Saturday, April 20th

Happy Birthday, Grandma! Say "Hi!" to dad for me!

Mostly, I just chilled, kicked back, called three of my aunts, and wrapped up my mom's Top Secret project for her 50th birthday :-)

Picture is me with my left leg propped up on two pillows, with an ice bag on my left knee, a plate of food on top of that, and my work computer can slightly be seen on the right side of the picture.

The envelope for my mom's Top Secret Birthday Card, which is covered with various sized colored, shiny smiley stickers including a stamp in the upper right hand corner, and reads "Yes, there's 50 smiles!". For privacy reasons, my address and my mom's address are blocked out.

Friday, April 19

 “Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” - Albus Dumbledore

16 hour shift & dinner!

Pictured is a Ziplock square containor of some sort of food: corn, black beans, green peppers, salsa, sour cream, chives, cheese, and rice? (Half the time, I don't remember what the freezer meals contained, so it was sort of like mystery meal every night of the week lol).

Thursday, April 18

But on you will go / though the weather be foul / On you will go / though your enemies prowl / On you will go / though the Hakken-Kracks howl / Onward up many / a frightening creek, / Though your arms may get sore / and your sneakers may leak. / On and on you will hike / and I know you'll hike far / and face up to your problems / whatever they are.

Benny and Zeke time!

Benny and I read Dr. Seuss' "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" (his favorite part? "No, that's not for you! / Some how you'll escape all that waiting and staying / and find the places where Boom Bands are playing!" Memorized. Boo-yah!).

Zeke and I read from a book of children's poetry and listened to a recording of Yeat's "The Stolen Child" ("For the world's filled with weeping, more than you can understand.")

Good times!

Benny is pictured looking at Dr. Seuss' "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" book. The page is open to the section quoted above ("But on you will go" etc.).

Zeke is pictured laying down and looking fairly content, watching a YouTube video of William Butler Yeats' "The Stolen Child" on my Kindle. To the right his teddy bear is propped up next to the Kindle.

Monday ... Tuesday ... Wednesday?

My mom once told me I should start a reality show, because, literally, a typical person can't make this stuff up. I tell people she should have named me after a hurricane. My name is comic gold - an oxymoron or ironic comedy. Peace is such a long, difficult road to obtain, even more so if you're me. I'm a firm believer that people make themselves, but, sometimes, I'd like to think my mom named me "Serenity" to give me some form of peace in this chaotic, no-barriers-held-back world.

Sunday I was cleaning and wearing socks. For me, cleaning within itself is often a safety threat. Add socks and it's a lethal combination. I lost my balance stepping off the "foyer" (see picture, below) and managed to land on my left side, twisting my ankle (you know, the one with the screws?) and angering my knee with the torn meniscus. Like I said, a person can't make this stuff up.

I then proceeded to continue cleaning, vacuuming, baking, and guinea pig-rearing and have spent the last two days with liquidy cold fire radiating from my knee, down my shin, and up my thigh. Today, my ankle is taking its share of the pain. I haven't been able to focus and the report I should have finished on Monday is just now ready for editing and formatting.

Sleep is fleeting and my arthritic right knee has sworn an oath of war against the left. It's been hazy the last few days. Pain has this weird way of sapping all your energy and making you sleepy and then jerking you awake after only five hours of sleep (hence the 3 or 4 hour nap on Sunday from running errands on Saturday and effectively putting me behind schedule on Sunday).

On the positive side, I'm alive, fairly certain that I didn't break anything, and I might have a potential new business idea as a home safety inspector (let me live in your home for a month and I'll find the safety flaws - might solve the high rent problem, but I doubt the clients would be willing to foot the medical bill).

Pictures! There's a complementary picture of my swollen ankle, a picture of Benny (the brown furry blur) chasing after Zeke (who was hogging the hay by sitting in the paper bag I had filled with hay and had managed to run out of frame before I could take a picture), my lunch on Tuesday (popcorn), and my lunch today (yogurt, cheese stick, olives, and coffee) - snacky foods that are quick and combat the whole "Ouchy no appetite" side effect of pain.

Until the next time, hug your loved ones extra tight and guinea out!

Picture is of my feet, the left one which is clearly swollen and puffy.

Picture is of a really blurry Benny, as he chases after his brother (out of frame) while playing in their play area.

Picture is of a bowl of popcorn, most of which has been eaten.

Picture is of a small container of olives, a cheese stick, and a Chobani Champions Greek yogurt tube.

