The Planet Turns

My friends have been reminding me I haven't updated my blog in a while.  It's been hard for me to think about writing.  I don't know what to say and what to keep to myself.  Tell the truth or spin yarns to make a good story.

I think I choose neither.

Some truth is, this has been one of the worst periods of my life.  I feel like my life has completely fallen apart and yet, the planet still turns, the sun goes up and down, I still breathe air in and out.  The people involved are going on with their lives like nothing ever happened.

I have learned a few harsh realities about the people I thought would be there for me, and when I desperately needed them during this terrible time, they each turned their backs on me, in one form or another.

It's very hard to find out you are THAT alone when surrounded by people you trust.

That's not to say that everyone in my life has abandoned me.  I am extremely grateful to the people who have offered me love, support and kindness in the aftermath.  But even with their support, it is hard not to feel lonely and betrayed.

For now I'm just trying to lick my wounds.  I don't think I feel like writing much here for a while.

The Road to Surgery

"You don't make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas." ~Shirley Chisholm


I don't know if the pain in my neck has gotten worse since I started seeking new treatment, or my tolerance for the pain is significantly decreased.   But it's getting harder and harder to get through the day.

It apparently takes quite a while for my herbal tea to build up in my system enough to work on the pain and I will have to stop it again not too long from now, so I can expect no relief from that quarter.  

Yet I don't want to be dependent on painkillers, especially since said painkillers seriously mess with my head.  I can either spend the day in pain or be pain-free and unable to think properly.

Patience has never been a virtue I possess.  I hate waiting.  I have just under 3 weeks left to wait.  Now that I have made the decision to go through with the surgery, I just want to get it over with and know if it worked.

Sigh. 

I guess I'm really up on my Soapbox today.  The pain made me do it.

Three Weeks...

...until my surgery.  I have a ridiculous amount of STUFF to do!

My parents are coming out to help me after the surgery, which is awesome of them, but I now have to clean my apartment until it shines...

I am not going to be able to lift ANYTHING for about 3 months.  That means no major grocery shopping.  So I'm trying to buy all the staples I'm going to need for the duration...I'm only 1/4 through my shopping list so far.

I won't be able to stand at a stove or counter for any length of time so I'm trying to pre-cook and freeze lots off meals I can reheat easily.  (I have a feeling I'm going to end up with more Healthy Choice and Chef-Boy-R-Dee!)

Moving things around - the microwave I'm going to be reheating all these pre-cooked meals currently sits on top of my refrigerator.  No lifting anything (including my arms) over my head...

And the list goes on and on.

I love living alone but on occasion it can be a pain.

I like to be as prepared and self-sufficient as possible, but I'm a lucky person to have friends I can call on for assistance in a pinch.

One thing to be said for the stress of trying to get everything done...

...it is generally overshadowing my fear of the surgery.

"Life seems but a quick succession of busy nothings." ~Jane Austen

Marching Toward Fear

"That man is prudent who neither hopes nor fears anything from the uncertain events of the future."  ~Anatole France

I've set the date for my neck surgery.  June 10th.

When it was something to be done in the future, I had my reservations, but could look forward to all the possibilities of freedom from pain.

Now that the surgery has been scheduled........

I'm terrified.

Less so that there is a catastrophic result, which is highly unlikely.  More that I will go through an invasive surgery and months of recovery only to find that yet another treatment has failed.  That I continue to have restricting pain for the rest of my life.  I have lived with it more or less successfully for 18 years.  But now that I have again sought treatment, I have less tolerance and resolve.  Hope can be a dangerous thing.

On the other end of the spectrum, what if the surgery is completely successful and my pain is completely gone?  I will no longer have a built in excuse for not doing a lot of things.  No excuse not to exercise, lose weight, start a business, go out and live my life to the fullest.  That's a pretty scary prospect in itself.

But despite the fears I am plowing forward because I can do nothing else and live with it.  So, better or worse, I'll deal with it on the other side.

On this morning's walk we were greeted with a smile.

