Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Anniversaries and other tidbits.....
Well, the in-laws have cancelled their visit later this week due to illness. Bummer that they're sick, but I am a bit relieved not to have two sets of company in one week. It also gives me a bit longer to tidy up the house.
Got an astounding SEVEN phone calls this morning between 8am and 11am. All were medical in nature. Needless to say, I got no stinkin' sleep! And it made me run late for the chronic illness support group which was at 11:30. Didn't help that on the way there, some part of my brain thought I was going to aquacise, so I got on the highway when I hadn't intended to. Sigh.
The support group went well. There were only four of us there, but everyone knows I never have a shortage of things to talk about. I was just about to leave when for some inexplicable reason, I decided to pick up the parrot belonging to the lady whose house we meet in. The bird did not care for that and bit my index finger. It was more surprising and embarrassing than anything else.
The weather is finally warming up consistently enough for me to get around a little easier during the day. I'm going to be stopping the Bextra in a few days and starting the new med that's supposed to replace it, so I don't know if movement will improve or worsen. I still wear out incredibly fast no matter what, though, so I still need to track down a wheelchair for the StarFest. I've got some ideas as to where to look.
Tomorrow afternoon I get that root canal. Icky poo yuck.
One of the calls I got this morning was from the rheumatologist's office. I'd left a message yesterday afternoon asking if he knew any sleep specialists where I could get a reliable second opinion about treatment for the periodic limb movement disorder. He didn't know of anyone. Guess I'll just pick someone and hope they're good.
Today was the 10th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. I remember how right after it happened, a lot of people around me were blaming Arabs, jumping to conclusions even though they hadn't seen the story on the news yet. Were they ever suprised when the culprit turned out to be an ordinary-looking white American-born man. And now we're back to being suspicious of anyone with a name or face that appears to be of Middle Eastern descent. I guess we're full circle now, and it makes me ashamed of my fellow Americans' behavior. Perhaps it is different in Oklahoma City. I visited the site of the bombing in 1997, and at that time, while I was sickened by what had happened, I was heartened by the outpouring of love shown by visitors from all around the world.
And tomorrow is the anniversary of another tragic event. A lot less media coverage now of course, but I always wonder about the ones who lost family members and those still carrying the scars or in some cases the actual bullets in their bodies. Do they still hurt emotionally? Does spring bring mixed feelings for them? Are they hoping this is the year the reporters leave them alone? Or are they facing their futures with confidence and more compassion than those not personally affected by the shootings? I remember driving across town two days after the shootings, gravitating toward the park next to the school because I didn't know how else to grieve. I saw and contributed to the many memorials in the rain, hugging and praying with complete strangers because it seemed like the least I could do. And I have quotes from the memorials posted on my spiritual website, just to make sure I never forget.
Was surprised to see the new pope has already been picked. As a liberal Protestant, I was wistfully hoping that it would be someone younger and more progressive. But I know a great many Catholics will be more comfortable with the status quo. I do wonder if Catholicism will hold with tradition indefinitely? Perhaps if the shortage of priests becomes severe there will be a rethinking of women's roles. But then I'm just an outsider speculating.
Trying to think of a clever way to end this post, but nothing comes to mind.
Pain level: 6
Fatigue level: 8
Got an astounding SEVEN phone calls this morning between 8am and 11am. All were medical in nature. Needless to say, I got no stinkin' sleep! And it made me run late for the chronic illness support group which was at 11:30. Didn't help that on the way there, some part of my brain thought I was going to aquacise, so I got on the highway when I hadn't intended to. Sigh.
The support group went well. There were only four of us there, but everyone knows I never have a shortage of things to talk about. I was just about to leave when for some inexplicable reason, I decided to pick up the parrot belonging to the lady whose house we meet in. The bird did not care for that and bit my index finger. It was more surprising and embarrassing than anything else.
The weather is finally warming up consistently enough for me to get around a little easier during the day. I'm going to be stopping the Bextra in a few days and starting the new med that's supposed to replace it, so I don't know if movement will improve or worsen. I still wear out incredibly fast no matter what, though, so I still need to track down a wheelchair for the StarFest. I've got some ideas as to where to look.
Tomorrow afternoon I get that root canal. Icky poo yuck.
One of the calls I got this morning was from the rheumatologist's office. I'd left a message yesterday afternoon asking if he knew any sleep specialists where I could get a reliable second opinion about treatment for the periodic limb movement disorder. He didn't know of anyone. Guess I'll just pick someone and hope they're good.
Today was the 10th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. I remember how right after it happened, a lot of people around me were blaming Arabs, jumping to conclusions even though they hadn't seen the story on the news yet. Were they ever suprised when the culprit turned out to be an ordinary-looking white American-born man. And now we're back to being suspicious of anyone with a name or face that appears to be of Middle Eastern descent. I guess we're full circle now, and it makes me ashamed of my fellow Americans' behavior. Perhaps it is different in Oklahoma City. I visited the site of the bombing in 1997, and at that time, while I was sickened by what had happened, I was heartened by the outpouring of love shown by visitors from all around the world.
And tomorrow is the anniversary of another tragic event. A lot less media coverage now of course, but I always wonder about the ones who lost family members and those still carrying the scars or in some cases the actual bullets in their bodies. Do they still hurt emotionally? Does spring bring mixed feelings for them? Are they hoping this is the year the reporters leave them alone? Or are they facing their futures with confidence and more compassion than those not personally affected by the shootings? I remember driving across town two days after the shootings, gravitating toward the park next to the school because I didn't know how else to grieve. I saw and contributed to the many memorials in the rain, hugging and praying with complete strangers because it seemed like the least I could do. And I have quotes from the memorials posted on my spiritual website, just to make sure I never forget.
Was surprised to see the new pope has already been picked. As a liberal Protestant, I was wistfully hoping that it would be someone younger and more progressive. But I know a great many Catholics will be more comfortable with the status quo. I do wonder if Catholicism will hold with tradition indefinitely? Perhaps if the shortage of priests becomes severe there will be a rethinking of women's roles. But then I'm just an outsider speculating.
Trying to think of a clever way to end this post, but nothing comes to mind.
Pain level: 6
Fatigue level: 8
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