wahoo! & we're off...!

So, my guy and I drove down to my place; got the tags and registration for my vehicle renewed; dropped off my library books; WENT TO THE WELLNESS CONNECTION CENTER and got my present (a year's membership); mopped all my floors; played with my pups; and loaded Ace and all his things up.  We drove back to my guy's and I gave Ace a bath, in the kitchen sink, using the little spray hose attachment.  At first he appeared to be ready to leap from the sink, but lo and behold! he discovered the dirty lasagna pan (cuz I haven't stuck it in the dishwasher and we just emptied it).  THAT cheesy goodness captured his interest for the entire bathing process....

So, we are almost ready to take off for the Ouchita Mountains of Arkansas!!!  Yea!!!  Here I come, memom and pops!!

ch. ch. ch. chilly

Last night, my guy and I watched "The Interpreter" with Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn.  Well, we didn't watch it with them (eye roll here).  Then, we bundled ourselves up and returned the movie and stopped at Wal*Mart to pick up a few necessities (ya know, like toilet paper).

It was a cool thirty degrees fahrenheit.  Oh...my...frozen...tush.  My jaws were chattering, from the cold that is, my teeth clicking together like a wind-up toy.  My eyes teared and I hastened to wipe the moisture before it froze in little jewels on my cheeks.

Ok, maybe that was an extreme reaction.  Especially for a girl from PA.  But, I gotta tell ya, that's damn tootin' cold, especially for MS.  I'm just sayin'.

It took me quite some time to warm up.  My guy's body-heat sure did help!

uh, she sheepishly bleats

or maybe that's "utters".

I didn't realize til just now that it has been so long since I posted an entry.  This update won't cover everything, but some highlights are touched upon.  Hopefully, I won't rest on my rhodedendrons too long before the next post!

Well, my guy and I went to see Chronicles of Narnia:  The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe.  It was fine, very similar in themes with the Lord of the Rings, but I guess that isn't very surprising since Lewis was very influenced by Tolkien in other matters as well.

We also went to see King Kong, which was good.  I've never seen any other version, so I wasn't doing comparisons, but obviously I was familiar with the whole saving the damsel in distress, fighting off the airplanes, whilst balancing on the empire state building.  I mean, I don't think you can grow up in US and not have some imagery of those elements ingrained at some point.

My father's birthday was last week.  I called him and, as tradition holds in my family, sang "Happy Birthday" to him.  It was a good conversation.

My guy and I are driving out to see my folks on Thursday.  My guy will return to MS to be with his mother on Christmas Eve, while I will stay with my folks as I haven't seen them since LAST Christmas.  I'm really excited about the visit.

I'll be taking Ace, my Boston Terrier with me.  He is older and his coat is thinner, and he minds the shivery cold very much.  My neighbors are watching my other two pupsicles and they are lending me their pet carrier.  The carrier is not so much for the trip but for the stay, that was he can bed down for the night and I won't have to worry about him roaming and "marking" the place (well, he is a little incontinent....ok, he's alot incontinent...but I still love him, even if he is a lil stinker).

Ziggee curls up with Shaddow and they will be fine.  I cannot imagine taking all three of them in the car, nor can I see imposing on my folks for that length of time with all of them.  So, I'll bundle Ace up in his lil sweater (he looks so dignified...well, he does!) and harness and take his leash, bowls, food, toys, etc.

Well, I've got to run, got lasagna baking and it smells sooooooooooo good!!!

Hello, from Oxford

Mississippi, that is.

I'm visiting my guy for the first time since August.  It's about a two hour drive from my place.  Yesterday was a nice day for the drive.

My neighbor is doggie care-giving for me.  She spoils my pups rotten, microwaves and serves their food warm.  Dudes!  There's times I feel like pouring milk over cereal is sufficient for a meal, let alone zapping the dogs' food.

Today, my guy and I went for a very nice lunch on the square and then while he met and worked with another grad student, I read my book and drank the house coffee of the day.  After that, we went to Walmart to stock up on groceries and stuff.  We both have to be in the right frame of mind to face Walmart.  I'm not fond of shopping, so it's a real chore.  But it's done.  Yea!