And a mama duck with her ducklings.

Although we got sprinkled on, all and all, it was a beautiful morning.

Surgical Solution

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." ~Albert Einstein,

Hot Doctor sent me to a Neurosurgeon (Hot Shot Doctor, hehe).  At first, Hot Shot Doctor was very discouraging of the possibility of surgery.  He asked me what other treatments I had tried and suggested trying them again.

Not being insane, I wasn't too keen on doing things that didn't work over again.  Physical therapy was months of (not cheap) appointments several times a week that, while they did some good in the short term - think hours - in the long run they were completely unsuccessful.  I didn't really like the idea of wasting that much time on something so completely unhelpful...again.

So he sent me for a series of x-rays requiring my neck and shoulders to be twisted this way and that, and hold....keep holding... 

OUCH!

After reviewing the x-rays, he finally decided the surgery MIGHT help.  Probably not completely but possibly a significant reduction in pain levels.


18 year of pain, slowly getting worse...I'll take it.

I have to finish up some projects at work (my real job) before I can take the time off, so it will be about a month or so before I can actually do the surgery.

The worst part is the recovery.  THREE MONTHS(!!!) to full recovery.  Don't lift anything, including my arms, over my head.  And no photography..........

This better be worth it.

Blooming Bluebonnets

“Guys always think tears are a sign of weakness. They’re a sign of FRUSTRATION. She’s only crying so she won’t cut your throat in your sleep. So make nice and be grateful.” ~Donna Barr
 
I went Bluebonnet hunting last weekend.  They are beginning to bloom, but it was unfortunately a stormy weekend.  I wasn't rained on but the sky was gray and overcast and the light was not great.  Murphy's Law and an amateur mistake, I was so fast out the door early in the morning, I didn't realize I forgot my tripod.  I did manage to get a couple decent shots.  I'm hoping this weekend will be better.

I was rear-ended in February and I finally got my car into the shop.  Dealing with the insurance company of the woman that hit me has been an exercise in frustration.  They refuse to accept the bills from the body shop and insisted on sending me a check based on their appraiser's estimate.  I'm hoping the body shop will have an easier time with them because the actual repair estimate is, so far, twice what they sent me.  What a hassle.

 
So I'm zipping around in a little rental car, thanks to which I almost fell on my face.  Used to my SUV, I was expecting a lot more space between myself and the ground when I stepped out of the car.  Of course, I'll get used to that and then get in my SUV again and fall out when the ground is LOWER than I now expect!  The nature of my life.

Post-Surgical Injection

"Let me recommend the best medicine in the world: a long journey, at a mild season, through a pleasant country, in easy stages." ~James Madison

Another injection into my neck on Monday.  I didn't think too much of the fact that it was going to be performed in a surgical suite instead of the doctor's office this time.  I should have.  It danced to the tune of the difference between an office visit co-pay and an out-patient surgical deduction.  Several hundred dollars difference!  Still the same amount of post needle soreness.  And apparently still the same resumption of chronic pain once that wore off.  Not much to show for several hundred dollars.  On the plus side, I did have the same oh so handsome surgical staff.

It's amazing how much junk piles up when you check out of daily life for a few days.  It's taking me longer to catch up than I took off to begin with.  Sigh.

I'm also feeling the lack of morning exercise.  I've found that a walk every other morning does wonders for my daily energy level and general outlook on life.  But I am resuming my walks tomorrow morning. And even better, I should also be able to resume my herbal remedies soon so the pain level should drop shortly thereafter.

I guess I'm going to have to take a serious look at full-blown spinal surgery.

Spring is Sprung

"Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush."  ~Doug Larson

A beautiful dawn on the morning walk, pink and gold streaking across the sky.  On the return journey, I notice the trees beginning to flower. Spring is coming.  Black clouds in the background and rising breeze off the lake warn of an imminent storm.  An hour later, my one window with the rooftop view is streaked with raindrops.

