3/27/15. The post where I decide to take a break.

3/27/15: to blog or not to blog...that is the question.  And the answer is that it is time for me to take a break.  I've been at this for more than a year and I admire the patience of those of you who are still reading.  It's been a great therapy for me, but right now I need to focus my energy in several other places, including trying to get healthy again. I will still check in from time to time with updates and new information. And the occasional crazy story.  It just won't be a daily ritual, at least for awhile.  In the meantime, I will leave you with this good advice from my friend Ferris Bueller:  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=91lJhEzMaH4

3/25/15. The post where I get an unpleasant surprise.

3/25/15: today was about as normal as it gets.  Didn't spend enough time sleeping last night, but that is nothing unusual.  Took my walk and went to work, where I had a rare quiet catch-up day in the office.  The weather was beautiful, so I rode around all day with the top down, despite the spring pollen in the air.  Hope I don't regret that.

I got home from work early enough to actually cook a little something for my dinner before choir rehearsal, which was a welcome change from the foraging I've been doing for the last few weeks.  We ate outside on the patio again.  My patient, long-suffering husband is on the countdown to the end of the "liquid" portion of his diet.  In about two weeks, he will begin the slow transition back to solid foods.  He has already lost about 35 pounds and looks amazing.  Now the pressure is on for me.  I am on a roll, though, and I hope to keep the numbers on the scale moving in the right direction.

While in general the weather forecast for the next week is great, a brief storm system is supposed to roll through for a few hours in the early morning.  I was disappointed by this news, because it means I may be back on the trainer instead of walking in the morning, but I didn't expect it to affect me physically.  In the late afternoon and evening, though, I started to notice some ramping up, and when I got home from rehearsal and took off my shoes, my toes were completely red and a little swollen.  But here's the inexplicable part - it was the toes on my left foot.  Admittedly, my left foot has hurt a little this week, which I've chalked up to the walking regime, but this threw me for a loop.  The color on my CRPS foot was fine, although it doesn't feel fine.  It took more than an hour of sitting with both feet propped up to bring the color of my left foot completely back to normal. 

By mid-morning, the sun should be out again, with no rain in the forecast for nearly a week.  It's not time to panic yet.  While I can't explain what happened, for the moment I am going to presume it is an isolated incident and hope it doesn't happen again.  But maybe missing the walk in the morning won't be such a bad thing, after all.

3/24/15. The post where I get a pleasant surprise.

3/24/15: back in the groove of walking every morning.  While my foot is still not sure what it thinks about this turn of events, the rest of me is enjoying it quite a bit.  Looks like the weather will hold for the rest of the week, which means there is a good chance I can put in a full week of walking for the first time since my surgery last September.  On my old hilly route, at my old quick pace.  Just like the old days.  Never thought I'd be so excited to use the word "old" so many times.  But it feels like a big deal.

Another legislative workgroup meeting today, which meant another search for a suit that fits.  Which usually ends in about five skirts and pairs of pants strewn on the closet floor and a renewed vow to stay on my diet.  With the change in weather, my search focused on spring suits for the first time in a while.  And I got a pleasant surprise.

I found a really cute suit that I had no recollection of having purchased, let alone having worn previously.  But clearly I must have purchased and worn it, because there it hung in my closet with dry cleaning tags attached.  So I closed my eyes, held my breath, and tried it on.  Score!  It fit perfectly, which would not have been the case even two weeks ago.  And even better, I was able to wear a matching pair of heels that I probably haven't been able to wear in a year and a half.  The day was a success before I even left the house.

After work, I stopped by to visit some friends who were taste-testing champagne for their upcoming wedding.  Because that's the kind of friend I am.  Always trying to help others.  Especially when it involves sampling champagne.  Then it was off to acting class for the rest of the evening.  Here's hoping tomorrow is as good a day.  Cheers.

3/23/15. The post where it feels like spring.