Now, he is sorting through all his paperwork, school work, etc.  And I am thinking that it's too late for nappage, but I might call it an early night.  Tomorrow we drive down to Jackson for the day.  I have a feeling this week will zoom! right by.

tomorrow

Tomorrow is Thursday, which means it's Group Facilitation Day (I actually DO think in caps like that).  Sometimes, I get a bit more tuckered out on Thursdays than any other day.  It involves driving from my place in the country to town, then driving to another town, and back again.

It involves being able to be a facilitator for two support groups for those with mental illnesses &/or brain disorders.  Usually, that is not too hard, but the days when I feel like crap and need some support myself, I don't really have a chance to get it from the groups.  Sometimes it is enough to know that I am helping SOMEBODY but sometimes I need some help too.  I can't really find that within the group, as our groups are fairly young and haven't had time to bond and become cohesive.  The groups still very much continue to need facilitation to ease the flow of communication and redirect focus to the topic at hand and generate support for each group member, and as of yet, I don't feel that I am a group member, because of not being able to participate to the same extent as the others.

Next Thursday will be the first time since September that I will have missed facilitation.  I have notified my co-facilitators, so they can field this as they see fit.  Both of them (one for each group) are nervous as all get-out.

why, oh! why, can't I?

The day seems to go by so incredibly fast.  There are still 24 hrs in it, but the shortest sunlight hours are here.  I'm trying to get out of the house everyday, and not to hole up immediately when I come home by retreating into my bedroom with my jammers all comfy and warm.

Some days I have more success than others.  Today, I was driving home from PT and was thinking about errands.  I was tired and not up to doing them this afternoon or evening.  So, I will need to get to them tomorrow.

I just seem to be tapped out of energy.  I've been trying to make sure that I am getting adequate rest and staying active in some ways.  But I just can't seem to get it together.

Let's get physical

So, I'm thinking that maybe it would be a good idea to do the "before and after" thing.  It's not so much that I'm thinking there will be a definitive "after" point.  But I think that if I took a picture of me before I started using the gym, sort of a recently turned 35, end of 2005 motivational snap.  Ya know?

That way, I can SEE what a change.  I've noticed a slight difference already.  This past month, I've been going to PT.  I carry myself a tad bit more straighter through the spine and no hunched shoulders (I didn't even realize that I did slump my posture so badly).  My weight hasn't changed all that much, but I didn't expect it to.  One reason is that it is the holidays and I figured that losing might be too much to expect, how about just maintaining...?  Also, muscle weighs more than fat, per volume.  So, I do notice some difference in the fit of the clothing.  On Sunday, I tried on a pair of jeans that didn't fit at all a month ago.  The jeans slipped right over the thighs and hips and zipped right up.  yea!

The gym I am joining is an extension of the Baptist Hospital's services.  It's housed in the same unit as my PT.  The facilities include a lap pool, hydrotherapy pool, whirlpool, steam room, sauna, equipment, track, free weights, classes, etc.  Yippee!!

I'm very excited and happy.  Can ya tell???

la la la la laa, la la la laaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...

I heard Cheech and Chong's "Santa and His Ol Lady" on the radio earlier, while I was driving home.  If you would like to give it a look-see, go here.  My favorite part is this:

Richard "Cheech" Marin:  Aw, man, you don't know who Santa Claus is, man!
Thomas "Tommy" Chong: Yeah, well, I'm not from here, man. Like, I'm from Pittsburgh, man. I don't know to many local dudes.

merry christmas to me!!!! and a happppppy new year!!

A friend of mine e-mailed this to me over the weekend:

A husband was in big trouble when he forgot his wedding anniversary.
His wife told him,
"tomorrow there better be something in the driveway for me
that goes zero to 200 in 2 seconds flat."
The next morning the wife found a small package in the driveway.
She opened it and found a brand new bathroom scale.
Funeral arrangements for the husband have been set for Saturday.

This friday will be the last PT session for me.
So, I was discussing gym membership with my guy Saturday night.
He asked if I would USE the facilities if I had access.
Yup. So he said, "Merry Christmas".
He's getting me a year's membership.
This makes me SOoooooooooooooo happy.

got milk? not me!

