In the middle of road trips and work hours--when it comes to work, I have suddenly become in demand--I fit in the pre-surgery EKG and bloodwork. It was a bit of a cluster, which I've learned to expect throughout this entire process. I was fasting, so I went to one lab, where the tech was filling in for someone else and didn't know how to do EKGs, so they sent me to another lab I had never been to. I got to that lab, and that tech knew how to do the EKG but had never seen orders the likes of mine. Ultimately, she had to call someone from the first lab I had gone to to come over and assist with the blood draw. They had to take FIVE vials of blood. I sat there for a good hour and a half while this all transpired--hadn't eaten in oh, sixteen hours--and feared I was going to have to choke a bitch, but fortunately, they had cookies and Diet Coke to keep me from dying. Five vials of blood, though. Damn!
The EKG was normal. The technology has improved drastically since my last one. Who knows about the bloodwork? I see the surgeons on the 21st, nutritionist on the 20th, and I'm sure all will be discussed ad nauseam.
Post-EKG/bloodwork debacle, I had this fun road trip to Portland with an old friend--meeting up with another old friend--which was so much fun. We went to Powell's--which is where I joke that I want my ashes when I die--and also hit one of the branches of the Book Bin in Salem. What can I say? I went on a major book bender. Here is a partial list of my goodies:
Scott Spencer—A Ship Made of Paper
Nick Hornby, ed.—Speaking With the Angel: Original Stories
Leo Tolstoy—Anna Karenina
Carson McCullers—The Member of the Wedding and The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
Elliot Perlman—The Reasons I Won’t Be Coming: Stories
Peter Terzian, ed.—Heavy Rotation: Twenty Writers on the Albums That Changed Their Lives
Maile Meloy—A Family Daughter
Kim Addonizio and Cheryl Dumesnil, eds.—Dorothy Parker’s Elbow: Tattoos on Writers, Writers on Tattoos
Tobias Wolff—Our Story Begins: New and Selected Stories*
Laura Moriarty—The Rest of Her Life
Dorothy Parker—Stories (a collection of 24)
Joyce Carol Oates—The Female of the Species: Tales of Mystery and Suspense
Ann Charters, ed.—The Portable Beat Reader
Shawn McBride—Green Grass Grace
Mark Budman and Tom Hazuka, eds.—You Have Time For This: Contemporary American Short-Short Stories
John McNally, ed.—When I Was a Loser: True Tales of (Barely) Surviving High School
Mary Oliver—New and Selected Poems, Volume One*
Leslie Marshall—A Girl Could Stand Up
Tim O’Brien—July, July
Elissa Schappell—Use Me
Graham Roumieu—Bigfoot: I Not Dead
Roxanne J. Coady and Joy Johannessen, eds.—The Book That Changed My Life: 71 Remarkable Writers Celebrate the Books That Matter Most to Them
Amy Goldwasser, ed.—Red: Teenage Girls in America Write On What Fires Up Their Life Today
Lily Burana—Strip City: A Stripper’s Farewell Journey Across America
Doris Lessing—The Golden Notebook
Jonathan Lethem—You Don’t Love Me Yet
Franz Kafka—The Metamorphosis, In the Penal Colony, and Other Stories
Joyce Carol Oates—My Sister, My Love
All were used except the ones marked with *.
Being with old friends after years and years, just talking about life, was SO cool. We were all once children together, and now we face a lot of what people our age our facing--aging parents/grandparents, etc., and our plans for the rest of our lives. We are all only children; it was really like spending time with two long-lost sisters. It even got me thinking about going back to graduate school...but I'm only thinking at this point. I've got to take care of this surgery stuff and my ankle is getting worse all the time, unfortunately, so I can't think much past the immediate future.
I'm still enjoying food and drinks in moderation, but am always mindful of the the looming expiration date on eating "normally". The 20th is when I see the nutritionist and the pre-surgery low-carb regime begins. One friend of mine--who is an RN--warned me I would feel hungry all the time, and possibly weak and/or sick as well. I hope the nutritionist gives me some guidance in terms of keeping my energy up for work. I also hope I don't have that gonna-have-to-choke-a-bitch feeling the whole time. Diets make me crabby. But not as crabby as taking five vials of blood when I haven't eaten in fourteen hours!