3/23/15: today seemed like a real spring day.  I walked again before work.  It's good that I've been able to ride my trainer during the bad weather, but to regain my pre-CRPS muscle tone and stamina (presuming that is possible), I really need to be out walking in the hills again.  And then biking in the hills.  One step at a time, though.  (Get it? One "step" at a time? When I'm referring to walking? I crack myself up.)  The walk felt pretty good both yesterday and this morning, and I am nearly back up to my former speed.  My foot is a little cranky tonight and I suspect it is from the walking, but I hope that will decrease as I regain strength.  And it may not all be CRPS-related.  Frankly, my other foot is also sore, as are my hips, but it is a "good" kind of sore, the kind you expect when you restart an exercise program after a period of inactivity.  So at this point, I am not too concerned.

The best part of my day?  Picking up my patient, long-suffering husband at the airport after a long week apart.  The weather was beautiful, there were wildflowers everywhere, and we were together, so we enjoyed the drive back home despite the horrendous traffic.  We ate dinner on the patio and drove to handbell practice with the top down on the car.  Order has been restored to the universe.  

3/22/15. The post where the sun finally shows itself.

3/22/15: the sun beat my patient, long-suffering husband home by a full day.   And it made for a beautiful day. I was able to take a long walk this morning and then sing in church. Thankfully, it was a short anthem.  While my jaw is feeling a lot better, it will take awhile to completely heal.  After church I had a delicious brunch with a friend.  And then, for the first time all week, I had a free calendar all afternoon.  It felt so decadent.  I did a few chores, caught up on mail, emails, and phone calls, and then sat out on the patio with a glass of wine and enjoyed the sunset.  And just in case you are wondering, while I was AWOL from my blog earlier this week I got a manicure.  "This Color's Making Waves" from the OPI Hawaii Collection.  The perfect way to welcome spring.

The warmer weather has made a big difference with my foot, and the end of the rain has helped even more.  Most of the day it felt great.  I had a little incident tonight, though, that reminded me of how the new "normal" works.  I was walking around the house barefoot and stubbed my right big toe on the corner of a piece of furniture. Granted, I stubbed it hard enough to draw a little blood and make a small tear in the nail.  But if it had been my left foot, it would have stung for a few minutes and that would have been the end of it.  

My right foot? A whole different story.  It always insists on being dramatic, turning everything into an epic struggle between good and evil.  All of my toes swelled up and turned red and splotchy, and the veins on the top of my foot nearly popped out of my skin.  I assure you, this reaction was completely unwarranted and I tried to shame it, rolling my eyes and saying, "Really???  Come on.  Grow up. It didn't hurt that much."  (The good thing about being alone in the house is that you can talk out loud to your foot if you want.)  But it refused to cooperate until I finally agreed to go to bed and prop it up on a pillow.  I feel like my foot is in its Terrible Twos. I hope this is just a phase.

3/21/15. The post where I manage to keep it together.

3/21/15: ...and I'm back.  Whew.  It's been a rough week.  As usual, much of it was my own doing, so I don't deserve to complain about it.  And there was a lot of good with the bad.  But the most important thing (in my opinion) is that I kept it together.  No breakdowns, no tantrums, no regrets.  

On Thursday, I traded my four-legged houseguest for a couple of two-legged ones, and the week of ups and downs culminated with a concert last night. A beautiful concert, punctuated with dramatic readings by my acting coach.  It was a stormy, miserable day and I feared no one would be there to see it, which would have been a real shame.  But my fears were unfounded.  People came, and they were not disappointed. I had a reception afterward for the musicians and friends that helped make the concert happen, which was a great way to unwind after the difficult week.  We stayed up way too late, and my house guests had a very early flight this morning, which is not always a winning combination.  But even though I am not as young as I used to be, I am still young enough to do that every now and then.

Which is a good thing, because today was my celebration day.  No chores, no work, no obligations.  A fun trip to the wine country with friends, stopping wherever we wanted to stop, eating whatever we wanted to eat, and enjoying the (cool rainy) day.  Exactly what I needed.  The only thing missing was my patient, long-suffering husband, whose concert is tomorrow. But I can make it.  We're in the home stretch.  He'll be back Monday afternoon. Which, coincidentally, is when the sun is scheduled to reappear.  My awesome rain boots have gotten a serious workout over the last few weeks and I'm hoping to put them away for a couple of days.  