My apartment foyer, in midst of cleaning my apartment. It has all sorts of items stacked on top of it (such as chairs, a TV tray, my tennis shoes, my winter boots, hay, boxes, my leather jacket, the guinea pigs' trash can, recyclables), which is in the process of being cleaned off so as to put all the items back (or thrown out). Shown on the left side of the picture is a chair with a bag of hay on top, and a space heater underneath. Shown on the lower right side of the picture is the knee walker.

Friday ... Saturday ... Sunday

Man, I'm a horrible blogger! I haven't updated my blog since Friday. Yeck.
Friday I had to go all the way down to DC - to the far reaches of a hospital in NE DC near Fort Totten - and back for my cardiology follow-up. I left at 12:30 PM and didn't get home until a little before 6:30ish. By the time I got back, I was sore and tired and only managed to barely work 8 hours before passing out. Dinner was a bowl of cereal. The good news is that I got a 6 month follow up (to wait for my knee and my body to heal, otherwise it would be 3 months), but I also need to keep an eye on my blood pressure (ironic, considering that's my assignment for next month's health promotion).

I lost a whole's day worth of work this week thanks to bronchitis. Pisses me off, considering I'm already behind. I didn't work on Saturday, either, because I spent the whole day running errands and getting the laundry started and taking the recyclables out. From CVS, to Target, then to PetSmart, and lastly to WalMart for the stuff Target didn't have. Even though a good friend gave me a ride home, I still wound up passing out early without dinner for the boys or me. It's pathetic.

Even more pathetic is that I called the fire department because of a wasp last night. I tried spraying the wasp with Raid for wasps, but only managed to piss the wasp off (fuzzy eye sight, poor aim). I quickly left the apartment, only to realize there might be other wasps outside, so I slowly pushed the door open, peeked inside, and then did a quick 360 with my better leg to make sure there were no wasps behind me. Which is when I high-tailed it to the bathroom, locked myself in, and Googled the fire department to call them. I'm not sure if I'm allergic to wasps and wasn't about to test the theory, and if I got stung, I wanted help sent straight away.

After relaying all the above to the fireman dude (in which he was laughing - I can't blame the guy), his response was "Ma'am, we can't send a firetruck out to kill one wasp." Sheepishly, I replied "Yeah, okay. Can you please stay on the line in case I get stung?". After he agreed and I had warned him that I can deal with anything but wasps and spiders (and therefore might scream like a little girl and/or cuss), I tip-toed to the living room and eventually killed the wasp after two more sprays. Eeeeech! I scared the boys with my girly scream (sorry) and still have a massive case of the heebie geebies thinking about it.
So, the pictures! Friday I didn't take any pictures because I 1.) Forgot because I was busy and 2.) Don't like taking pictures on the Metro least someone think I'm a terrorist and/or running the risk of my phone being stolen. The train on the way back was packed and my poor knee suffered being stuck in one position and being accidentally whacked with an umbrella a few times (the lady at least apologized, so no hard feelings). Instead, I took a photo of Metro's Web site :-) Then, a picture of the Target, a greeting card I saw while in Target, and how the couch looked once I finally woke up!

Picture is of a really huge dead wasp.

Picture is a computer screen shot of the travel itinerary from Shady Grove Metro to Providence Hospital.

A picture of the Target building as seen from the back (where the bus stops are located).

Card reads: "Talking to yourself is easy. Gossiping to yourself is just Weird."

Picture is of the couch after I woke up. From left to right: a Pyrex rectangular cooking dish, a plastic re-usable water bottle, two plates stacked upon one another with a fork on top, a blue towel, my sewing kit (a small Ziplock re-usable container), and my plate of what appears to be nachos. On the couch is a small heart shaped pillow and red flannel blanket with an alternating pattern of white zigzag lines, small dots in a zigzag design, and black zigzag lines.

It's alive!

Hi again!

I apologize for being MIA yesterday. I had to pay bills, complete shipping orders (because of my anxiety and difficulty in walking and navigating a shopping cart, I mostly shop online. WalMart has free shipping if you spend $50 or more. I only go to the store for stuff I can't get online or that I know is cheaper in store - like Splenda or AC filters - or guinea lettuce on a non-Peapod week), and icing my knee, which has decided to act up and required me taking a heavy dose of pain killers once I got home - hence the MIA.

That and I also forgot to throw my insulin and my afternoon dose of antibiotics and Mucinex into my backpack before heading off to work. On the flip side, I DID remember my lunch, which I wound up not eating to get through Marketing and avoid having high blood sugars (I ate my egg and cheese omelette, the cheese stick, and PB though).