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Saturday 9: Wedding Bell Blues
1. If you have been or are married, tell us about your wedding. If you are not, tell us how would you want it to be.
Both of my weddings were very small. The first had three people; the second had seven people, which was more than I wanted, but it worked out well. We picked an officiant, wrote our own vows, and I actually got dressed up, carried flowers, and all that stuff. If I'd had my druthers, though, we would have run off somewhere alone together and gotten married. We plan to renew our vows that way at some point.
2. What age would you encourage your children to get married? I don't think anyone should get married before they are 25. The later, the better. I was almost 30 the first time I married and that was a good age.
3. Who got married at the last wedding that you attended? Pat and Noemi.
4. Do you enjoy weddings and receptions? The receptions tend to be more fun, of course. It really depends on who's getting married. For the most part, I enjoy them, but I used to be a wedding photographer so I can pretty much predict the length of the marriage accurately before the ceremony is over.
5. Have you cried at a wedding? Sure.
6. Would you prefer a lavish event or a intimate ceremony? Intimate.
7. Have you ever been in someone’s wedding party? If yes, do tell.
A couple of times. Once I was a bridesmaid and the photographer--I don't recommend that. My main memories are of being hot, of going into a handicapped stall with the other attendants and holding up the big dress so a bride could pee, and of hoping my strapless bra(because you could never wear a normal bra with those dresses) wouldn't blow out at an inopportune moment.
8. Does a wedding make you happy and sentimental or grouchy and skeptical? Depends on the circumstances. I err on the skeptical side until I see some evidence to the contrary, but always hope for the best.
9. Why do you think our divorce rate is so high? People getting married for the wrong reasons to people they don't know well enough. And people that want a wedding, not a marriage!
Both of my weddings were very small. The first had three people; the second had seven people, which was more than I wanted, but it worked out well. We picked an officiant, wrote our own vows, and I actually got dressed up, carried flowers, and all that stuff. If I'd had my druthers, though, we would have run off somewhere alone together and gotten married. We plan to renew our vows that way at some point.
2. What age would you encourage your children to get married? I don't think anyone should get married before they are 25. The later, the better. I was almost 30 the first time I married and that was a good age.
3. Who got married at the last wedding that you attended? Pat and Noemi.
4. Do you enjoy weddings and receptions? The receptions tend to be more fun, of course. It really depends on who's getting married. For the most part, I enjoy them, but I used to be a wedding photographer so I can pretty much predict the length of the marriage accurately before the ceremony is over.
5. Have you cried at a wedding? Sure.
6. Would you prefer a lavish event or a intimate ceremony? Intimate.
7. Have you ever been in someone’s wedding party? If yes, do tell.
A couple of times. Once I was a bridesmaid and the photographer--I don't recommend that. My main memories are of being hot, of going into a handicapped stall with the other attendants and holding up the big dress so a bride could pee, and of hoping my strapless bra(because you could never wear a normal bra with those dresses) wouldn't blow out at an inopportune moment.
8. Does a wedding make you happy and sentimental or grouchy and skeptical? Depends on the circumstances. I err on the skeptical side until I see some evidence to the contrary, but always hope for the best.
9. Why do you think our divorce rate is so high? People getting married for the wrong reasons to people they don't know well enough. And people that want a wedding, not a marriage!
It's a Wonderful Life: Thursday Thunks meme for July 7
1. Do you tend to have a guilty conscience? No.
2. Do you still have your wisdom teeth? I have one impacted one waaaay in the jaw. It's not going anywhere.
3. Peanut Butter - creamy or crunchy? Jif Extra Crunchy, but I have recently switched to Jif Creamy in honor of my impending gastric bypass.
4. Get up off your butt. Take 5 steps. Which leg did you start out on? The left
5. What color is your favorite kitchen utensil? Silver.
6. Did you watch the Michael Jackson memorial/funeral? I saw about ten minutes of it--I was on my way out the door with some friends.
7. Do you know anyone who graduated from high school this year?
Were you invited to their graduation party? Did you go? This year, no.