Mundane corporate frustrations tighten muscles and aggravate chronic pain.  With another injection on the horizon, Hot Doctor has banned my herbal pain tea (a blood thinner).  I detest taking medication but with the herbs out of my system, it becomes easier to justify.  Too easy, maybe?

Another chemically induced pain free day.  I miss my tea.

New Year's Resolutions

“Though the doctors treated him, let his blood, and gave him medications to drink, he nevertheless recovered.”  ~ Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace

I don't generally make New Year's resolutions, but unofficially, I usually have a few in the back of my head.  This year I resolved to do something about my neck pain.  

I know I have mentioned before about my car accident and the chronic neck pain that was the result.

After 18 years and several unhelpful and unwilling doctors later, if I have to get rude and belligerent to finally get some treatment, I can be a bitch if I absolutely must.

It had been about 8 years since my last attempt at treatment and at this point, I didn't even have a primary care physician anymore, I was so disgusted with my past experiences.

Picking a name from an insurance list obviously wasn't a viable tactic.  So I went to one recommended by a colleague.  This doctor listened, asked questions, and surprisingly, actually touched my head and neck.  She didn't discount or disregard what I said and didn't treat me like a drug addict seeking a fix.

Through her I was sent to a specialist called a physiatrist.  Have you heard of a physiatrist?  I hadn't.

Physiatrist. Physical medicine and rehabilitation physician.

This Physiatrist, whom I will call Hot Doctor, is younger than me, exceptionally personable and flat-out gorgeous.  Irrelevant, of course.

Hot Doctor listened to me, asked questions, touched my head and neck, then sat down, explained what is going on in my spine and said he could help me.  I wanted to cry.  Then he, without blinking, prescribed me some painkillers.  Hot Doctor is my hero.

First treatment: Steroid injections.  Ummmm...Needle in my neck...

Prognosis: possibly immediate complete relief and never need to go back.  More likely complete relief and need to go back maybe once a year for another injection.

Actual result:  Nothing.  After the first injection, no pain relief whatsoever.  After the second...(not quite complete) relief for a few days but back to regular pain by the end of the week.  Psych.

I am not deterred.  No treatment at the time of the accident did anything for me either.

So, that is where I am with this morning's follow-up visit.

Next treatment: Another injection, this one done a little differently to disperse the steroid a little more uniformly between the vertebra, or so Hot Doctor took the time to explain.

On a side note, have I mentioned, the procedure involved a room full of pretty men?  Hot Doctor, along with Hot Nurse, Hot Assistant, and Super-Hot Anesthesiologist.  All male.  I think I like this office.  If you're going to endure pain, you might as well have something pretty to look at.  Is that shallow?

Sometimes New Year's Resolutions give you something to look forward to.  :)

Family Vacation: Scotland Part 7: The Final Chapter

"Nothing good can ever come from staying with normal people."  -Harry MacDougal {Outlaw Star}

 

Finally, the end of the tale.

We didn't reach the mainland until after 10pm and it was dark.  We docked in Oban and headed for our B&B.  The only problem was, the GPS was getting a very limited signal and kept cutting out.  We had no idea where we were going.  It didn't matter that we were driving on the wrong side of the road.  This area was built up on the side of the hill with all these old stone buildings packed in with what must have been foot paths at one time separating them.  There was no "wrong side" there was only one side...with parked cars.  

Driving around and driving around, we finally got a signal and made it to our "destination."  No B&B.  My Mom is trying to "help" from the back seat which, tired and frustrated and cranky as I was, was no help at all.  Called the B&B and got voicemail.  I didn't even know the number to the British sim card so I couldn't leave a message.

When I finally did get in touch with the B&B it turns out that most GPS aps don't map their place correctly and we were at the wrong end of the street.  The narrow, single lane with parked cars street.  That dead ended.  After a 15 point turn, was finally facing the proper direction and got us to the place.  The proprietor was kind enough to go stand in the middle of the road.  I would have missed it yet again if he hadn't.

It was a fantastic old building made of stone perched on a hill and beautifully decorated.  Unfortunately I was so wiped out I couldn't possibly appreciated it.  I was still wired on adrenalin and frustration so I took a sleeping pill and went to bed.