After bills, personal necessities, hay, and medications, I'll have around $200 left to spend on food for me and the boys, so I'm even more thankful my mom surprised me with a Peapod order. It'll be tight, but I got taco soup in the crockpot and it'll be all right (knock on wood).

Speaking of bills and icky adult responsibilities, I need to call and make an appointment with my case manager/counselor to work on getting over my fear and anxiety of having a roommate. It's getting way too expensive to be single in this town, and, with no car, I'm sort out of options as far as Maryland is concerned. I don't socialize well and most roommates expect you to be social and, for me, it never goes over well. There was that time one of my roommates locked me in the laundry room because she thought I was hitting on her boyfriend (um, no, and guys stare at me all the flippin' time. I'm thinking it's time to start charging them, but that could get messy, what with the taxes and all). Also, the thought of being confined to one room bugs me to no end - when I think, I pace, and pacing takes space (I have a lot of excuses, but I'm on borrowed time today and will graciously spare you the rest!).

Since I overslept until 5:30 AM (when Zeke went off and wouldn't shut up until I got off the couch), the boys were so hungry that they wouldn't even let me pet them :-( I gave each a small handful of lettuce and a carrot so I could at least clean their cages, so breakfast for them was at 6:30 AM and 7:40 AM for me. As a "I'm sorry I'm such a horrible mom," I gave them the blueberries from the Peapod order, in which they wound up eating half the pint. Sheesh. I have not one, but TWO blueberry monsters! Like, save some for me!

So, the pictures! I couldn't resist including a photo of Benny's blueberry expression (he always makes this face when eating blueberries) and Zeke actually taking food out of my hand. Ah, the magically properties of blueberries! I've also included a pic of me icing my knee (with a bag of frozen veggies, no less - I fell asleep with the ice bag last night, so used the frozen veggies this morning). I've also included a pic of my WalMart order because that was the inspiration for the post.

With that, I'm off to find clothes to work (it was 90 yesterday - 90!) and head off to work. Guinea out!

Picture is of a WalMart online order.

Picture is of me feeding Zeke blueberries.

Picture shows Benny making his "Mmmm, blueberries" face. His eyes are half closed, and he looks like he's thoroughly enjoying the blueberry he is eating.

Picture is me icing my left swollen knee with a bag of vegetables. Beyond can be seen the chaos which is my apartment. In the upper center of the picture, a pair of brown pants can be seen drying on the clothes line.

Smell the spring on the smokey wind

Good morning fellow readers! I have bronchitis, which means spring is finally here!
It's really weird, too, because I have arms and legs. I've only caught brief glances of them since October, and its like I have alien limbs. It's just so weird! I'm in this transition from my long winter coat (the "Eskimo" outfit) and winter boots to shorts, a t-shirt, and my birthday shoes (no, not bare feet. New shoes!). No more three or four layers. I feel naked. It keeps tripping my Aspie senses.

I keep giving myself whiplash, too. It's so unusual to see Benny laying his cage. He's usually snuggled himself under his den of blankets and doesn't come out unless he smells food. Not only that, but he is purring and almost smiling. He honestly had me worried until I noticed the sunlight and decided to check the weather status. Both boys are basking in the sunlight and warm weather. If they were anymore relaxed, they'd become one with their cage ;-)

A school bus passed me yesterday and one the teenagers tried  to taunt be saying "Nice shoes!" I had to stop myself from saying "Thank you, they're a birthday gift from my mom!" I'm just so gosh darn happy about having new shoes - they're comfy, solid, and supportive. I love them so much that I could almost hug them - almost lol

Thanks to the antibiotics and sleeping from 8 PM to 4 AM, my lungs are no longer feel like they're drowning. They're merely floating. Still short of breath and lungs are sore, but bronchitis is a cake walk for me. It's the every 3-4 year colds that I can't stand.

My mom also surprised me with a PeaPod order, so I get yummy food two days earlier than planned (no complaints here - I'm finishing dinner up and wrapping that up with a bowl of Cocoa Pebbles for desert!). I'm popcorning along with the boys :-)

At any rate, I need to finish eating and take a shower. If I can stay awake tonight, I plan on working on a short essay on what it means to be autistic. It's sponsored by ASAN and smacks of good intentions, so definitely worth a go. Until then, guinea out!

A picture of my arm reaching out onto my fourth floor balcony, "pinching" a tree down below in the parking lot. Below are a bunch of planting pots and dishwasher containers filled with dirt and dead plants.