The little things

*My elbow dimple is starting to come back, and it's barely yellow now-- almost back to its pasty off-white color. Yay!
*I started my physical therapy today. It was pretty crappy, but not as bad as I thought, which I guess is good. We are working on getting comfortable with the full range of movement right now. My next appointment is Thursday and I will only have to request 15 minutes off from work. I'm sure the scheduling lady will love that one. :)
*I ate sushi left handed today. It was quite entertaining. The kind man at the sushi place gave me the chopsticks like the kids use that are kind of like big tweezers...
*Right now I am watching Dancing with the Stars. It is almost time for Mr. Tasty, I mean Rocco.
*This week I am hoping to start the series on my roommates of the past that I had promised. I had intended to start that a few weeks ago before the whole moving/elbow/everything going wrong fiasco. I'll probably get to that about Thursday-ish.
*Two more contests I'm intending to enter this year. The first is the Writer's Digest Short Short Fiction contest, with a December 9 deadline and the second is the Glamour magazine essay contest with a December 31 deadline. Mainly, this is about setting goals and meeting them.
*Another thing I am (being forced to) work on is asking for and accepting help. I am quite stubborn and do not like handing over control. I like to know exactly when and how things are going to get done and I'm having to let go of that for this move because I cannot do everything. I have to just have faith that things will be okay and everything will get done. I have to be patient with myself which is also not something that I am good at. I tend to expect much more of myself than I would of any other person that I know. Me and my darned unrealistic expectations... :P
*I am looking forward to moving and going jogging in the park across the street from my new apartment. Because the industrial jungle on the path I follow here at this apartment does nothing to motivate me to keep on pushing--Not that I've been going out for the last few weeks anyhow, but still... I am also looking forward to the indoor hot tub at my new apartment complex. And good, non-Starbucks coffee within walking distance.
*The fortune cookie that I ate this evening (they gave me three with my Chinese food on Friday-it was the only part of the order that didn't make me sick...) said "The hard times will begin to fade. Joy will take their place."
*Happy Monday!

Elbow-gate 2008

So I just got home from having my Jolly Green Giant appendage removed, and I have to say, doctors irritate the crap out of me. Last week, they told me that they did not see anything on the x-ray but they were treating it as a radial head fracture based on the symptoms, type of accident and lack of being better. They said that with that type of fracture, it is commonly not seen on early x-rays and sometimes not seen at all if it's small and they just treat based on the symptoms. Today they say no fracture after all, but a moderate to severe sprain which apparently works out worse for me because apparently elbow sprains are not at all common and it takes an especially talented person to do such a thing. Apparently elbow fractures are more common than sprains and that's why they go there first. (Click on the links above to see the items I found online supporting what they told me... Okay, so I'm too anal for my own good...) Then, just a couple of minutes later-- the fracture could be there, but it would heal more quickly than the sprain... Make up your minds already!!!
So, now the Jolly Green Giant appendage is gone and replaced with ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. I thought I would be happy to be free of the thing, but honestly, it feels worse to have no support-- except of course the happy little sling from the ER that the PA told me to use-- is it normal to be nervous about being liberated? Because I'm terrified! I guess that freedom can always lead to fear...
So my physical therapy starts on Monday and I am on lifting restriction for 6-8 weeks. No lifting, pushing, pulling, turning-- just bending and straightening exercises along with rotations. Oh yeah, and apparently it's best not to drive because this can result in lifting, pushing, pulling and turning, even if you try to avoid it. And to quote the PA that I saw today-- "And no lifting means no lifting. Not even so much as an empty coffee cup." Hmm... I wonder how I'm going to pack those empty coffee cups. He he he... Apparently this is to be re-evaluated in 1 month, which happens to be the day before I move. This should be interesting. But the PT will work with me to start lifting and all the other normal movements... I'm considering attempting to re-establish my average for bowling left-handed...
On the positive side, the left-handed diet seems to be working out pretty well. I'm down 9 lbs in two weeks... It's amazing how much less you feel like eating when eating is such hard work. Ha ha ha! I wonder if a fork also falls under the lifting restriction. Maybe an empty fork is okay, but a full fork-- don't even think about it. Okay, so now I'm just being a little bit silly. I need to in order to stay sane!

If you are reading this, please pray for peace for me. This is too much stuff happening all at once and I just need to keep on pushing along. I was actually feeling mostly calm until after my appointment. I think the reality of the no lifting and its effects on moving are beginning to sink in. I'm doing my best to take it one day at a time. And one coffee mug at a time... :)

Some random things...