Luckily, the next morning, we had a leisurely schedule.  We lingered over a fantastic (full Scottish) breakfast then took the landlady's recommendation of an area downtown to shop for a few gifts for people back home.  (and a token or two for ourselves)

Then we tooled up the coast a bit to visit the Scottish Sea Life Sanctuary and coo at the adorable  otters and seals.

Then back to Glasgow.  We backtracked over much of the same route we took out and I have to say, after days of driving through Scotland, I was able to enjoy the scenery much better this time around.  Argyle and Loch Lomond I think have some of the most beautiful countryside I've seen in Scotland.

After that, it was all travel.  We dropped our rental car off with only one tire damaged from the (few) times I "brushed" the curb trying to orient myself.  I consider it a success not to have removed half the left side of the car!  Overnight in Glasgow, plane to London, Overnight there and on a plane back to the States.

I don't know why I avoided writing about this trip so much for so long, but it is done.  It was a fantastic journey and I love being able to spend the time with my parents.  We used to do family vacations when I was small and I appreciate the opportunity to revive the activity.  My parents are great travelers in their retirement and I love that I can occasionally join them on their journey.

Mental Block/Family Vacation Part 6

"There is no avoidance in delay." ~Aeschylus

I'm off on another adventure and I haven't even finished recounting the last one.  For some reason I have serious resistance to finishing the account.  I'm not sure why.

And since I can't seem to move on until I finish telling this story, I just kept avoiding my blog.  NOT what I want to do.  And now I have a new story to tell so I must finish...

North Uist and South Uist are connected by a causeway so we toured North but stayed on South.  

We stayed at a small B&B on South Uist run by the most offensive man I have ever met.  We call to ask if it is all right to check in early and he said it was fine but when we got there he was on the phone talking about these guest he had, Americans who arrived EARLY.

He asked us how we heard about him.  He had plenty to say about Americans and Trip Advisor, conveniently disregarding the large Trip Advisor plaque displayed prominently in his front window!

Dinner was a farce with this man waxing offensive on politics and religion then got personal when he insisted I state my opinion on internet censoring which of course was opposite to his.  I thought I was going to have to leave the table or get us thrown out when I told him what he could do with his opinions.

We were scheduled to stay two nights.

The final morning he had plenty to say about how I stayed in my room all the previous evening.

Ferry to Barra and the wonderful Castlebay Hotel.  Such a difference.

We had a delicious Fisherman's Pie in the hotel restaurant.  (I really regret not asking for the recipe!). And a tour of Kidimul Castle in the morning before catching the ferry back to the mainland.

Family Vacation: Scotland Part 5

"The American Dream, the idea of the happy ending, is an avoidance of responsibility and commitment." - Jill Robinson

My friend has very kindly reminded me I have been neglecting my blog.  I have been avoiding it.  First because I suffered again from terrible jet lag when I returned home and had to immediately go back to work which has been uncharacteristically hectic since.

We drove around the Isle of Sky, stopped for tea where I found a gorgeous little watercolor evocative of the island, with wee highland cows grazing on the heather with water and hills in the background.  It was done by a local artist who's daughter, a fantastic artist herself (though her works were too big to fit in my suitcase), happened to be there having tea herself.  She was very nice and we chatted for a few minutes.  I wish I had the opportunity to visit their studio, but unfortunately, after a visit to Dunvegan Castle, home of the Clan MacLeod, we were tired and short on time.

We took the ferry from Uig to Tarbert, Isle of Harris and drove through blinding rain up the joined islands of Harris and Lewis to the town of Stornoway.  Our entire visit on Lewis was very windy but not too cold.  We visited the Calanish Standing Stones (haunting), the Gearrannan Blackhouse Village, where we saw a demonstration of the weaving of Harris Tweed (which is actually from Lewis).  If I had known several of the blackhouses had been converted in to holiday  houses, I would have made reservations!  Next time.

