Munchkin is around a year and half and smiled and giggled while GooberBear did his thing.
Then we played, oh how we played! We spent a good half hour playing "How high did I jump?". This means I sit on the middle cushion of the couch and GooberBear stands on one end and jumps over me, most of the time needing a little help reaching the other side. Finally I said, "Okay, two more jumps and then let's play something else."
"Okay," said GooberBear, "three more jumps and then hide and seek." He always sneaks that extra jump (or whatever we're doing at the time) in there so naturally that I cannot refuse. What aunt could?
Hide and seek with GooberBear goes like this:
"Hey GooberBear, are you hiding or am I hiding?"
"You hide....in the bathroom." (for "in the bathroom" insert anything from 'under that chair' to 'by that plant')
Goober then proceeds to count from one to twenty. I was impressed as he accurately hammered out 1-12 and then finished up with, "thiiiirteen. fiiiiifteen. foooouurteen. seeeeventeen. TWENTY!"
Now half the fun for this little boy when he hides is having you look for him everywhere he's not while he giggles to himself at how you can't find him. ("Aunt B, look for me everywhere else first.") So as I was crouched down getting my socks wet in the tub I let out my own set of giggles as I heard him looking for me in the other room:
"Hmmm. Where could Aunt B be hiding? Under the table? Nooooo. On the couch? Nooo. Behind the lamp? Noooo..."
In the meantime, Munchkin has decided to join in and gleefully pulls back the shower curtain, exclaiming, "GAAAHBLLLAAA!!!!"
Our games were interrupted occasionally by a "TRAIN!!!!" or "GOHBO!!!" (garbage truck)...in which case we dropped whatever we were doing, jumped on the couch and watched what was going by with fascination through the front window.
After two hours of playing, discussing how we slept with our teddy bears, eating peanut butter off a big spoon, and talking about how we missed each other it was time to go. Fortunately they'll be up on Wednesday and we can play again for another day!
Tired out and sore I contemplated returning home, but having the van for a day was more temptation than I could handle and I hit up The Christmas Tree Shop and A.C. Moore for gifties and stocking stuffers (Christmas is coming!!!) before returning home.
This is where I should have taken the nap and painkillers my body was pleading for, but instead I got distracted and cleaned the hamster cages (gross), which somehow morphed into dusting and vacuuming...and sweeping the kitchen...and taking down 'normal' decorations to make way for Christmassy ones. And getting Christmas boxes out of the closet. When J came home the apartment was in wild disarray and I was ready to collapse. I did collapse, but after a brief nap and supper we got crazy, put on the holiday tunes, and decked the walls and windows with all manner of cheer. (Christmas is coming!!!)
We were done by 9:30 p.m. and after a few minutes on the couch I was painfully aware of having crossed the line physically by doing Too Much. Head pounding and muscles spasming, I went to bed around 11 p.m. No pill could keep the pain down enough for me to sleep, though, and by 3 a.m. I was comparing myself to the unfortunate insects. And now it is morning and once again I am full of pills and pain, but looking back on my day yesterday I can't help but smile and think that it was Worth It.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
checked-up
Mom picked me up this morning (for the car of delight is still dead, never to run again) and drove me through narrow, harrowing streets of City doom to my little doctor's office.
Success! I am pleased to report that my new doctor did not scare, hurt, or yell at me. She was so great and easy to talk to. She put my cringes immediately at ease :)
After much talking and catching up (I'd gone MIA from the doc's for about a year and apparently they frown on this) I got my two RXs renewed and have a new muscle-relaxer to try...I'd tell you what it is but I sort of already dropped it off at Sam's Club (this just in: you don't have to have a Sam's membership to fill your prescriptions there and, even though under the same corporation, they are actually cheaper than Wal*Mart!) and have forgotten the long, hard-to-pronounce name.
So I'm happy and at ease. Except that I'm due for my next pap smear at the end of January. Gross.
After this jubilantly easy to get through appointment we ate dollar-menu Wendy's and hit up the grocery stores:
Aldi's...is the stupidest store I've been to, but I keep going back because of great prices on spinach, mac and cheese, juice, and bread. First of all, making people pay a quarter to get a cart - even if you get the quarter back in the end - will keep people from leaving the carts everywhere, but it's darned inconvenient for people who never have quarters in their pockets. I also must say that narrow, crowded aisles, along with a guaranteed long, slow moving line is (to put it mildly) annoying.