8. White with black stripes or black with white stripes? black with white stripes
9. If we were to call your 6th grade teacher, what would they say about you? They'd say I was a nice kid.
10. Can you draw a perfect circle? no
11. What was your favorite scratch & sniff sticker scent? Cherry
12. What does your sibling do for a living? no siblings
13. How many light switches and electrical outlets are in the room that you are in right now? One light switch, four outlets
14. Do you know sign language? No. I'd like to learn it.
15. Do you step on cracks in the sidewalk? I step wherever it's level.
16. And the sheets on your bed look like....? T-shirt sheets!
17. What is something that everyone else has, but you don't? I can't think of anything EVERYONE else has. Sometimes it feels like everyone else has kids and I don't.
2. Do you still have your wisdom teeth? I have one impacted one waaaay in the jaw. It's not going anywhere.
3. Peanut Butter - creamy or crunchy? Jif Extra Crunchy, but I have recently switched to Jif Creamy in honor of my impending gastric bypass.
4. Get up off your butt. Take 5 steps. Which leg did you start out on? The left
5. What color is your favorite kitchen utensil? Silver.
6. Did you watch the Michael Jackson memorial/funeral? I saw about ten minutes of it--I was on my way out the door with some friends.
7. Do you know anyone who graduated from high school this year?
Were you invited to their graduation party? Did you go? This year, no.
8. White with black stripes or black with white stripes? black with white stripes
9. If we were to call your 6th grade teacher, what would they say about you? They'd say I was a nice kid.
10. Can you draw a perfect circle? no
11. What was your favorite scratch & sniff sticker scent? Cherry
12. What does your sibling do for a living? no siblings
13. How many light switches and electrical outlets are in the room that you are in right now? One light switch, four outlets
14. Do you know sign language? No. I'd like to learn it.
15. Do you step on cracks in the sidewalk? I step wherever it's level.
16. And the sheets on your bed look like....? T-shirt sheets!
17. What is something that everyone else has, but you don't? I can't think of anything EVERYONE else has. Sometimes it feels like everyone else has kids and I don't.
Monday Crazy Questions, from June 29
I'm a little behind....
1. what would you say is your biggest blessing ?
My friends; that includes Mr. Salted.
2. do you shop online...Home goods or personal items? Can you tell us what personal items you look for??
Clothes, books, gifts, shoes, jewelry, movies, music...I am a dedicated online shopper.
3. Name a song from your past that you have always loved. what year was it recorded?
I have always loved "Helplessly Hoping" by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Probably 1969 or 1970?
4. If you found out there was a pedophile living in your neighborhood, would you take any action or ignore the fact??
Is s/he a convicted pedophile or just an alleged one? If convicted, I'd make sure s/he was doing the reporting s/he was supposed to be doing and that the neighborhood was aware. I'd help put up the posters, if need be.
5. If you could live in any city In the USA...what would it be.
Cannon Beach, OR
6. what is the one city you wouldn't live in even if you were paid to!?
Miami, FL
7. If you were strapped for cash would you ask a parent or sibling for money?
Don't have either. Wouldn't anyway.
8. what is your most favorite thing to do to relax when you are not working?
Read.
1. what would you say is your biggest blessing ?
My friends; that includes Mr. Salted.
2. do you shop online...Home goods or personal items? Can you tell us what personal items you look for??
Clothes, books, gifts, shoes, jewelry, movies, music...I am a dedicated online shopper.
3. Name a song from your past that you have always loved. what year was it recorded?
I have always loved "Helplessly Hoping" by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Probably 1969 or 1970?
4. If you found out there was a pedophile living in your neighborhood, would you take any action or ignore the fact??
Is s/he a convicted pedophile or just an alleged one? If convicted, I'd make sure s/he was doing the reporting s/he was supposed to be doing and that the neighborhood was aware. I'd help put up the posters, if need be.
5. If you could live in any city In the USA...what would it be.
Cannon Beach, OR
6. what is the one city you wouldn't live in even if you were paid to!?
Miami, FL
7. If you were strapped for cash would you ask a parent or sibling for money?
Don't have either. Wouldn't anyway.
8. what is your most favorite thing to do to relax when you are not working?