 

From the Blackhouse Village, we drove north to the Butt of Lewis, for who could resist a spot on the map called the Butt of Lewis?!  It was the northernmost point of the Hebrides with a fairly modern lighthouse and gorgeous cliff formations being pounded by wind and surf.


From there we went back to Stornoway to do a little shopping as the next day was Sunday and apparently everything in the islands closed up tight.  Alas, rain sent us back to the B&B.

After Lewis we had a leisurely wander back down to Harris and a visit to St. Clement's Church as all else was closed.  Then a brief night on Harris and the early ferry to North Uist.

Family Vacation: Scotland Part 4

"The best cure for insomnia is to get a lot of sleep." - W. C. Fields

Finally.  A good night's sleep.  About four more of those and I might start feeling human again.

Got up early and tried for some sunrise shots of the castle.  This is Scotland. What sunrise? But at least we got to see the castle without all the tourists milling about (those bloody tourists!). The grounds were always open so we could walk across the bridge and around the little island.

Back to the B&B for breakfast and back again to the castle yet again to tour the inside.  It is actually a fairly small place.  It was restored in the early 20th century so it had some modern conveniences added, but still stayed pretty true to the original construction.

After the we were off again.  I guess this was my hollywood day, so to speak.  One of my favorite British TV shows is "Hamish MacBeth", which was filmed in a little village called Plockton just a short drive off the main road we were travelling.

My first foray into the one-lane country road.  Thankfully, we didn't meet too many oncoming cars.  But every few hundred feet or so they have a "passing place" on one side or the other.  If it's on your side, you pull in and wait for the oncoming car to pass.  If it's on the other you stop in the road and wait for them to pull in then continue on.  Quite a little dance of manners, with a flick of a hand wave as you pass.

I couldn't see very little of the village of "Lochdubh" in the reality of Plockton.  But it was still a pretty village.

A walk and a wee bit of lunch and off again to Skye.  Over the bridge to the island and the main road kept narrowing and widening with no reason I could see except maybe to save money on tarmack.

About 3/4 of the way up the island and a turn onto an even smaller road.  Apparently most of the area is common grazing land because there were lots of sheep and cows on the side of the road.  No fences.

And several were in the road!  The sheep moved pretty quickly out of the way as  you dorve up.  The cows...couldn't care less.  Had no concern for cars.  One was standing in the middle of the road nursing a calf.  Barely even twitched at the honk of a horn.  The other one off to the side finally took a few unconcerned steps and left a space just wide enough for the car.  We now know where we stand in the scheme of things...

Family Vacation: Scotland Part 3

"Why, I'd like nothing better than to achieve some bold adventure, worthy of our trip." - Aristophanes

This was the day for all the travel problems to crop up all at once...on less sleep than the day before.  We needed to contact the car rental company and pray they had a car for us somewhere in Glasgow.  That's great in theory. 

In practice, the £20 prepaid sim card I bought at the airport two days ago was empty!  That didn't last long.  Everybody told me it would be much cheaper to get a local card.  Guess not!  So, I couldn't make a call.

You can call a number and "top up" the card.  They don't take american credit cards.  You can call their customer service cell phone code (no land line number provided).  Call costs money!  No money on sim card...

The fabulous desk clerk tracked down a real number for the customer service.  My only option is to hunt down a cell phone store and buy a voucher that I can then use to top up the card.

Geesh!  Luckily there was a mobile phone store nearby.  Bought a voucher.  Topped up the card.  Called the car rental.  They had a car (thank god - otherwise, the rest of our plans would be shot).  Caught a cab, picked up the car.  They even upgraded us to a Mercedes.  Nice car, but like most British cars, very small.

Aaaand, we're on our way.  Drive on the right side of the car.  Check.  Drive on the left side of the road.  Check.  Orient yourself to the inside of the lane, ie the right side.  Not so check.  I almost took out a few parked cars and a fence...  I kept thinking there was more car to my right than there actually was.  That is one thing I didn't anticipate.  Then on the A85 and out of Glasgow...


