It’s been a difficult week, and I am not comfortable sharing the worst of it in a public space like this, but although I was enormously inconvenienced and somewhat stressed, nobody got hurt and nothing important was lost, so I consider myself pretty blessed. Even in my worst weeks, my life is pretty great.
Saturday when I was out for a long walk, something flew into my eye and stayed there. It was miserable. I took myself home and after several attempts to wash it out, just went to bed hoping my eye would discharge the foreign matter while I slept. It didn’t.
So Sunday morning I took myself to the ER, something I never do. The last time was more than fifteen years ago when I snapped a ligament in my calf at work and really had no choice. The doctor said he couldn’t see anything in my eye but I did have an abrasion. He speculated that something flew into my eye, abraded it, and bounced out, and said it should be fine in a day or two, which turned out to be true.
Until then, I was constantly aware of this discomfort in my eye, and found myself tearing up uncontrollably at times. It was miserable.
Came home from work early Tuesday because I was feeling physically crappy in the midst of dealing with the other ickiness (the stuff I’m not detailing). Then my planned vacation day Wednesday (to deal with practical fixes for this ickiness) turned into a stay-in-bed-all-day day because I was still ill. Finally felt mostly better Wednesday night and never got to finish the business I meant to take care of, so I took a half day of vacation Thursday and still didn’t get it done.
It’s been like that.
I did have a fairly productive half-day at work Thursday, though, so the trend is upward. I’m hoping to settle matters Friday evening so I can enjoy the weekend, which will include a Halloween party at a HS classmate’s house and hanging out with the folks.
Also have to start preparing for my trip, which is exciting. I’ve decided not to share details about it until I get back, but I promise I will.
From here.
- When are you the straw that stirs the drink?
I am not nearly the drink-stirrer I once was, especially since I work in a new place and am a low person on the totem pole. However, I have used my voice to speak up on behalf of our nursing moms. I’ve been with the foundation for nearly two years, and the space we use for a nursing room could be a lot more hospitable. I really think we aren’t making this high-enough a priority. - Who has delivered the most stirring rendition of your country’s national anthem?
There’s a video going around this week of Willie K singing a completely rearranged “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the UH Manoa vs. Nevada football game last weekend, and it’s quite terrific, but my favorite all time is still Huey Lewis and the News, who’ve been singing it at baseball games since the mid-Eighties. I first saw it to open the All-Star game in San Francisco and couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It sounded the way I think it should sound at a ballgame. The one I’m embedding here is from a few years later, 1987, and while it’s not the best of their performances of this song, this video’s got the best audio. - Who or what is stirring in your vicinity?
The occasional car passing on the street outside. Nothing else I’m aware of. My neighbors on both sides and across the street all retire early. So it’s just me, just the way I like it! - What do you like and dislike in a stir-fry?
Bean sprouts, broccoli, and tofu are my favorite ingredients, but I also like snow peas and baby bok choi if I can get them. Celery and carrots are big turn-offs in a stir-fry. I also prefer a light hoisin sauce over a thick teriyaki sauce, but probably the best is just some olive oil and butter, or maybe some chile oil. - How do you deal with feeling stir-crazy?
I used to go for long walks, but now I get in Jessica and go for a drive, sometimes just around the neighborhood or all the way to the office and back. A few times, I’ve driven somewhere, parked the car, and gone for long walks in more interesting places. I have always loved driving, but now in my second month of car ownership after four years of car non-ownership, I love it even more. Plus the car is air-conditioned and the crib is not, a huge plus in what has been a very humid season.