Read.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Pre-surgery ultrasound
I feel like I haven't been around at all. It's been crazy! Between fun stuff, surgery stuff and work stuff, I have been on the run, and mostly I'm glad; I don't have time to sit around and obsess about the surgery, and I'm bringing in some money--and I know this is a temporary segue.
Yesterday was my pre-surgical abdominal ultrasound to evaluate for gallstones. (If they see gallstones, they will remove my gallbladder during the bypass surgery.)
I've had ultrasounds and a lot of other stomach tests before (colonoscopy, endoscopy, etc.) but this ultrasound was quite the marathon. I must have been in there for at least 45 minutes, contorting my body so that every conceivable view of my innards could be recorded. There was also a lot of breath holding and blowing it out. At times my torso felt a little tender because the tech was really having to push to get the view needed, but what surprised me was how sore I was afterward--basically I was no good at all for the rest of the day from the pain.
I still need to do an EKG and fasting blood draw; I was going to do it the same day, but my surgery date is August 3 so it needed to be done July 3 or after.
Yesterday was my pre-surgical abdominal ultrasound to evaluate for gallstones. (If they see gallstones, they will remove my gallbladder during the bypass surgery.)
I've had ultrasounds and a lot of other stomach tests before (colonoscopy, endoscopy, etc.) but this ultrasound was quite the marathon. I must have been in there for at least 45 minutes, contorting my body so that every conceivable view of my innards could be recorded. There was also a lot of breath holding and blowing it out. At times my torso felt a little tender because the tech was really having to push to get the view needed, but what surprised me was how sore I was afterward--basically I was no good at all for the rest of the day from the pain.
I still need to do an EKG and fasting blood draw; I was going to do it the same day, but my surgery date is August 3 so it needed to be done July 3 or after.
Out of the Blue--Matthew Kahler
1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, mp3 player, etc. on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME/BAND NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS
IF SOMEONE SAYS 'ARE YOU OKAY' YOU SAY?
Lullaby in Blue--Bette Midler
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
How Can I Be Out When I Ain't Been In?--Girl Trouble
WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Need You Tonight--INXS
HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Speak Low--Billie Holiday
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
That's The Way (I Like It)--KC and the Sunshine Band
WHAT'S YOUR MOTTO?
Pay To Play--Nirvana
WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Brass in Pocket--Pretenders
WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Galaxy of Emptiness--Beth Orton
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
There is a Sound--The Handsome Family
WHAT IS 2 + 2?
No Self-Control--Peter Gabriel
YOUR MAKING LOVE SONG:
C'Mon and Get My Love--Cathy Dennis
BREAK UP TO MAKE UP SONG:
Wrap My Head Around That--Lucinda Williams
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Sleep to Dream--Fiona Apple
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
When Harpo Played His Harp--Jonathan Richman
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Artesian Lover--Sandman
YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE:
American Woman--Guess Who
WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Your Heart is an Empty Room--Death Cab for Cutie
YOUR DANCE ON THE TABLE SONG:
Twisting By The Pool--Dire Straits (good choice!)
WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Become a Robot--They Might Be Giants
WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Mr. Blue--Junkster
WHAT BEST SUITS YOUR PERSONALITY?
Nightmares By the Sea--Jeff Buckley
YOUR FEEL GOOD SONG:
Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight--Spinal Tap
WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
The Kokomo Medley--Bonnie Raitt
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
The First Show--Your Heart Breaks
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Speed of Sound--Coldplay
WHAT DO YOU WANT RIGHT NOW?
Girl Gone Bad--Van Halen
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
I Could Write a Book--Dinah Washington
WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Out of the Blue--Matthew Kahler
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME/BAND NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS
IF SOMEONE SAYS 'ARE YOU OKAY' YOU SAY?
Lullaby in Blue--Bette Midler
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
How Can I Be Out When I Ain't Been In?--Girl Trouble
WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Need You Tonight--INXS
HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Speak Low--Billie Holiday
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
That's The Way (I Like It)--KC and the Sunshine Band
WHAT'S YOUR MOTTO?
Pay To Play--Nirvana
WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Brass in Pocket--Pretenders
WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Galaxy of Emptiness--Beth Orton
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
There is a Sound--The Handsome Family
WHAT IS 2 + 2?