My foot has behaved remarkably well during this time, although last night it started acting out a little, and my jaw is feeling much better.  Tomorrow I plan to try singing with the choir again and then I have lunch with a friend, so it should be a good test of whether I should consider my jaw healed.  I plan to get significantly more sleep tonight than last night, which should certainly help.  Thanks for being patient with me for a few days.  

3/18/15. The post where I excuse myself for a few days.

3/18/15: forgive me, but I need to excuse myself for a few days.  There is a lot going on right now, even by my standards, and I think I'd better concentrate on keeping all the balls in the air instead of writing about it.  I'll be back very soon, with lots of stories to tell.  In the meantime, here are two pretty photos I took this week to keep you company:

3/17/15. The post where I do feel like posting, but run out of time.

3/17/15: long, productive day.  Posting will have to wait until tomorrow.  Being a single dog foster parent while holding down a full-time job, a fledgling acting career, and a music series is hard.  But I can do it.  Goodnight, all...

3/16/15. The post where I don't feel much like posting.

3/16/15: I went back to work today, thinking it would be a quiet day, with most people gone for Spring Break.  That's what I get for thinking.  There was more than one occasion today where I was on a call on my office phone, texting on my work cell phone, and sending an email from my desktop.  You may call that multi-tasking. I call it a recipe for disaster.  I think I made it through the work day without any catastrophic errors.  But it didn't do wonders for my head or my jaw.

Not a great day on the home front, either.  We got the results back from Mom's biopsy, and she will resume treatment starting on Wednesday.  Prayers, happy thoughts, and good karma welcomed.  My patient, long-suffering husband leaves in the morning for a week of rehearsals and a concert in another state, but I won't be completely alone.  I'll have visiting musician house guests for a few days for a concert that is part of our music series, and as of tonight, I have my favorite four-legged house guest while my friends are on vacation.  

The rain returns tomorrow.  Guess how I know? I'll give you a hint - it's not because I checked the forecast.  I think it's time to give up on today and get some rest. Because, after all, tomorrow is another day...  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=R-OoIvgtuzs

3/15/15. The post where I rest a little more.

3/15/15: I skipped my middle of the night dose of muscle relaxant so I could get up and go to church this morning to sell tickets between services for an upcoming concert.  And things were going okay until I got there.  It still really hurts to talk, but it is just not in my DNA to be unfriendly.  So of course, I immediately started talking to people.  And things went downhill rapidly.  My patient, long-suffering husband and my BFFs conspired to take over for me so I could go back home and take my meds.

Apparently, it doesn't take long to build up a tolerance.  While I was still pretty groggy the rest of the day, I never fell asleep.   My patient, long-suffering husband had to make a day trip after church for a concert, so I spent most of the rest of the day alone, which was good for my jaw.  The only thing worse than talking right now is chewing, so I've tried to stick with softer foods.  Frankly, I haven't been very hungry anyway, which has been good for my diet.  In fact, I was too out of it to mention this yesterday, but I GET TO BUY NEW SHOES!  Friday, I hit the 10 pounds lost mark and completed my weight loss challenge.  The only person as happy about that as me is my friend who did the challenge with me and lost her 10 pounds months ago.  I have already decided, though, that after one shoe-buying spree, I am going on another challenge.  Ten more pounds will get me to what I weighed three years ago, when I thought I needed to lose five pounds.  Right now, I would be thrilled with that weight.  So, I'd better make the upcoming shoe purchase count, because it may be the last pair I get to buy for a long time.  

I think I have finally turned a corner and my jaw is not getting any worse.  I am planning to make it through the entire workday tomorrow, knowing that I have no evening obligations, so I can come home and take my medicine and rest all evening if necessary.  Don't tell my foot that, though.  It's still behaving pretty well, and I don't want it to see its chance to retake center stage.

3/14/15. The post where I rest a lot.