* I am currently reading a book written by Hugh Laurie (yes, as in House) in 1996. Who knew that Hugh Laurie wrote a spoof spy novel? I found it on the buy two get one free table (which I, of course, frequent) and I had to buy it.
* I am happy that I can watch House tomorrow rather than taping it. Because usually it's on at the same time as the Dancing with the Stars results show, but since it starts earlier this season... HOORAY for Lazy Tuesday!
* And on Lazy Tuesday there will be far too much hotness for me to handle. This may be highly inappropriate but in addition to a couple of the pros, there is also one particularly tasty celebrity. Tasty because he's a cook-- and he's sizzling hot. He he he... enough cooking jokes. Then there's House. I think I'm drooling already just thinking about tomorrow's television viewing. Wednesday it will be back to reading.
* Ugh. Moving stresses me out. Moving when I'm not fully functional-- Ay caramba! My goal is to call somebody every time the stress makes me feel like eating something unhealthy. I've been quite good lately, though mostly only because things are not agreeing with me anymore and I'm trying to figure out what items cause problems and which are okay.
* And following that previous thought, what's up with that? All of a sudden after I turned 28 my body has started rebelling against me in every way possible. I guess now that I'm 29 I need to work harder to fix that.
* I don't want to wait until January to find out about the essay contest. I don't know why I care because the odds that I will win are probably in the negative numbers, but for some reason I have this tiny glimmer of hope floating around inside of my head. And I know that now matter what happens, I've done something good because I actually followed through on that goal.
* I have decided that I think that all people should be taught to be ambidextrous from the time they are small children. It would make life a lot easier.
* I am not a clumsy person. Following my recent incident, people have made many jokes about my clumsiness and for some reason it really bugs me even though I know I'm not clumsy. Yes, I had a singular clumsy moment, but that is not my nature. I generally don't drop things, trip over things or lose my balance. I have never done ANYTHING like that before and will hopefully never do anything like that again. I have no idea why I'm so touchy about that, but every time somebody makes a clumsy joke, it makes me cranky. Maybe because I've been trying so hard to laugh off the fact that I was ungraceful enough to catch my toe in my opposite leg pajama pants that it's made it seem like the kind of thing that happens to me all of the time--even though it doesn't.
* My co-workers make me happy. On the claims side of the building, everyone is so much more easy going and nobody really hates their job. Also, they're not so much girly-girls with all the gossip and cattiness that was predominant on the customer service side. Most of the claims women are the low maintenance and quirky types. Still almost all women, but much easier to get along with women. Very pleasant. At least there's no stress in that part of my life.
* As much crazy stuff that's going on with me recently, I am actually quite happy. I suppose being loved by people around you can do that. I feel like recently I've stopped focusing so much on the love that I don't have (romantic love) and more on the love I do (God's love, family love, love of friends). Hopefully I can keep on with this, because it feels pretty darn good.
* What, you expected me to keep coming up with random things? No way! It's time for bed!

I may be stubborn, but I am not left-handed

So, as many of ya'll know, I had a minor incident last week resulting in what is more than likely a fractured elbow. Apparently with this type of elbow injury, which is caused by falling and landing on outstretched arms, essentially jamming the elbow, a fracture is rarely detected on the initial x-ray, and therefore additional x-rays have to be done at a later time if mobility has not significantly improved in about a week. So tomorrow, I will go to the orthopedic clinic for my additional x-rays and more thorough examination. If they are as gentle as the x-ray technician at the hospital, I'm imagining this will be something akin to torture.

Now you may be wondering about the extraordinarily talented thing I may have done to injure myself in such a way, and I have to tell you, the kids at church (and perhaps one adult!) were very helpful in coming up with some stories that are FAR more exciting than the reality.
1) I was skydiving.
2) I was wrestling an alligator in Florida.
3) I fell off of a building.
4) Rollerderby

The reality is that my toe caught in the opposite leg of my pajama pants and I kind of flew, landing on my outstretched arms, primarily the right, and ended up on the floor. That is the best description I can give as it happened so incredibly fast that there was no thought involved until I was already on the floor. I can tell you, however, that it was my black thermal Tinkerbell pajama pants that caused the fall. Is that enough detail for you?

I thought I just had a sore muscle from catching myself on the floor, but as the evening went on it was apparent this was not the case. I was going to try suck it up and see how I felt on Thursday, but when I laid down to go to sleep, all those little moves that you don't realize that you're making were killer. So my dad came and picked me up and I officially checked in for my first ever ER visit at 12:02 am on Thursday. It went fairly quickly and I was home by 1:30 am with my arm wrapped up to look like a limb of the Michelin Man.

Since Thursday, it has become apparent to anyone who didn't previously know, that I am too darn stubborn for my own good. Some of my friends as well as my parents have at moments, become irritated by my refusal to allow them to help me. I just like taking care of myself-- even when I was a child, when I was sick I would still get up and get my own juice or crackers or 7-up. It's just the way I am. Even though I am not a lefty, I'm doing my best to function like one because life does not get put on hold because I was so incredibly ungraceful that I tripped over the pajamas I was wearing. It may earn me a lifetime ride pass for the short bus, but that's about it.