Onto the narrowest, windiest road full of oncoming lorries screaming at me.  AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!  Talk about trial by fire.  I felt bad for the line of cars behind me as I made my way around hairpin turns with a stream of oncoming traffic on one side and a stone wall on the other, with no shoulder.  In a Mercedes.  I was terrified, I'd take out the entire left side of the car on a stone wall.  Good thing we got the insurance...

And remember...no sleep.

It was only a few hours to our first stop of the night, but I felt like I had been driving for days.  After a while, the road opened up a little and I started to get the hang of it.

Then we came around the corner and got the first glimpse of Eilean Donan Castle.  Breathtaking.  Like something out of a movie.  Which it was.  I have seen it a hundred times in Highlander and countless other films and tv shows.  To see it in real life was sort of surreal...(don't forget the no sleep...) 

The bed and breakfast we were staying at actually had a view of the castle.

Not much sunset for the spectacular award winning photograph I was hoping for, but I got some nice shots.  Will try again for sunrise, but this IS Scotland.  Before leaving Glasgow, I found a chemist for some sleeping pills so I was guaranteed a good nights sleep at last. 

Family Vacation: Scotland Part 2

"Jet lag is your soul trying to catch up after flying." - Ryan Ross

I don't know if it was Euston Station in particular or BritRail terminals in general, but this one was quite bizarre. There was a large open area when you enter the station.  We were early and had first class tickets (actually very reasonably priced), so we could wait in the "First Class Lounge" which happened to be on the second floor accessible by stairway.  With all our luggage.  Yeah, right.

There was a small "lift" to the side which has to be one of the weirdest contraptions I have ever seen.  You press a button and a large door opens into a vesibule area.  Then press the lift button.  It too has a large door that swings into the vestibule.  So you're doing this little dance around doors swinging at you in this little 4x6 room, as well as anyone who happens to be exiting the lift while you're trying to get on.

The first class lounge was a room with tables and chairs, a tea and coffe machine and a screen with the train departures listed.  We waited a bit, but it was getting close to our train time and the platform still hadn't been posted on the screen, so we headed back down (doing the same little elevator dance to get back to the main floor).

In the large main area, with no seating, there were large screens up near the ceiling, each one had a departing train and it's stops listed.  There were about 12 screens in all and as one train left, they marched along to the left, more trains being added on at the end.

The thing was, they didn't announce a platform number until the train was ready to board so everyone was standing around staring up at the screens, waiting, with no place to sit.

Then, 10 minutes before departure, they announce the platform and a third of the herd breaks off and rushes town the ramp to the platform, bottlenecking at the bottom as there were four guys checking tickets.  Push through and mad dash for the train.  Find a seat marked "Available" if you don't have a reserved seat.  And many people didn't have reserved seats because you can buy open tickets and get on whatever train to your destination you please.

We found some available seats, but it turns out, they were having a problem with there seat reservation system and ALL seats were marked available.  Free for all in first class.  And the train was so packed, people were sitting on the floor.

We're lucky we found seats.  No one was giving up their seat willingly, as proven by several arguments about who reserved what seat, and I could just see my elderly parents trying to sit on the floor of the train vestibule.

Once we got to Glasgow, we were supposed to pick up our rental car.  Turns out, as it was a bank holiday, the rental company was closed.  Didn't stop them from making the reservation.  And, the pick up just outside the train station, didn't exist.  Yep.  You read that right.  IT DIDN'T EXIST.

We asked a passing cop where the rental place was, but he had no idea.  Very nice guy, cute too, and he tried to be helpful.  While he was trying to be helpful, I kept stepping to his left because he had a camera attached to the right side of his hat.  He kept turning to face me and I'd step again to the side again.  I guess this is the trip for dancing.  I had visions of being the stupid american tourists on an episode of "Glasgow Cops."

He was finally able to make himself useful by showing us where the taxi queue was and we took a cab to the hotel.  I was so tired I was physically nauseated.  I skipped dinner and was asleep by six.