3/14/15:  on Friday, my jaw pain and headache continued to get worse, so I went back to the doctor. This time I was able to see my primary care physician.  After more poking, prodding, and motor skill tests, he determined that the muscles surrounding my jaw had completely tightened up.  I've had issues with my TMJ my entire adult life, so it doesn't surprise me.  He agreed with me that icing it was not a good idea because of the CRPS.  He suggested increasing my anti inflammatory intake and using a warm compress instead.  He also prescribed a muscle relaxant and a few days of rest.  He was a lot more specific about what he meant by "rest" and it was definitely not what I had been doing the last few days.  He told me to contact him if it wasn't feeling better after a few days and he would prescribe some physical therapy to try to loosen up the muscles.  Which doesn't sound particularly appealing, so I hope it doesn't come to that.

I cancelled most of my weekend plans, but months ago I had invited a few work colleagues over for drinks after work and finding a date we were all free had been difficult enough, so I didn't want to cancel it.  I left the doctor's office and picked up a few items at the grocery store while I waited for my prescription order to be filled.  When I picked up the prescription, the pharmacist gave me the details on the muscle relaxant. She warned me it would make me sleepy and light-headed.  She also added, while looking at my cart of groceries, that the best thing I could do is rest, to give my body time to make the needed repairs.  I think she, my doctor, and my patient, long-suffering husband are in cahoots.

After my colleagues left last night, I took my first muscle relaxant.  And everything has been a blur since then.  My doctor did a pretty good job of ensuring I get the kind of rest he wants me to have by his choice of muscle relaxant.  I have slept for a majority of the last 24 hours and when I have been awake, I've been in a stupor. (So forgive any typos or crazy talk, please.)  I don't think my jaw feels any better yet, but I certainly don't care about it as much.  I have a few church obligations in the morning that require me to be able to drive and do math, so I will postpone taking my medicine until I get home.  But then I will try to get some more rest so I can be back in the groove next week.  My foot has felt pretty good the last few days, and while it is probably a result of the warmer spring weather, I'd like to think it is being respectful of the fact that I have other issues right now.  Yeah, right...it is probably the weather.

3/12/15. The post where I rest a little.

3/12/15: finally had a few hours with nothing crucial going on at work, so I stayed home this morning to rest. I can't say for sure that it did any good, but I don't think I would have been much help at work anyway, and at least now I can say I've done one thing the doctor asked me to do.  Today was the worst day so far and I'm hoping it was the high (or low) point.

This afternoon it was back to work for a legislative work group meeting.  Which is a recipe for a headache even on the best day.  I made it through the meeting without my face exploding and headed back home for my weekly Lenten group meeting.  It was a nice evening as always, with a delicious and healthy meal and interesting conversation.  My patient, long-suffering husband has been completely booked this week with performances and rehearsals, but we got a few minutes tonight to catch up before I had to throw in the towel and call it a night.

I'm going to try to get a little more rest tomorrow morning before going to work, but we'll see how it goes.  Thankfully, the sun made an appearance this afternoon and I'm hoping it sticks around tomorrow, because I'm looking forward to having a happy Friday the 13th.

3/11/15. The post where I say some things I didn't say yesterday.

3/11/15:  in my goofy state yesterday, I failed to say a few things I meant to say.  So here they are, in no particular order (because I'm still a little goofy).  

My patient, long-suffering husband had an appointment with his weight loss doctor yesterday and she proclaimed him ready to transition back to "real" food, since he has lost 30 pounds and is well within the healthy weight range for his height.  Ever the overachiever, he told her he wanted to lose more and convinced her to let him stay on the liquid diet for one more month.  In addition to having amazing self-control when it comes to this diet, he's also very persuasive.  

I will admit to being at least slightly concerned about the CRPS spreading to my jaw or face as a result of this injury.  For that reason, I am not using ice.  As I may have mentioned in previous posts, there is some evidence that icing an injury can cause the spread of CRPS in a person who already has it, and that it can inhibit healing/remission.  While icing it might decrease my current level of discomfort, I'm just not willing to take the chance.  In addition, I have increased my vitamin C intake, which has been linked to preventing the spread of CRPS.  (It also means I shouldn't have to worry about getting scurvy anytime soon.)

