Monthly Archives: February 2012
The rambly fifteen, #14.
Fifteen minutes straight writing…begin…right…now.
Leap day. Leap year. (I am proud of being born in a leap year with a brother born in a leap year and a father born in a leap year.)
Of course, the whole leap day thing leads to thoughts of time, and of how slowly it passes these days. I could not catch up to how fast time moved in the early part of my thirties; now that life is full of turmoil, it cannot move fast enough. I know I should stop and smell the roses and take in these moments because they are all not full of tears and anguish. (Well, the roses would make my eyes water and itch.) And before I know it, I will find myself behind the time again.
I don’t know what is worse to hear in the middle of the night, the sound of a cat puking or of both cats hissing at each other.
The assignment is clear from spectacular mental health professional, to find things that bring me joy in whatever time is left in Colorado. It could be taking a cooking class or a writing class, but also places I always wanted to visit but never did for whatever reason. Or places I did visit, that seem to deflect me away for either good or bad memories, to create one last good memory. A little harder to accomplish without driving, though at least a friend or two are willing to help create a memory.
It’s been a rough week on the emotions.
Weekly Grace, #8.
(courtesy Schmutzie‘s Grace in Small Things)
- A job with a decent work-life balance, particularly when life is outweighing work.
- Sleeping until the alarm goes off.
- Purchasing a multitude of March birthday cards (and the joy that is sure to follow when received).
- Hiking boots that double as snow boots.
- Pho…with the girls.
Be there.
The first time I stepped online was seventeen years ago, in a text-based BBS system.
From there to blogs to message boards to Twitter to Facebook, if there has been one thing I have learned about people who actively participate online, it is this.
Should someone, anyone, you know online seemingly disappear, take note and check up on them. Chances are they are fine, they are just busy with life, just overwhelmed with life and unable to post or tweet or update their status.
Sometimes, they are not. They need people to reach out, to see how they are doing, to make sure they are okay.
They may be depressed, they may be ill due to chronic illness flares, they may be ready to give up on diabetes self-care due to a string of unsavory blood glucose levels.
Be there for them. Do not ignore their absence.
This post is my February entry in the DSMA Blog Carnival. If you’d like to participate too, you can get all of the information at http://diabetessocmed.com/2012/february-dsma-blog-carnival/.
The rambly fifteen, #13.
Fifteen minutes straight writing…begin…right…now.
High wind warning began last night. Local weather broadcasters were not kidding when they said it “might” interfere with sleep. Of course, the cat on the pillow did not help matters. I wish I could say I could stay home and safe, though going to work is necessary.
Even though I dread going after finding a significant error that will require some bullshitting.
Good thing there is coffee. Coffee makes the world go round some mornings. Most mornings.
Chicago. What is there to say? (What isn’t there to say?)
The weather stayed nice for me, winter coat and gloves required, but not terribly cold as I remember Midwest winters, thanks to the mild season they have had so far.
The people with whom I interacted (some of whom I already knew, some completely new to me) made me feel like I was already “home”. Home will always reside in the houses of immediate family members and be in the presence of said family, of course, though I know I have been missing a sense of my own “home” this past year.
Lots of good food and drink and neighborhood scouting. And I can never turn down a good secondhand store or a bookstore. The 3-day CTA pass got some good wear and tear on both the “L” and city buses. (What a difference from RTD with how often those buses run. Cheers to a bigger city!)
Bananagrams may be the most fantastic game since Scrabble, and less strategizing is needed, making it go quicker than the average Scrabble game.
One of these days, I need to write a post of substance outside the Rambly Fifteen, Weekly Grace, and Friday cat blogging. This is not that day. Writing prompts from the chronic illness communities have got me thinking, though. Something will bubble to the surface, I am convinced of it.
Weekly Grace, #7
(courtesy Schmutzie‘s Grace in Small Things)
- A week before a travel weekend that sped quite fast.
- Champagne served in lager glasses.
- Being surrounded by people who have only my best interest at heart.
- Staying offline and disconnected for most of the 48 hours away.
- Returning home to the felines who adore me.
The rambly fifteen, #12.
Fifteen minutes straight writing…begin…right…now.
Survived Valentine’s Day. Never really having been a fan, it was fairly easy to survive except for the flowers delivered to the next cubicle. Not because I was jealous or anything, but because I am allergic. (To flowers, to perfume, to anything with much of a scent.)
The cuddly felines turned out to be the best valentines all day. Surprise, surprise.
Amber Riley knocked “I Will Always Love You” out of the park last night on Glee. She met Whitney Houston last Thursday, apparently, which makes me smile in spite of the tragedy. Yes, there was a history of drug abuse; yes, WH ended up with a troubled life after a brilliant start to her career. The fact remains, she’s still loved by her family and surely they are going through hell. To have people make jokes or say that it was bound to happen, that’s just cruel to those left behind. Especially that daughter barely into adulthood.
And, yes, other less famous people died that day and the day before and the day after. I get that. However, the ten-year-old girl who watched “How Will I Know?” over and over and over on MTV and then later at seventeen watched The Bodyguard with delight, even as “I Will Always Love You” played over and over and over on MTV and the radio? They’re grieving. Much much more than when Michael Jackson died.
(I will say that I’m about done with that cover of Dolly Parton’s country hit from the 1970′s. I have possibly heard it more times in the past few days than I did in all of 1993.)
Back to exercising this week after nearly two weeks off due to the crud. Blood glucose readings are still doing well in spite of (a) the crud and (b) not exercising.
Lots going on at work, keeping busy, keeping frustrated.
Weekly Grace, #6.
(courtesy Schmutzie‘s Grace in Small Things)
- Allowing myself to rest when I needed it most, not doing much of anything but sleeping, watching television, and reading magazines.
- Well-timed visits with the spectacular mental health professional.
- Fruit smoothies.
- A good case of the giggles.
- Listening to Whitney Houston’s music, its beauty and its timelessness.