No Self-Control--Peter Gabriel
YOUR MAKING LOVE SONG:
C'Mon and Get My Love--Cathy Dennis
BREAK UP TO MAKE UP SONG:
Wrap My Head Around That--Lucinda Williams
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Sleep to Dream--Fiona Apple
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
When Harpo Played His Harp--Jonathan Richman
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Artesian Lover--Sandman
YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE:
American Woman--Guess Who
WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Your Heart is an Empty Room--Death Cab for Cutie
YOUR DANCE ON THE TABLE SONG:
Twisting By The Pool--Dire Straits (good choice!)
WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Become a Robot--They Might Be Giants
WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Mr. Blue--Junkster
WHAT BEST SUITS YOUR PERSONALITY?
Nightmares By the Sea--Jeff Buckley
YOUR FEEL GOOD SONG:
Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight--Spinal Tap
WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
The Kokomo Medley--Bonnie Raitt
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
The First Show--Your Heart Breaks
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Speed of Sound--Coldplay
WHAT DO YOU WANT RIGHT NOW?
Girl Gone Bad--Van Halen
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
I Could Write a Book--Dinah Washington
WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Out of the Blue--Matthew Kahler
Thursday Thunks meme for July 2
1. When you close a door, do you close it quick and just let it slam or do you hold the knob and slowly shut it tight? Slowly shut. Slamming is obnoxious and I want to make sure it's closed all the way.
2.Train A is moving at 60 miles an hour. Train B is moving at 22 miles an hour. They will pass each other at X time. Now what color shoes are you wearing when train A derails? I am barefoot and drinking a margarita.
3. What if M&M's grew on trees? What color M&M tree would you have?
M&M trees would be great, but wouldn't the M&M's melt in the sun? Purple and/or blue.
4. How many petals on a flower does it take to make it the perfect bloom? It's not how many petals a flower has, it's how the flower feels. :)
5. I took you to spend $421.67 on you, what did we spend that money on? Books!
6. If you were a squash, what type of squash would you be? Yellow. I like that kind.
7. Have you ever gotten a wrong number call and ended up talking to the person for longer than 5 minutes? No, but I've had a brief chat about the weather or something inane.
8. Why haven't you joined Berleen & Kimber at Insanity Cafe yet? Do we stink? I don't know what that is, but it sounds like a good place.
9. Shampoo bottles say lather, rinse, repeat... do you? No, once is enough--that would just wash the hair dye out faster. :)
10. It's July, the year is half over. Do you see it as "whew that part is over" or best is yet to come? The best is yet to come.
11. Why do you do the Thursday Thunks meme? It's fun.
2.Train A is moving at 60 miles an hour. Train B is moving at 22 miles an hour. They will pass each other at X time. Now what color shoes are you wearing when train A derails? I am barefoot and drinking a margarita.
3. What if M&M's grew on trees? What color M&M tree would you have?
M&M trees would be great, but wouldn't the M&M's melt in the sun? Purple and/or blue.
4. How many petals on a flower does it take to make it the perfect bloom? It's not how many petals a flower has, it's how the flower feels. :)
5. I took you to spend $421.67 on you, what did we spend that money on? Books!
6. If you were a squash, what type of squash would you be? Yellow. I like that kind.
7. Have you ever gotten a wrong number call and ended up talking to the person for longer than 5 minutes? No, but I've had a brief chat about the weather or something inane.
8. Why haven't you joined Berleen & Kimber at Insanity Cafe yet? Do we stink? I don't know what that is, but it sounds like a good place.
9. Shampoo bottles say lather, rinse, repeat... do you? No, once is enough--that would just wash the hair dye out faster. :)
10. It's July, the year is half over. Do you see it as "whew that part is over" or best is yet to come? The best is yet to come.
11. Why do you do the Thursday Thunks meme? It's fun.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
About Me
- Salted with Shadows
- Seattle, WA, United States
- This blog focuses largely on a personal journey to and through weight-loss surgery. It's also about reading, writing, animals, photography, love, humor, music, thinking out loud, and memes. In other words...life.