I am starting to realize how much my acting class means to me, and not just as a way to hone my skills.  I got some really touching notes from classmates yesterday wishing me well, and my acting coach and the class organizer left me a sweet and funny voice mail message today to cheer me up.  I guess there is a vulnerability in making a fool of yourself in front of a group of people that encourages a certain closeness.  In any event, they are very supportive and I'm really glad to be involved with them.

So, now on to today.  I ignored my doctor's advice to rest today.  (In hindsight, I guess I have ignored most of her advice. I am a terrible patient.)  I went to work to finish up interviews, which were a big success, so I think I made the right decision.  After work, I got my hair cut and colored in hopes of encouraging Spring to...well...spring.  You know you have a great hair stylist when you can say, "I still want it to be red, but I am also excited about Spring," and she knows exactly what you mean and executes it flawlessly. I came home to find my patient, long-suffering husband had moved our garden back outside.  Because he is the best. 

In my defense, I did rest this evening.  With the encouragement of my choir director (good thing I'm married to him), I skipped rehearsal tonight.  I don't think I could have moved my jaw enough to sing anyway.  

My sweet mom had a big day today.  She had a biopsy of a "suspicious" lymph node.  I imagine it looks something like this: 

The procedure went well and we should have the result in about 48 hours.  Here's hoping her doctor is overly cautious.  

3/10/15. The post where I don't have a concussion.

3/10/15: it was a late night and my headache continued to get worse, but once I got to bed, I slept well.  When my alarm went off this morning, I stayed in bed for a moment to see how I felt.  Not too bad.  Then I got up.  Not too good.  After a few minutes of standing, I decided staying in bed was a better choice.  I picked up my work cell phone to send a note saying I was going to make a doctor appointment and wouldn't be in, but first I thought I'd check my calendar in case I needed to reschedule anything.  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iGLh9hRmRcM. In all the confusion yesterday, I had forgotten that today was the first of two full days of interviews for an assistant.  I had applicants coming in from other states to interview and it's a vacancy I'm desperate to fill.  No rescheduling this.  So I got up again.

I made it through the interviews, but my head and my jaw continued to get progressively more sore throughout the day.  The entire right side of my face and head hurt.  (Cue my brothers saying, "Does your face hurt? 'Cause it's killing me.")  During a break in interviews I made an appointment at the after hours clinic at my doctor's office.  By the end of the day I was feeling a little loopy and was growing concerned I might have done something a little more serious than I originally thought.

As I sat in the waiting room at the after hours clinic listening to sneezing, hacking, coughing, and various other types of sounds you hear in the waiting room at an after hours clinic, I started to regret my decision.  Now I was going to have a head injury and tuberculosis.  I was glad when the nurse finally called me back to the exam room.

After some poking, prodding, and motor tests, the doctor determined I did not have a concussion, neurological damage, or any broken bones.  She said it was all muscle and soft tissue-related.  She prescribed ibuprofen, ice, and a few days' rest.  She warned me it would likely feel even worse tomorrow and I would be "goofy" for awhile.  (I did not realize that was a medical term.)   She also said no alcohol for a week.  An actual quote: "You think you feel goofy now? Alcohol will make it ten times worse."  It's going to be a long week.

I had to miss acting class, which I hated to do, because we were filming our scenes tonight.  I won't be doing much talking for the next few days until my jaw heals.  Which makes everyone around me happy, I suspect.  My stimulator does not appear to have been affected at all and is vibrating away.  In another bit of good news, the rain has moved out and my foot is feeling better.  Now it's time to take my goofy self to bed and get some rest.  Just what the doctor ordered.

3/9/15. The post where we continue to have bad "car"ma.

3/9/15: how was our day, you ask?  Well, it started out great.  We slept in, had a little breakfast with my mom, then packed up and headed home.  In the pouring rain.  On a freeway under construction.  The first two hours of the drive were fairly uneventful.