Also, whilst over visitting my forementioned friend....her baby-girl is about a year and a half and she does nurse occassionally yet.  Since her vocabulary is expanding and her knowledge-base is growing in leaps and bounds, the baby-girl sometimes will lean against her mom and pat her chest gently and pronounce, "milk!"  Sometimes, my lil year and a half old friend wants a little variety I guess, cuz from time to time, she'll reach for ME and demand, "milk!", while trying to root under my shirt.

The first time it happened, I was taken aback.  Uhhhh, what to do...?  Now, I redirect her toward mommy or I go get her a drink in her sippee-cup.  The thing is, she seems to be frustrated that I don't oblige her desire to nurse.  Maybe she's puzzled, I mean, it LOOKS like I got the equipment.....but, I'm not the mommee (ala Alanis's "I'm not the Doctor").

sssssssssssaaaaaaaaay, wotchu got there?

Last night, I was over at my friends' place.  Their six year old daughter was playing with her Barbie while sitting on the floor in front of me.  The lil girl turned toward me and held up the doll.

"Look, Mizz Debra, Barbie's white, just like you."

"uhhuh" (ain't I so intelligent?)

"'cepting she's got blonde, i mean white, hair"

"uhhuh" (me again, showcasing my intelligence)

"and it's looooong.  her hair, i mean"

"uhhuh" (not a lot of variation coming from me, is there?)

"and," she leans really close, cuz this is very important, as she peels up Barbie's lycra/spandex/nylon shirt to reveal her nippleless breasts, "when I get bigger, I'm gonna grow some of these."

"uhhhhhhhhuh"  (hey! if the answer is working, don't mess with the formula)

After the BIBLE-STUDY, I slipped on over and related the conversation to her mother.  She laughed and reassured me that I handled it just fine.  Which is good, cuz sometimes I am clearly at a loss of words around the child.  But, the child is usually intent on rambling to me so she doesn't really need much feedback, just my attention.  That, she has, no problem.

whine and crackers

My last entry was full of whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiining.  I did go to PT and did do some of the chores such as the garbage.  Plus I threw in an unscheduled stop at Lowe's and picked up fifty feet of fencing.  I unrolled and flattened it, preparing it for installation, as soon as I got home.

Then I realized my lower back was spasming.  The PT is in response to my persistantly explaining that my lower back would bind tighter and tighter as I moved, so much so that simply walking would bring tears and difficulty in breathing.  Finally, a month or so ago, the doc said, "hey!  I think you have a chronic sprain that needs to be addressed."  Gee, Wally, ya think?

Hence, the PT was ordered.  I am using equipment that should be increasing the toning and strength of my torso in particular, the rest of my body in general.  The weight is being added so that I've gradually increased the amount of resistance.  My PT says that I am doing great and since we are 3/4 through, he feels that I should be able to do chores, such as laundry and simple lifting, with no problem.

My lower back, particularly on my right side, has been in spasm most of the day.  I told him after therapy that my back siezes whilst walking short distances still.  I am beginning to get frustrated all over again.

After I left PT, I did a few errands, paid a few bills, and stopped at LJ's Coffee and Bakery for some tea.  I am very conscience of my posture, so while I was sitting there, I could still feel my back doing funky things it oughtn't be doing.  Then I noticed I was feeling slightly nauseated.

That's where the crackers would have come in, if I had some.  I didn't want to try eating, cuz lately that seems to make me feel worse instead of better.  The not so great wooziness continued for a couple hours.

The good thing is, now I am feeling better.  The bad thing is, I am not sure what is causing the nausea.  I am also frustrated because I have no idea what else to do to strengthen my back so I can walk pain-free.

One thing that I plan to do, is to see about continuing my workout at the university's gym.  I need to see if I can find someone (a student, faculty member, or staff) to sponsor me so that my fee for the term is more affordable.  There are trainers there.  I spoke with my PT and he said that was a great idea.

We shall see.

Wake up, sleepy me...

I am very tired.  The thought of getting in my car and driving to PT is not welcome.  My dishes need washing, my fridge needs cleaning, the garbage needs to be taken out, the floor ought to be scrubbed, and my sheets should be changed.  Then I ought to wash my laundry and get everything squared away.

Then there is all the paperwork that needs to be completed.  Oh, and Christmas cards to be sent.  And really all I want to do is crawl back into bed and snooze on.

hope your day is going better.