Wal*Mart...is the best store I've been to, and I've started getting my groceries there almost exclusively (no offense, Wegman's) because of the low cost, ease of finding things, and quick check out lines. I love Wal*Mart, it is my friend.
We came home and I collapsed upon the floor (after thanking Mom profusely for all the rides she keeps giving me) for about 30 seconds. It would have been longer, but let's face it - yogurt, milk, and cheese don't do too well sitting on the counter for long periods of time.
I then cheerfully sat myself down at the computer to hammer out this faithful account, and in the middle of doing so I remembered that oh yah...the worker's comp auditor guy is coming today at 4:30 p.m. Maybe I should stop spilling my tired brain into my keyboard and get things ready for him.
Success! I am pleased to report that my new doctor did not scare, hurt, or yell at me. She was so great and easy to talk to. She put my cringes immediately at ease :)
After much talking and catching up (I'd gone MIA from the doc's for about a year and apparently they frown on this) I got my two RXs renewed and have a new muscle-relaxer to try...I'd tell you what it is but I sort of already dropped it off at Sam's Club (this just in: you don't have to have a Sam's membership to fill your prescriptions there and, even though under the same corporation, they are actually cheaper than Wal*Mart!) and have forgotten the long, hard-to-pronounce name.
So I'm happy and at ease. Except that I'm due for my next pap smear at the end of January. Gross.
After this jubilantly easy to get through appointment we ate dollar-menu Wendy's and hit up the grocery stores:
Aldi's...is the stupidest store I've been to, but I keep going back because of great prices on spinach, mac and cheese, juice, and bread. First of all, making people pay a quarter to get a cart - even if you get the quarter back in the end - will keep people from leaving the carts everywhere, but it's darned inconvenient for people who never have quarters in their pockets. I also must say that narrow, crowded aisles, along with a guaranteed long, slow moving line is (to put it mildly) annoying.
Wal*Mart...is the best store I've been to, and I've started getting my groceries there almost exclusively (no offense, Wegman's) because of the low cost, ease of finding things, and quick check out lines. I love Wal*Mart, it is my friend.
We came home and I collapsed upon the floor (after thanking Mom profusely for all the rides she keeps giving me) for about 30 seconds. It would have been longer, but let's face it - yogurt, milk, and cheese don't do too well sitting on the counter for long periods of time.
I then cheerfully sat myself down at the computer to hammer out this faithful account, and in the middle of doing so I remembered that oh yah...the worker's comp auditor guy is coming today at 4:30 p.m. Maybe I should stop spilling my tired brain into my keyboard and get things ready for him.
Monday, October 29, 2007
it's check-up time
It annoys me, I admit, to have to make an appointment just to get a standard refill on my medication. Though I'm not nearly the RX junky I've been in the past, I still have 2 (sometimes 3) standard drugs to help me get through my Fibromyalgic days. While I've been meaning to talk to my doc anyway about some possible changes to my meds (including getting an opinion about Lyrica) I cringe at the thought of walking into the doc's office tomorrow.
Cringe factors:
* Not having medical insurance - those office visits are not cheap.
* My doc left (got married and wants to have kids - how dare she get her own life!) and this appointment is with a new face. It's hard to find a good doctor when you have FMS and I liked my old doc so much, she was open and easy to get along with. The new face is at the same office, but still...I liked the old face!
* My doc office is in the dreaded City...the 'bad' part of town. The part of town your husband doesn't let you travel to alone, and while he agrees that it's alright to have his mom along with you, everybody still worries until you are safely home.
Nonetheless...off Mom and I go tomorrow for the exciting appointment.
*cringe*
Cringe factors:
* Not having medical insurance - those office visits are not cheap.
* My doc left (got married and wants to have kids - how dare she get her own life!) and this appointment is with a new face. It's hard to find a good doctor when you have FMS and I liked my old doc so much, she was open and easy to get along with. The new face is at the same office, but still...I liked the old face!
* My doc office is in the dreaded City...the 'bad' part of town. The part of town your husband doesn't let you travel to alone, and while he agrees that it's alright to have his mom along with you, everybody still worries until you are safely home.
Nonetheless...off Mom and I go tomorrow for the exciting appointment.
*cringe*
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