Then it happened.  We went through a section of the freeway that was surrounded by concrete barriers and drove through an area of standing water.  The cars in front of us came safely to a stop.  We came safely to a stop.  The woman in the SUV behind us, however, wasn't so fortunate.  She rear ended us, then slid across two lanes and down the embankment to the frontage road.  The good news?  We walked away, she walked away, and the people in the 6-8 cars caught in her wake walked away. 

The bad news?  Most of our cars were not so fortunate.  We spent about three hours sitting in our car on the frontage road in the pouring rain dealing with police, insurance agents, EMTs, and tow trucks.  My patient, long-suffering husband and I were both a little banged up and disoriented, but the impact was not severe enough for the air bags to deploy.  My head hit the headrest pretty hard and the EMTs checked me out thoroughly to ensure there were no obvious spinal issues and my spinal cord stimulator hadn't gone haywire.  I declined their offer to take me to the local hospital (which they assured me was "really nice") and promised to see my doctor tomorrow.  

The tow truck driver took us and the car all the way home to the repair shop, which would normally be an hour drive, but took about two and a half hours thanks to the rain and the construction work.  The repair shop greeted my patient, long-suffering husband like he was family, since he had just picked up his car about two weeks earlier from a one month stay to repair the ice storm damage.  They even had a rental car waiting for us.  We are beginning to think his car is cursed.  Fortunately, it does not appear to be totaled, although the rear passenger panel is toast.

One of the reasons we came out of this as well as we did is my patient, long-suffering husband's mad driving skillz.  We were the only car involved in the melee that did not have any damage on the front end.  He didn't hit the car ahead of us, he didn't hit the concrete barrier, and he didn't leave his lane.  I think he has a promising career as a stunt driver.  

We got home with just enough time to unload the rental car and head to handbell practice.  My patient, long-suffering husband had another rehearsal after our practice, but my BFFs took me for tacos and margaritas afterward and suddenly the day didn't seem quite so bad.  I will make an appointment with my doctor in the morning to make sure everything is still securely fastened, but all in all, we feel very fortunate.  My patient, long-suffering husband's car might beg to differ.

3/8/15. The post where we pull off a surprise.

3/8/15: yesterday was my dad's birthday.  I didn't tell you because we were planning a surprise for him.  Today after church, we hightailed it down the freeway to get to their house in time for a small family birthday party.  We pulled off the surprise.  He wasn't expecting us and a fun time was had by all.  We even made a FaceTime call to our brother who lives out of state so he and his family could join the festivities.  

We are spending the night tonight and heading back home in the morning.  It was a quick trip, but it was totally worth it.  As I expected based on last night's foot issues, the rain came back this morning and followed us all the way to my parents' house three hours away.  My foot should get a job as a meteorologist.

3/7/15. The post where I pull two switcheroos.

3/7/15: yes, I stayed up and read the whole script.  It didn't take all night...just half the night.  And I slept in a little this morning to make up for it.  I am bound not to disclose anything about the script, so I'll just say it has a very compelling plot and my role is small but satisfying.  I think it will be a lot of fun.

My patient, long-suffering husband and I had a huge accomplishment today.  When we bought our home five years ago, we bought a nice patio table and chairs for our deck.  A large square table. For our small triangular deck. The deck is on the second floor of the house and has a railing around it, so there is no expanding the deck or cheating the table out a little.  It was obvious as soon as we put it together that the fit wasn't right, but we liked the table, so we tried to make it work.  In order for four people to eat at the table, we had to move the chairs into the corners of the deck, take all the food and tableware outside and set the table, have all the guests come outside and close the door, then pick up the table and move it so all the chairs could fit around it. After dinner (or if we forgot something and needed to go inside), we had to go through the same steps in reverse. It doesn't make for a very elegant dinner party. Or a very safe emergency exit.

My patient, long-suffering husband happened across a patio table that would work much better earlier this week, and this morning we decided enough was enough.  We cleaned off the old table and chairs, took photos, and put an ad on Craig's list.  Sure enough, within a few hours, a very nice couple loaded them up and took them to their new home.  All that remained was to purchase the new set, which entailed a trip to IKEA.