Well, that's all for now. Think good thoughts for me tomorrow when I go to see the orthopedic specialist-- hopefully they'll put me in something smaller and easier to manage. Ironically enough, right as I was typing that, there was a Michelin commercial on TV featuring the Michelin Man. He he he he he!

Asking for help

This is the post where I do something I'm REALLY not good at--and that thing is asking for help. So the first thing is prayer. I need prayer for finances as I prepare to move on October 25th and for peace and safety until I do. I am just keeping this on my blog because I prefer to keep it among my friends.
Second, I am going to need help with the moving process if anyone is available at any time. There are several parts of this--1) It would be great if any of my friends can just come to keep me company while I pack. I have a horrible time getting things done alone-- I don't really need help packing, just another person there to keep me motivated while I'm doing it. If anyone is interested in helping me out here, I'll make you dinner! 2) I need some muscle for moving day. A buff guy or two to help my dad with the furniture and heavier boxes. (Really the couch is the worst of it...) There will also be some food provided on this day, though probably more like pizza or something similar because there will be too much going on for me to make something fancy--plus my dishes will be packed... : ) 3) Do any of ya'll have a truck? 4) Does anyone need a dresser? It will be free to a good home. It is about six feet wide, 18 or so inches deep and about 30 inches tall (I'm just guessing on these measurements!) It's really good for a young girl because it has a vanity style mirror that's about 2 feet by 3 feet that attaches to the dresser. Here is a picture (please excuse the mess):

So I am bound and determined NOT to take the dresser with me this time. I have been wanting to replace the blasted thing with cubes for years, and now seems like the ideal time-- the dresser goes away and I set up the cubes in the new apartment. It will be a beautiful thing! I am not a fan of dressers because I like to be able to see what I have-- and while the mirror would be great for some girls, it did not succeed in turning me into the girly girl my mother had hoped I would be. At any rate, if any of ya'll want or need the dresser, let me know. I'm willing to give it away to a friend, but if nobody needs it, then I will attempt to sell it on Craig's list for a little bit of cash to put toward my cubes. Hooray!

So that's all for now: prayer for finances, peace and safety; company for my packing adventures; muscle for moving day; cubes; oh yeah, and if any of ya'll have any spare empty boxes lying around, let me know!

Success at last... and a failure

At last, the dreaded essay of doom has been completed and sent off to Real Simple magazine. Okay, so in my eyes it will never be completed. I could continue working on it for months--or even years-- and never think it was good enough. But I cut myself off. I just sent it off by e-mail. I cannot publish it on my blog quite yet. Until the results of the contest have been determined, the essay cannot appear anywhere else--even if it's just my piddly blog that approximately 7 people read. So if anyone just CAN'T wait (insert sarcasm here) let me know and I will e-mail it to you. I know, it's not likely, but since my last few blog posts have been about this project, who knows.

Next on the agenda-- the failure... I need to move. I didn't want to move until I could afford to buy a place, but the complex is quickly going in the toilet and I would like to escape before I'm completely buried in crap. I know-- it's a beautiful visual, isn't it? So anyway, this week will be spend looking at new apartments because my lease is up at the end of October. I have been considering this for a while now. A new management company took over the complex in about January and everything has just gotten worse since then. My "air conditioner" has never worked properly; they turn the water off to the apartments to fix a leak AT LEAST once a week; the garbage disposal has stopped working and they never actually show up to repair anything; and all of this would be manageable if not for two more major concerns: First, the light outside my door has been burned out for two months and the next light over has been burned out for three... the moral of the story-- I cannot see ANYTHING if I come home after dark, which is completely unsafe for more than one reason. And second, it seems that they have dialed down the security patrol that used to drive around the complex at night because I haven't seen them for months, and I used to see them at lease once every day. These two things combined with recent events in my complex, and I just don't feel comfortable anymore. So I now officially have a month and a half to find a new place, get all packed up and moved out. I hate moving.

That is all.

Overhaulin'

This just in:
Just days before the submission deadline for the Real Simple essay contest, my essay is being completely overhauled-- It is now going in a completely different direction than I originally intended, and this one seems to flow much more naturally. My old topic felt too force, too wooden-- And of course too lengthy. It was not a story that could any way be told in 1500 words. Trust me-- I've been trying for weeks to condense it, but telling only the bare bones cannot possibly capture the essence of the moment. And tonight, as I was lying in bed, trying to go to sleep, I was thinking about what I could possibly do to make this work. I really did not want to send in a crappy essay just to say I did it, so I tried to think of another moment to write about. But really, how do you condense THE most important moment of your life into 1500 words. In fact, how do you even pinpoint the most important moment of your life? These are all thoughts that rolled through my head within the last hour. And that's when it came to me. The beginning of the 1500 words that will describe the most important day of my life. Now to put pen to paper and get it done. I always have worked better under pressure. Hopefully this will be no exception. Look for the end result in a future post--but it may be a few months!