Aaaaand awake again by nine.  I was having fantasies about my bottle of NyQuill tucked in my medicine cabinet back home.  I never did get back to sleep that night.  Three hours.  That was my limit for sleep aparently.

Family Vacation: Scotland Part 1 - Crossing Timezones

"Airplane travel is nature's way of making you look like your passport photo." - Al Gore


My new rule is, if I cross more than two timezones in one day, I am packing the NyQuill.  I got to London on 4 hours of sleep in 48.  The first thing I did when checking in was take a nap.  I slept about three hours and woke up.  That sounds great, right?  It was morning and I wouldn't want to sleep away my short time in London.

So, I slept three hours, woke up and had time to take the Tube into Picadilly Circus.  I was actually trying to get to the London Eye, but the hotel clerk recommended getting off there, so I did.  Then had to walk quite a ways to get to the Thames.

Picadilly Circuis was packed and even with GPS, I had a hard time orienting and figuring out which direction I needed to start out.  Once I got headed in the right direction, I came to Trafalgar Square and got turned around again.  Multiple streets coming into a huge roundabout,, the center of which was packed with tourists (those darn tourists always getting in the way!), it took a while to figure out which one I needed to be on.

I finally found the Thames and the London Eye, only to find that there was a Tube stop right there on the corner.  Thats what I get for taking advice from a local, even if they are in the hospitality business!

It was getting late so I didn't have time to go further up to the Tower Bridge, but I got a few shots down river of Big Ben and Parliament.  Besides, I was still tired and looking for some more, much needed, rest.  So, back on the Tube to the hotel.

Had dinner and I was exhausted so I headed upstairs and to bed.  Another three hours and I was wide awake again.  1 am!  I never did get back to sleep.  We were up and off to catch a train to Scotland in the morning and I sleep about as well on trains as I do on planes - not at all.

Murphy's Law

"No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy." - Unknown

I woke up this morning and got on my laptop and a program I had running had errored.  So I rebooted.  Then my email client wouldn't open it's file.  And I got a weird error.  Whenever I get a weird error, the first thing I do is run a virus scan.  43 infected files!

Cleaned those.  My email client still wouldn't open.  That is, of course, where all the originals of my travel confirmations were stored.  Found a repair program.  It actually worked and I was able to open everything up.

Take that Murphy.  You tried to get me, but I fought back!  

Of course, there are also redundancies and back-ups so things like this won't kill me, but it's the nice rare occasion when I don't have to use them.

24 hours and I'm off to the airport.

source: Unknown

Two More Days...

...until the latest adventure begins.  I'm trying to enjoy the anticipation, to break from my generation's "now" attitude. 

I want to savor the entire journey, from the first "Where should I go?" to the last load of laundry when I get home.  It is all part of the adventure.  Let the excitement build and bubble and swirl in the head.  Appreciate the rise of adrenalin and excitement.

Taste the adventure on your tongue.  Smell the colors of exotic places.  See the scents of foreign lands.

Surround yourself with the passion of the adventure of living.  Not just when off on a grand adventure, but also in your own backyard.

I Crossed My Legs!

"Rich, fatty foods are like destiny: they too, shape our ends." ~ Author Unknown

Does the title make me sound like a reformed slut?

Not that there is anything wrong with that, reformed or otherwise.

Unfortunately, that is not what I am talking about.

I ACTUALLY crossed my legs the other day.  I can't remember the last time I was physically able to cross my legs.  One day they were just too fat and I couldn't do it anymore.  I could cross an ankle over a knee but a full cross was impossible.

I was at a friend's, sitting in a chair chatting while I installed some software on her computer.  I shifted in the chair and crossed my legs without a thought like I had been doing it all along.  It took me several moments to realize the enormity of what I had done.

I still haven't dropped below 200 pounds, but it is proof positive that, while the actual loss is slow in coming, the weight is shifting as I eat healthier and move more.  My legs have apparently gotten much more svelte from all the walking.

I can't say how happy that one small accomplishment has made me feel.