If you have never been to an IKEA store on a Saturday night, this should give you a good idea of what it is like.  http://youtu.be/z-qd198SFwo.  We made it home in one piece with our two boxes full of parts and got to work.  Within an hour, we had a new table and chairs on the deck.  A set that fits this time.  Now I am even more anxious for spring to arrive.  

We were pretty impressed with ourselves.  My foot, not to be outdone, decided to pull its own switcheroo.  For the last few weeks, I've had the cold, stinging, numb pain.  But tonight after an hour of standing in line at the store and an hour of putting together patio furniture, it decided to move back without warning to the red hot, swollen, burning pain.  And this time, it had a special surprise - several veins on the top of my foot looked (and felt) like they were about to burst through my skin Alien-style. (I'll spare you the video clip on that one.)  After about 30 minutes with my foot elevated, the color is returning to normal and the veins are disappearing, but it doesn't feel any better.  On the bright side, at least I have new patio furniture. 

3/6/15. The post where I have a more satisfying theatrical experience.

3/6/15: still cold, but more sunshine today.  A day of tying up loose ends at work, then a manicure/pedicure appointment. ("Hi, Hawaii Ya?" From OPI's Hawaii collection.)  This evening, I had my second theater experience in two nights.  My cousin's daughter was in her church's production of Godspell.  And it was awesome.  She had an important solo during the climax of the production and she totally nailed it.  (Must be genetic...)  In a pleasant surprise, someone who was a friend and colleague of mine for many years, but with whom I'd lost touch over the last year or so, choreographed the production.  I also ran into several friends in the audience, so it was a little like going to a high school reunion.  In a good way.

I got home to find that my writer friend had emailed a working script of the screenplay he wants us to film, so guess what I'll be doing tonight?  Fortunately, I have nothing on the calendar tomorrow, so if I stay up all night reading the script (and I may), at least I can catch up on rest in the morning.  It is supposed to be sunny and a little warmer tomorrow...one last day of respite before the rain returns.  My foot felt pretty good today, and a day of rest tomorrow can only help. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to spend the night curled up with a good story...at least, I hope it's a good story.

3/5/15. The post where I have an interesting experience.

3/5/15: my foot pain forecast was more accurate than the weather forecast, but only slightly.  Apparently, the rain stopped about 14 seconds before the temperature dipped below freezing, so the ice did not materialize.  The good news for me is that our office had already made the decision to close until noon, because for me, whether or not there was ice was irrelevant.  It was the temperature that was an issue.  I slept fitfully, but was able to stay in bed much of the morning, which helped immensely. 

The sun finally came out this afternoon, which was a welcome change, although it was still miserably cold.  I spent the afternoon in the office writing legislation based on yesterday's workgroup meeting.  You know, just a typical day.  After work, I picked up my patient, long-suffering husband and we went to an outing arranged for my acting class.

We went to a local theater to see a musical written by a local playwright.  All I can say about it is....ooooohhhhhhhh mmmmmmmmyyyyyyyyyyyy.  The "musical" consisted of a bunch of electronica songs performed by three gyrating women in space costumes.  Whatever you are imagining right now, multiply it by about 100 and you should have it just about right.  It was certainly an interesting experience.  It gave our acting class a lot to talk about afterward and it was definitely a confidence booster.  And my patient, long-suffering husband earned some serious brownie points.

My foot is feeling better tonight.  The appearance of the sun helped.  We are forecast for a couple of nice days before the rain returns, so I am feeling hopeful for the weekend.  And the best thing about today?  My sweet baby niece had her first birthday.  Although we live far apart and I didn't get to see her in person, her parents sent pictures all day, which was the next best thing.  Any day you see a picture of a baby whose face is covered in chocolate cake is a good day.

3/4/15. The post where I compare and contrast.

3/4/15:  just a short post to compare and contrast.

My work day yesterday?  Tromping through the mud out in the country in jeans and galoshes.

My work day today?  Tromping through a sea of lobbyists at the Capitol in a power suit and heels.

The weather this afternoon?  70 degrees and muggy.

The weather this evening?  35 degrees (and rapidly falling) and windy.

The weather in a few hours?  28 degrees and icy.

My foot this morning?  4 and bearable in heels.

My foot right now?  7 and miserable in slippers.

My office has already made the decision to open late tomorrow due to the expected road conditions.  And I have already made the decision to stay in bed all morning due to my expected foot condition.

3/3/15. The post where my day ended better than it started.

3/3/15:  true to my word, I got up this morning, quit whining, and got moving.  Which doesn't mean I was happy about it.  My foot was miserable and my ears were still ringing, but not so much that I couldn't hear my inner voice begging me to get back in bed.  

The day did not improve when I got to work.  I had to make a day trip with a colleague out to tour a property owned by my employer, where we spent a couple of hours slogging through the mud on a cold, wet, foggy day.  Thank goodness for warm rain boots.  Not one of my more glamorous days.

Late this afternoon, my mom got the results of her latest round of medical testing, and while it wasn't terrible news, it wasn't quite as great as we'd hoped, which means more testing and procedures.  It's been nearly a year since she was first diagnosed, and boy, has she come a long way.  The next round will be a breeze compared to what she's been through, but I'd just as soon she didn't have to go through it anyway.

After I got home from work, I got the sad news that a former boss of mine passed away today.  He retired nearly 15 years ago, but I still saw him fairly regularly at retirement and other work-related functions and I was not expecting the news.  A crappy end to a crappy day.  Except the day wasn't over yet.  I still had acting class.  And my inner voice chimed in again, telling me to skip class and go straight to bed.

It's a good thing I rarely listen to my inner voice.  Class was phenomenal and I had what my acting coach called "a breakthrough."  Is is too early to start shopping for gowns to wear next year to the Academy Awards?

3/2/15. The post where I whine about the weather.

3/2/15: I told you last week I would do this, so don't act surprised.  Yesterday was a full day.  I sang and played handbells in church, then we made a trip out to wine country with friends to pick up a wine club shipment.  It was a fun trip (how could a wine country trip be anything else?), but the weather was miserable. It was cold, rainy, and foggy.  Hard to believe it was the first day of March.

When we got home, it was still early evening, so we sat down to watch a movie.  And once I sat down, I realized how rotten I felt.  Not just my foot, although it was certainly doing its best to get my attention.  I felt completely worn out physically and mentally, like I'd just run a marathon while doing long division in my head.  I made it through the movie and then crawled into bed.

Fortunately, I slept pretty well and happened to have a scheduled day off work today.  I did some chores around the house, met my acting partner for lunch and a run-through of our scene, and made a trip to the grocery store.  My foot was still pretty angry and I had to make several adjustments to my stimulator, but all in all, things seemed to be going okay.

And then I was done in by a handbell.  (Okay, technically, it was a choir chime, but only a real handbell nerd would know the difference. Or that there is such a thing as a choir chime.)  I have never enjoyed the sound of choir chimes. Have you ever put a glass away in a cabinet and accidentally touched it to the cabinet or another glass, so that it makes a high-pitched vibrating sound and you have to grab the glass with your hand to make it stop?  That's what choir chimes sound like to me.  But clearly I am in the minority, since choirs all over the world continue to purchase and play them, and composers continue to write pieces for them.  But something particularly disconcerting happened during practice tonight.  I'm not quite sure what happened, frankly, but whatever it was happened while I was playing the chimes and for several minutes I couldn't hear out of one ear. When the sound came back, both ears started ringing.  For awhile I was afraid my vertigo might have returned.  In any event, whatever happened did me in for the night. 

As I think more about it, it strikes me that my stimulator is probably the neurological equivalent of a choir chime, at least in terms of the vibrations and their effect on my irritation level.  Of course, the stimulator vibrations are helping to mask a much worse sensation.  Maybe I would like the choir chimes better if they were masking the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard, although I'd just as soon not find out.

I think a lot of my physical and mental fatigue is related to the weather.  As much as I'd like to hide in bed until the weather gets better (or at least consistent), I've looked at my calendar and the weather forecast and that is not in the cards.  So, in the morning I will quit whining and get moving.  And try to stay away from the choir chimes for awhile.